Amazon SP-API Product Feed Specification

Amazon Selling Partner API (SP-API) uses XML-based feeds for bulk product data management. Sellers submit feeds for product listings, pricing, inventory, and images. Each feed type has a specific XML schema that must be followed exactly -- malformed XML or invalid values cause the entire feed or individual records to fail.

Feed Types

Amazon SP-API organizes product data into separate feed types. Each feed type serves a specific purpose and uses a dedicated XML schema definition (XSD).

Feed Type	Purpose	Key Elements	Schema
POST_PRODUCT_DATA	Create or update product listings. Defines the product catalog entry including title, description, brand, and category-specific attributes.	SKU, StandardProductID (UPC/EAN), ProductType, Title, Description, BulletPoint, Manufacturer	Product.xsd
POST_INVENTORY_AVAILABILITY_DATA	Update stock quantities. Controls whether a listing appears as available. Process within minutes of stock changes.	SKU, Quantity, FulfillmentLatency, SwitchFulfillmentTo	Inventory.xsd
POST_PRODUCT_PRICING_DATA	Set or update product prices. Supports standard pricing, sale pricing with date ranges, and minimum advertised price (MAP).	SKU, StandardPrice, SalePrice, SaleStartDate, SaleEndDate, MAP	Price.xsd
POST_PRODUCT_IMAGE_DATA	Associate images with product listings. Supports main image and up to 8 alternate images per product.	SKU, ImageType (Main, PT01-PT08), ImageLocation (URL)	ProductImage.xsd
POST_PRODUCT_RELATIONSHIP_DATA	Define parent-child variation relationships. Links size, color, or other variants under a parent ASIN.	ParentSKU, ChildSKU, VariationTheme (Size, Color, SizeColor)	Relationship.xsd

XML Feed Structure

All SP-API feeds use a common XML envelope wrapping the message-specific content. The envelope contains header information and one or more messages.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AmazonEnvelope xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="amzn-envelope.xsd">
  <Header>
    <DocumentVersion>1.01</DocumentVersion>
    <MerchantIdentifier>YOUR_SELLER_ID</MerchantIdentifier>
  </Header>
  <MessageType>Product</MessageType>
  <PurgeAndReplace>false</PurgeAndReplace>
  <Message>
    <MessageID>1</MessageID>
    <OperationType>Update</OperationType>
    <Product>
      <SKU>SKU-12345</SKU>
      <StandardProductID>
        <Type>UPC</Type>
        <Value>884776536842</Value>
      </StandardProductID>
      <Condition>
        <ConditionType>New</ConditionType>
      </Condition>
      <DescriptionData>
        <Title>Nike Air Max 90 Running Shoe</Title>
        <Brand>Nike</Brand>
        <Description>Classic running shoe with visible Air cushioning.</Description>
        <BulletPoint>Visible Air-Sole unit for lightweight cushioning</BulletPoint>
        <BulletPoint>Leather and synthetic upper for durability</BulletPoint>
        <BulletPoint>Rubber Waffle outsole for traction</BulletPoint>
        <Manufacturer>Nike Inc.</Manufacturer>
        <ItemType>running-shoes</ItemType>
      </DescriptionData>
      <ProductData>
        <Shoes>
          <Department>mens</Department>
          <Size>10</Size>
          <Color>Black/White</Color>
          <Material>Leather</Material>
        </Shoes>
      </ProductData>
    </Product>
  </Message>
</AmazonEnvelope>

Product Category Templates

Amazon requires category-specific attributes beyond the base product data. Each product category has its own XSD with additional required and optional fields. Submitting a product without the correct category template results in incomplete listings.

Category	XSD File	Additional Required Fields
Clothing and Accessories	ClothingAccessories.xsd	Department, Size, Color, Material, ClothingType
Consumer Electronics	CE.xsd	ProductType, Wattage, Voltage, ConnectorType
Home and Garden	Home.xsd	Material, Color, ItemShape, PatternName
Sports and Outdoors	Sports.xsd	Department, Sport, Material, AgeRangeDescription
Health and Beauty	Health.xsd	Ingredients, Directions, Warnings, UnitCount
Grocery and Gourmet	FoodAndBeverages.xsd	Ingredients, AllergenInfo, UnitCount, ServingSize

Feed Submission Workflow

Feed submission follows a four-step process through the SP-API Feeds endpoint.

Step	API Call	Description
1. Create Feed Document	POST /feeds/2021-06-30/documents	Request a pre-signed upload URL. Specify contentType as text/xml; charset=UTF-8. Returns feedDocumentId and upload URL.
2. Upload Feed Content	PUT (pre-signed URL)	Upload the XML feed file to the pre-signed URL returned in step 1. Use gzip compression for feeds over 1 MB.
3. Submit Feed	POST /feeds/2021-06-30/feeds	Submit the feed for processing. Specify feedType (e.g., POST_PRODUCT_DATA), marketplaceIds, and inputFeedDocumentId.
4. Check Processing Status	GET /feeds/2021-06-30/feeds/{feedId}	Poll for feed processing status. States: IN_QUEUE, IN_PROGRESS, DONE, CANCELLED, FATAL. When DONE, retrieve the result document for error details.