How to Fix Error 18014: Negative Shipping Price Adjustments in Amazon Feeds
Error 18014 occurs when a shipping‑price‑adjustment field in an XML or tab‑delimited feed contains a negative value (e.g., -3.99). Amazon requires the amount to be positive, so the feed is rejected until the value is changed to its absolute amount.
Overview
Amazon sellers encounter error 18014 when a feed that contains order‑adjustment data lists a negative amount for shipping‑price adjustments. The feed is rejected, preventing the refund from being issued and potentially delaying the buyer’s reimbursement. Understanding why Amazon rejects negative shipping values and how to correct them is essential for anyone who processes refunds in bulk through XML or flat‑file feeds.
Key Points
- Positive numbers only — Amazon expects every refund‑related field, including shipping‑price adjustments, to be entered as a positive figure that represents the amount to be returned to the buyer.
- Applies to XML and flat files — The error can arise whether you upload an XML adjustment feed or a tab‑delimited flat file; the underlying rule about sign‑direction is the same for both formats.
- No credit‑card recharges via feeds — Sellers cannot charge a buyer’s credit card by submitting a negative adjustment; Amazon’s system only processes refunds, not additional fees.
- Simple resubmit fixes the issue — Re‑uploading the same feed with the shipping‑price value changed to a positive number clears the error and allows the refund to proceed.
- Automation scripts must be vetted — Any custom code that builds adjustment feeds should include a validation step to prevent accidental insertion of negative values.
How the Error Occurs
- Feed parsing detects a negative shipping entry — When Amazon’s feed processor reads the adjustment file, it scans the shipping‑price‑adj field. If the field contains “‑5.00” (or any negative figure), the system flags error 18014.
- XML example — An XML snippet such as
<ShippingPriceAdjustment>-3.99</ShippingPriceAdjustment>triggers the same rejection because the value is not a positive decimal. - Flat‑file example — In a tab‑delimited file, a line like
1234567890\t-2.50\t...where the second column represents the shipping adjustment will also cause the error.
Analysis & Recommendations
Why This Matters
A rejected feed prevents the buyer’s refund from being issued, leading to delayed reimbursements and potential negative impact on metrics such as Late Shipment Rate and Order Defect Rate. Sellers handling high‑volume refunds must resolve error 18014 quickly to maintain performance scores.
Key Takeaways
- Error 18014 is triggered by any negative number in the ShippingPriceAdjustment element or column.
- Both XML feeds and flat‑file (tab‑delimited) feeds enforce the same rule: shipping adjustments must be positive.
- Amazon does not allow credit‑card recharges via adjustment feeds; only refunds are permitted.
- Replacing the negative value with its absolute (e.g., -4.00 → 4.00) and re‑uploading clears the error.
Recommended Actions
- →In Seller Central, open the original feed file, locate all negative ShippingPriceAdjustment entries, and replace them with positive values.
- →Add a validation step in your feed‑generation script (e.g., use abs(value) for the shipping field) before saving the XML or flat file.
- →Before each upload, run a pre‑upload audit in the spreadsheet: filter the shipping‑price‑adj column for ‘-’ symbols and correct any findings, then ...
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