Overview

Amazon has temporarily suspended a major overhaul of the product‑listing attributes that sellers must complete in Seller Central. The pause follows an outpouring of concerns from sellers about the operational load the new mandatory fields would create. Although the rollout is on hold, Amazon has indicated the changes are still slated for implementation at a later date, making it essential for sellers to stay prepared.

Key Points

• Mandatory shift — Attributes that were previously optional, such as “Material Type” for apparel, will become required before a new listing can be published.
• Relaxed requirements — A handful of fields that are now compulsory, like “Package Quantity” for certain consumables, will be downgraded to optional status, easing data entry for those categories.
• Attribute elimination — Specific legacy fields, for example “Manufacturer Part Number” in the Toys category, will be removed entirely from the upload templates.
• New listings only — Any product added after the effective date must contain all newly required attributes; listings created before the date remain unchanged unless edited.
• Existing listings protected — Current live listings will stay live without forced updates, but any subsequent edit will trigger the new attribute checks.

How the Changes Work

1. Attribute classification update — Amazon’s system will scan the category‑specific attribute matrix and re‑label fields. For instance, a seller adding a new kitchen gadget will now be prompted to fill “Blade Material” (previously optional) before the listing can be saved.
2. Validation at submission — When a seller uses the “Add a Product” wizard or uploads a flat‑file, the platform will block submission if any newly mandatory field is blank. A seller uploading a 200‑SKU spreadsheet for home décor will receive an error message pointing to missing “Frame Material” entries.
3. Edit‑triggered enforcement — If a seller opens an existing listing to modify price or images, the system will re‑evaluate the attribute set. Should the listing lack a newly required field such as “Battery Life” for electronics, the edit cannot be saved until the information is supplied.