Overview

Error 99003 is a product listing error in Amazon Seller Central that occurs when sellers attempt to create or update product variations without providing values for all required variation theme fields. Understanding how to resolve this error can save sellers time and prevent listing delays when managing product catalogs with size, color, or other variation attributes.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Variation themes require complete data - When you select a variation theme for your product (such as SizeName-ColorName), every attribute within that theme must have a value assigned. Leaving any field blank will trigger this error.
• Common trigger scenarios - This error most frequently appears when sellers are uploading product templates or flat files with incomplete variation data, or when editing existing listings and accidentally clearing a required field.
• Error message format - The system will return a message reading "A required value is missing for the specified variation theme" followed by the specific attribute name and value that caused the issue, helping you pinpoint exactly which field needs attention.
• Quick resolution - The fix is straightforward: fill in all required variation theme attribute values in your product template and resubmit.

How Variation Themes Work

When creating product listings with multiple variations on Amazon, sellers must select a variation theme that defines how child products differ from one another. Common variation themes include size, color, size-color combinations, flavor, and pattern. Each variation theme comes with its own set of required attribute fields that must be populated for every child product in the listing. For instance, if you choose a SizeName-ColorName variation theme, both the size_name and color_name fields must contain valid entries for each variant. Amazon uses these attributes to properly display product options to customers and organize the variation family structure on the detail page.

Common Causes and Prevention

The most frequent cause of error 99003 is incomplete data entry in product upload templates or flat files. Sellers often encounter this when they copy rows in a spreadsheet and forget to update all variation fields, or when they add a new child ASIN to an existing variation family without filling in every required attribute. Another common scenario involves selecting a multi-attribute variation theme (like SizeName-ColorName) but only providing values for one of the attributes. To prevent this error from recurring, sellers should carefully review their product templates before submission, ensuring that every row containing a child product has complete values for all variation theme attributes. Using Amazon's product template validation tools or category-specific flat file templates can also help catch missing values before upload.