Overview

Sellers uploading bulk product feeds sometimes see error 99002 when Amazon receives a barcode in scientific‑notation form instead of a plain numeric string. The issue stems from spreadsheet programs automatically reformatting long numbers, and it can halt large‑scale listings if not corrected.

Key Points

• Scientific notation causes rejection — A barcode displayed as “1.23E+12” triggers error 99002 because Amazon expects the full 12‑ or 13‑digit sequence.
• Excel and Google Sheets are typical sources — Both applications default to “General” formatting, which converts any number longer than 11 digits into scientific notation.
• Leading zeros are stripped — Even when scientific notation is avoided, spreadsheets may drop initial zeros (e.g., “001234567890” becomes “1234567890”), leading to a separate validation failure.
• Text formatting prevents conversion — Setting the barcode column to “Text” forces the program to keep every digit exactly as entered.
• Apostrophe prefix is a quick fix — Typing an apostrophe before the number (’012345678901) tells Excel to treat the entry as text without changing column settings.
• Dedicated feed tools can automate the process — Third‑party listing managers often store barcode fields as strings, eliminating the need for manual spreadsheet tweaks.

How to Fix Error 99002

1. Set column type to Text before data entry — In Excel, right‑click the barcode column, choose Format Cells, select Text, and click OK; any number you paste afterward remains unchanged.
2. Re‑enter existing scientific‑notation values as plain text — Copy the “5.90123E+12” entry, paste it into a plain‑text editor, replace it with “5901234123457”, then paste the corrected value back into the now‑text‑formatted column.
3. Add an apostrophe prefix for quick correction — If you cannot change column formatting, edit a cell to read ’5901234123457; the leading apostrophe is hidden in the sheet but preserves the full string for the feed.