You’re halfway through updating a client’s Amazon listing with coffee in hand, when—bam—Amazon sends a huge changelog to your inbox. If you aren’t paying attention, your “perfect” product feeds could turn into a total mess starting September 28, 2025.
Now your heart is racing. Q4 is coming fast and clients want answers, but Amazon just rewrote the playbook behind your back. Great. Here comes new docs, new attribute rules, and a clear warning—"Keep up, or get left behind."
It sounds dramatic, but it’s not. If your money depends on working listings, this is make-or-break time. Sellers and devs, if you miss the latest changes, your SKUs might stall, get flagged, or just vanish from Amazon search without warning.
But there’s a bright side: These changes aren't pointless. Amazon wants you to improve your listings, add better details, and hopefully win more buyers. The trick? You gotta change how you use attributes and enums—especially inside JSON feeds.
Let’s break down what’s really changing, who it affects, and how you can dodge the chaos and stay on top.
TL;DR:
Amazon’s September update messes with which listing attributes you need and which enum values are allowed when listing or editing products with offers. Imagine getting hit with a whole new set of multiple-choice questions—except picking wrong could hide your SKU, cut you from searches, or make you look clueless next to the competition.
Say your top Bluetooth speaker now needs a “Battery Type” field. Amazon only takes values like “Lithium-Ion” or “AA.” Skip it or pick an outdated option and your listing could get flagged or dropped until you fix it. This is NOT just a “maybe” problem—these changes WILL catch out slow sellers.
It’s not just one category. The new rules affect all kinds of products. Maybe you always left those ‘optional’ fields blank? Now some are mandatory. Amazon’s also changing or expanding which enums are allowed, so sellers are forced to give better, more consistent answers. Think of it like Amazon setting stricter standards so buyers can find what they want without junk filters.
The change is global, but the details matter. Electronics, clothing, home goods—these are hit hardest at first, but nearly every type of product feels it. Plus, some quirks pop up region by region (we’ll get to that).
Expert Insight:
“The goal is simple: standardized data means buyers find the right stuff, sellers avoid wrong search results. Some pain now, but it pays off later.” — Maria Blanco, Marketplace Integration Lead at Helium 10
If you’re using the Listings API, especially with JSONLISTINGSFEED, you’re in the crosshairs. Agencies, SaaS dashboards, your in-house tools—it doesn’t matter. Private labels, product aggregators, you’re getting hit, too.
One sneaky thing: listings with just products (no offers) or XML uploads are fine for now. If you do flat files the old-school way, Amazon’s not after you—yet. But that could change soon, so don’t sleep on this.
Mess this up and it’s not just an annoying error. Your listings might get stuck with validation errors, flagged for wrong info, or just disappear from Amazon. Agencies juggling tons of clients—one missed update can spiral into hundreds or thousands of broken ASINs.
There’s also “graylisting.” That’s when your listing isn’t blocked, but gets shoved down in search with no warning. For high-volume sellers, this could wreck Q4 or Prime Day sales over a dumb mistake you never saw coming.
Here’s why you should care: Amazon wants strong, clear product data. Their A9 search engine uses this to match shoppers with items that fit—fast. More info means smarter search, better filters, and buyers don’t get lost scrolling duds.
If you follow the new rules, your stuff shows up more and sells better. If you don’t, you’ll see lower conversions and lose buy-box spots while others keep winning.
In 2023, one electronics seller tried splitting product types and using the new enum values (as required in a pilot update). They saw 14% fewer listing blocks and a 9% buy-box boost. Not a fluke—other big sellers are getting the same results when they make metadata a priority.
For dev teams, ignore this update and you’ll have sellers lining up with support tickets, urgent rollbacks, or even suspended accounts. Any smart Amazon ops person now treats metadata checks like insurance—don’t want a surprise bill.
Attributes are facts about your product—color, size, brand, what it’s made of. Enums (short for enumeration values) are the allowed choices for an attribute, like "Red," "Blue," or "Green" for color, or "USB-C" for port types.
September’s update brings two things: First, some attributes switch from optional to mandatory. So you must fill out new stuff or your listings get rejected. Second, some enums are added or changed, so answers that worked last year might not pass now. Using old dropdown options or outdated lists? Hello, errors.
Getting enums right is a hidden edge. People who use Amazon’s latest enum lists win the buy box and stay visible in filters—no guesses, no half-wrong answers.
Pro Quote:
“Anyone not pulling enums straight from Amazon’s latest metadata is asking for trouble in September.” — Paul Kim, CTO, Amazon automation platform
If you ignore Amazon’s updates, you’ll be scrambling to fix stuff right when Black Friday or Christmas sales kick in. Not fun.
Amazon doesn’t want a system meltdown, so they roll out updates in phases—not all at once. That way, things don’t break for everyone at the same time, plus sellers have to keep up. The end game: a cleaner, more reliable marketplace, better filtering, smarter search, and less chaos for everyone.
This isn’t the last time Amazon will change things. Smart sellers (and SaaS teams) check Amazon’s metadata changelog like their morning coffee. That’s where new and out-of-date attributes get called out, sometimes with very little warning. Don’t skip it—follow what’s new so you don’t get left behind.
Every time Amazon updates, these same errors pop up—and they can tank your sales for weeks before anyone catches them.
Insider’s Take:
“We treat every Amazon metadata update like a product launch—everything needs to be double-checked or sellers freak out.” — Natalie Fuentes, Head of Integrations at Seller Labs
Here’s a simple checklist to not get caught:
Little test for devs: If a listing fails after September, is it your code, your data, or your guesses? (Secret—it’s often all three.)
Q1: Who’s affected by SP-API attribute changes?
A: Anyone using Listings API with JSONLISTINGSFEED to create or edit listings with offers. Pure product listings and XML uploads don’t have to worry (for now).
Q2: What if I don’t update my attributes or enums?
A: Your feeds could fail, listings might get flagged, hidden, or blocked until you fix the issues.
Q3: Where do I find the latest required attributes and enums?
A: Check the Amazon SP-API docs and watch the changelog for your region and product type.
Q4: My setup works in many countries. Are there exceptions?
A: Yes. Belgium and South Africa aren’t part of this round. Double check docs for up-to-date rules by country.
Q5: How often does Amazon update listing attributes and enums?
A: Every few months. Especially April, September, and November. Mark your calendar.
Q6: Does this hit my custom upload tools or dashboard?
A: If you use JSONLISTINGSFEED in the SP-API, yes. If you use XML or hand-upload, you dodge it—at least for now.
If you follow these steps, you won’t just survive—you’ll get a leg up while others scramble.
Want to keep your listings selling and your anxiety down? Watch the details. When Amazon signals an update, don’t just groan—treat it like free gold.
Want more Amazon optimization tips? See our guide on automating your product data and the top SP-API integration moves to make your next update smoother than ever.