Overview

Sellers encounter Error 18032 when Amazon’s validation engine cannot locate the promotion identifier supplied in an order‑adjustment submission. The issue appears in both tab‑delimited files and XML feeds, and it matters because it stalls refunds, reimbursements, and bulk adjustment workflows.

Key Points

• Root cause — The promotion ID placed in the adjustment file does not correspond to any promotion recorded for that order, causing Amazon’s system to reject the file.
• File types affected — The error surfaces whether you upload a tab‑delimited adjustment file (using item‑promotion‑id or ship‑promotion‑id columns) or an XML feed (using the <PromotionID> element).
• Blank fields are required — When the original orders report shows no promotion ID, the adjustment file must leave the field completely empty; inserting “0”, “N/A”, or any placeholder triggers the error.
• Exact match matters — Even a stray space, case difference, or extra character in the promotion ID will be treated as a mismatch and generate Error 18032.
• Resolution is a simple resubmit — Pull the correct promotion identifier from the orders report, replace the incorrect value (or leave the field blank), and resend the file.
• Impact on high‑volume sellers — Repeated mismatches can create a backlog of adjustments, delaying financial reconciliation and potentially affecting cash flow for sellers processing hundreds of orders daily.

How Error 18032 Occurs

1. Extract promotion data from the orders report — The seller downloads the orders report for a specific transaction and notes the exact item‑promotion‑id or shipping‑promotion‑id listed. For example, Order #123‑4567890‑1234567 shows an item‑promotion‑id of PROMO2023A.
2. Populate the adjustment file — The seller creates a tab‑delimited file or XML feed and inserts the promotion identifier into the corresponding field. If the seller mistakenly types **PROMO2023A ** (with a trailing space) or substitutes , Amazon’s validation will not find a match.