Overview

Amazon sellers frequently encounter Error 6000 when bulk‑uploading product data that contains dates not formatted to Amazon’s ISO‑compliant standard. The error appears during the file‑validation stage and blocks listings from being created or updated. Correcting the date format eliminates the rejection and keeps inventory and promotion schedules on track.

Key Points

• Accepted formats — Amazon accepts either a simple date (YYYY‑MM‑DD, e.g., 2023‑11‑15) or a full ISO 8601 timestamp (YYYY‑MM‑DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM, e.g., 2023‑11‑15T08:30:00‑08:00).
• Spreadsheet auto‑reformatting — Excel, Google Sheets, and similar tools automatically change entered dates to regional styles such as 11/15/2023, which Amazon rejects.
• Timezone offset requirement — When a timestamp is used, the offset must be expressed relative to GMT (Pacific Standard Time = ‑08:00, Pacific Daylight Time = ‑07:00; Eastern Standard Time = ‑05:00, Eastern Daylight Time = ‑04:00).
• Simplest path — If a precise time is unnecessary, stick with the YYYY‑MM‑DD format to avoid offset complications.
• Hidden characters cause failures — Extra spaces, line‑breaks, or non‑printing characters introduced during copy‑paste can still trigger Error 6000 even when the visible format looks correct.

How to Prevent Date‑Formatting Errors

1. Set column type to Text before entry — In Excel, right‑click the date column, choose Format Cells, select the Number tab, and pick Text. This forces the program to store whatever you type without converting it to a locale‑specific date.
2. Enter dates using the exact ISO pattern — Type 2024‑02‑29 for a simple date or 2024‑02‑29T14:45:00‑05:00 for a timestamp. Because the column is already text, the entry remains unchanged.
3. Lock the format after data entry — Once all dates are entered, re‑apply the Text format to the entire column to ensure any later edits retain the required pattern.