Between September 2, 2025, and November 30, 2025, we will remove variation themes from our product templates that aren’t relevant or frequently used, to simplify your listing experience. We’ve already marked the affected themes as Deprecated: Do not use in the product template Variation theme name field.
If you try to update a listing with a deprecated variation theme, you’ll receive an error message that states, “the value specified is invalid” and the update won’t be successful.
To update your ASINs that have the affected variation themes, we recommend that you take the following steps:
Remove the Parentage level, Child relationship type, Parent SKU, and Variation theme name attributes from the child ASINs that were tied to the parent ASIN.
Create a new parent ASIN with an available variation theme.
Assign your relevant child ASINs to the new parent ASIN.
If you’re unable to update the affected variation themes, your child ASINs will remain active as stand-alone listings so customers can continue to purchase your products.
For more information about variation themes and how to manage variations, go to Variation relationship FAQ.
I had a look @ the Excel Workbook linked in that post, and was shocked to see the number of “Size” & “Color” Variation Themes that are scheduled for deprecation.
As has been the case since the launches, beginning in 2019, of the PT (“Product Types and Attributes”) Initiative, then the “Attribute Harmonization Initiative”, followed by the “Size Normalization Initiative”, this does not bode well…
It wouldn’t surprise to learn that the ongoing problem there - which has appeared in other categories, BMVD and not, since your original 072525 heads-up post (link, SAS) - IS related to this latest Global Catalog Attributes revamp.
When a web page “element” - like the “See All Formats and Edition” ‘button’ - returns an “undefined error” such as “javascript:void (0),” to a “client” computer’s call upon the page-hosting server, it’s an indication that the element has lost its ‘anchor’; there can be many causes of this, with perhaps the most-common being that the page is undergoing an update of some sort.
I started to post about this when it came out. This is certainly going to be a ■■■■■-show.
Like @Dogtamer I looked over the Excel Workbook. The “Product Types” affected are considerable … however … I do wonder if on a lot of this Amazon is trying to fix the massive amount of coding errors created by multiple employees working across different Product Types, and continents, using different terms for the same Theme.
Example Line 12666:
COAT - COLOR_NAME (being depreciated)
I have seen - COLOR_NAME, COLOR and COLOUR all used in different API files.
I don’t see COLOR in the list, so maybe this is an attempt at some correction, along with removing abused variations.
Hopefully amazon will add back in some of the most complained of removals.
I suspect your speculation is the most-likely explanation for Amazon’s intent - a notion would would seem to be supported by what the mods have begun posting over in the NSFE, such as Danny’s 082125 reply in the News Headline-accompanying discussion, here: