How to Update and Add eBay Item Specifics in Bulk

This guide shows you how to change the item specifics on many eBay listings at once by editing a spreadsheet and importing it back into StoreFeeder. It also covers how to remove an item specific from a listing and how to add a brand-new one.

Before you start

You'll need:

An eBay channel with listings that are mapped to products.
An export of your listings that includes the item specifics you want to change. See the guide to exporting your eBay item specifics. Starting from an export means your file already has the Listing ID (Read Only) column that StoreFeeder uses to find each listing.

Warning: An import changes your listings in StoreFeeder and, with Update to Channel set to Yes, sends the changes to eBay. Keep a copy of your original export so you have a record of the previous values.

Step 1: Export your listings

Export the listings and item specifics you want to change, following the guide to exporting your eBay item specifics. Leave the Listing ID (Read Only) column as it is. Don't edit or delete it.

Step 2: Edit the item specifics in your spreadsheet

Open the file and make your changes:

To do this	Do this in the spreadsheet
Change a value	Type the new value over the old one.
Add an item specific to a listing that doesn't have it	Type a value into that listing's blank cell.
Remove an item specific from a listing	Clear the cell, then set Skip Blank Fields to No for that column in Step 4.
Give a listing more than one value	Separate the values with `\|`, for example `Red\|Blue`.
Leave a value as it is	Don't touch the cell.

Note: If an item specific on a listing takes its value from a Product Field or Custom Attribute, the export shows the value it currently has. Leave that cell as it is and the link stays in place. Type a different value and that item specific becomes a fixed value for that listing, and the link is removed.

Adding a brand-new item specific

To add an item specific that doesn't exist yet, add a new column to your spreadsheet. Give it a heading that starts with Item Specific - followed by the name, for example Item Specific - Material. Then type the values for each listing in that column.

When you import the file, StoreFeeder recognises the heading and creates the item specific on every listing that has a value in that column. You don't need to set it up anywhere first.

The heading must start with Item Specific -, including the hyphen. A column with any other heading isn't turned into an item specific.
The name can be up to 60 characters and each value up to 1,000 characters. Some item specifics do have lower character values but we are unable to check the size limits for each field on the bulk import so please be careful on the length of your item specific values.

Step 3: Start the import

Go to Listings > Listings Import Export and open the Import (Update Existing) tab. Then:

Set Update to Channel to Yes so the updated listings are sent to eBay. This can take up to an hour after the import.
Choose your eBay channel in the Channel box.
Upload your file. StoreFeeder accepts csv, xls and xlsx files up to 20 MB.

Step 4: Check the key field and mappings

Once the file is uploaded, StoreFeeder shows the File Properties, Key Field and Mappings sections.

Key Field: this should be Listing ID (Read Only). StoreFeeder selects it for you when your file still has that column.
Mappings: each item specific column is matched to the field of the same name, for example Item Specific - Brand. A new column headed Item Specific - Material appears as a new item specific. To leave a column out of the import, click the x next to it.
Create New Items and Append New Records have no effect on item specifics, so you can leave them as they are.

Warning: Skip Blank Fields is set to Yes by default. While it is Yes, a blank cell is ignored and the existing value stays on the listing. To remove item specifics by clearing cells, set Skip Blank Fields to No for those columns.

Step 5: Import the file and check the result

Click Import. Any row that couldn't be updated is listed under Errors as Row n followed by the reason. The other rows are imported.

To check your changes, export the same listings again and look at the item specific columns.

What StoreFeeder does for you

Unchanged cells are left alone. StoreFeeder only writes the cells you changed.
Variation listings are skipped. Item specifics belong to the main listing, or to a single listing that has no variations. A row for a variation (child) listing is skipped without an error, so make your changes on the main listing's row instead.

Note: StoreFeeder doesn't check your values against eBay's list of allowed values for a category. If eBay doesn't accept a value, for example for an item specific where eBay requires you to choose from its own list, eBay rejects the update when StoreFeeder sends the listing so please ensure you're inputting the correct values.

Troubleshooting

"Listing fields were updated, but item specifics failed: Cannot set item specifics because this listing has no eBay category yet. Save and upload the listing to eBay first."
The listing doesn't have a primary eBay category, so there's nowhere to save its item specifics. Open the listing, choose a category in Category & Item Specifics, save it, and import that row again.

"Listing fields were updated, but item specifics failed: Cannot set item specifics because the column header "…" is longer than the 60-character limit."
The name in the column heading is too long. Shorten it so the name after Item Specific - is 60 characters or fewer.

"Listing fields were updated, but item specifics failed: Cannot set item specifics because the value for "…" is longer than the 1000-character limit."
A cell in that column is too long. Shorten the value to 1,000 characters or fewer.

I cleared a cell but the item specific is still on the listing
Check that Skip Blank Fields is set to No for that column in the Mappings section. While it is Yes, blank cells are ignored. If it's still there after that, the value may be coming from the default item specifics for the listing's eBay category rather than being saved on the listing itself. Contact StoreFeeder support with the Listing ID.

My new column wasn't created as an item specific
Check that the heading starts with Item Specific -, including the hyphen, and that the column shows in Mappings as Item Specific followed by your name. Also check the listing has an eBay category.

Nothing changed for some listings
Those rows may be variation (child) listings, which are skipped. Make the change on the main listing's row.

The changes are in StoreFeeder but not on eBay yet
With Update to Channel set to Yes, listings are sent to eBay up to an hour after the import. If eBay still doesn't show the change, check the value is one eBay accepts for that category.

Still stuck? Contact StoreFeeder support with your account name, the eBay channel name, the item specific names involved, and the exact error text from the Errors list. Attach a copy of the file you imported, or at least one row that failed.