Required field, UPC, is missing. Please add UPC to the listing and retry the operation.

[maximus7001]

What to do about this: "Required field, UPC, is missing. Please add UPC to the listing and retry the operation." ?

We sell cassette tapes and sometimes they are are of a vintage that predates upc codes.

[momcqueen]

So.....

Is it just me or is everyone experiencing the same systematic malfunction when they try to use the Bulk Editing tool to address their missing Product Identifiers? It's been an issue for a few weeks now; I keep expecting it to be fixed. First, my changes vanished and now, all that I get are additional error messages. 

At the top of my Active Listing page, I have a handy-dandy reminder that tells me:

Improve your listings, sell more (348)

Add required product identifiers (348 total)

When I click the link, all the listings are nicely loaded for me in the Bulk editor tool but any adjustment I try to make for them gives me additional errors such as 'not valid' when I know the UPCS are valid. Has anyone been able to utilize this tool to make a pile of quick changes? Successfully? I'm just wondering.  

[maximus7001]

I have found the answer. Before 1988/1989 or so the UPC codes were either 11 or 13 numbers.Ebay's flawed system only seems to allow 12 and does not take into account that there were ever any other codes that are not 12 numbers.

We have been editing our listings to include the upc in ebays new field as well as the item specific upc we originally created that has been there all along.

Make sure you have the UPC in two places in the auction. If you don't then when you do a sell similar for the promotion it could erase the UPC from the new required field. If it does you will not have to go far to have the UPC number again.

[momcqueen]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

So.....

Improve your listings, sell more (348)

Add required product identifiers 

It turns out that the number in brackets is bunk. It has reset to 373 each of the past two mornings, regardless of how many listings may or may not require Product Identifiers. The first time it happened, I thought it might be my imagination. The second time, I know it is not. 

[momcqueen]

Oh, their number is WAY off. It's actually a lot closer to 450 that remain non-compliant. 

Excuse me for a minute while I go someplace quiet and hit myself repeatedly in the forehead with a plank of wood.

[pjcdn2005]

I feel your frustration!

You know your listings aren't going to disappear if you don't have all of the upc codes on them by the deadline. If it takes you a couple of more days to get finished, will it really make that much of a difference? Perhaps you should take the evening off and enjoy the beautiful weather. 🙂

[momcqueen]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I feel your frustration!

You know your listings aren't going to disappear if you don't have all of the upc codes on them by the deadline. If it takes you a couple of more days to get finished, will it really make that much of a difference? Perhaps you should take the evening off and enjoy the beautiful weather. 🙂

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I more imagine them bursting into flames on a server someplace at approximately 12:01 am on June 29. 

You're right. I do plan to ditch this and do something else this evening. My children are wandering and bleating like lost sheep and my husband has been afflicted with perma-frown. 

Enjoy your weekend!

[goldnideas]

I have recent items from 2015 (with expiration in 2017) with 13 digits !!!! When I tried to remove one I have " invalid value for UPC" message.

[maximus7001]

So ebay has done it this time. They require a number and claim half of the numbers we enter are invalid. Good one whoever was put in charge of this.

[traingirl2003]

The new UPC codes rule is annoying. I add them to the listings, then tuck my things away. If I REVISE ANYTHING IN THE LISTING, the UPC disappears completely and I have to dig it out to re-enter it. It appears that the listings will go through without the UPC code, but I am not sure about that. Also, if your item doesn't sell at auction and you want to list a "similar item" then the UPC code doesn't transfer from your auction listing to your buy it now if you change formats. Very big hassle for those of us who are smaller sellers without a lot of time who are just trying to get rid of things we bought and don't want to or can't return!

[momcqueen]

Try adding your important details like the UPC or MPN someplace else in the listing as insurance against this happening. I've done mine as a Custom Item Specific and also sometimes in the body copy of the item description. Sometimes if you relist via a mobile device, it may also wipe clean the item specifics so it might be best to just stick it in the description. You'll still have to look it up but it will be closer this way. I've learned the hard way. A few times already in the past month. I've revised 700 listings and some twice or even three times and still 115 to go. 

[momcqueen]

SELL SIMILAR today did NOT erase the associated UPCs, I repeat, did NOT erase the embedded UPCs. 

Could it be that someone heard us bemoaning that? Or was it merely a glitch on my first seven listings?

[jt-libra]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

SELL SIMILAR today did NOT erase the associated UPCs, I repeat, did NOT erase the embedded UPCs. 

Could it be that someone heard us bemoaning that? Or was it merely a glitch on my first seven listings?

---

Yes ... on mine too!!  UPC's carried over on both .ca and .com Sell Similar.  Thanks for posting.  I have a lot of 30 day listings ending in a couple of days and I was dreading having to re-enter each one instead of bulk listing.

[macman4623]

>Before 1988/1989 or so the UPC codes were either 11 or 13 numbers.Ebay's flawed system only seems to allow 12 and does not take into account that there were ever any other codes that are not 12 numbers.

I have noticed this on older products. While the check digit is encoded into the bar code, the check digit is not actually put into human readable form. I have no idea why they did that, but they just did.

If I go to a "check digit" calculator online, it will give me the last digit, or I can just scan the barcode to get the final digit.