Amazoncompliance
item-name too long
Amazon typically allows up to 500 characters for item-name.
What is this issue?
Amazon typically allows up to 500 characters for item-name.
Affected field:
item-nameWhy Amazon rejects this
Titles exceeding the limit may be truncated or rejected depending on the category template.
Valid values / expected format
- ✓Maximum 500 characters
- ✓Count includes spaces and punctuation
Examples
| Bad value | Good value | Note |
|---|---|---|
"xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" | "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx..." | Over 500 characters vs within 500 |
Fix in StriveFormats
StriveFormats flags every row where the value exceeds the platform limit so you know exactly which cells to shorten.
Fix in Excel
- 1In Excel, right-click the column header next to item-name and choose 'Insert' to add a blank helper column.
- 2In the first data row of the helper column, type: =LEN(X2) -- replace X2 with the actual cell reference of your item-name column.
- 3Copy this formula down to all rows by double-clicking the fill handle (the small square in the cell's bottom-right corner).
- 4Go to Data > Filter. On the helper column, use a number filter for 'Greater Than 500'.
- 5For each flagged row, click into the original column's cell and shorten the text until the helper column shows a number at or below the limit.
- 6When done, select the helper column, right-click, and choose Delete. Save as CSV (Comma delimited).
Fix in Google Sheets
- 1In Google Sheets, click the column letter next to item-name and insert a blank column (right-click > Insert 1 column left/right).
- 2In the first data row of the helper column, enter: =LEN(X2) -- replace X2 with the cell reference for your item-name column.
- 3Copy the formula down to cover all data rows.
- 4Go to Data > Create a filter on the helper column. Use the filter to show only rows where the value is greater than 500.
- 5For each flagged row, shorten the original column's text until the helper column shows a number at or below the limit.
- 6Delete the helper column. Go to File > Download > Comma Separated Values (.csv).
Prevent it next time
- --Know the platform's character limits before writing titles and descriptions.
- --Use =LEN() in Excel or Google Sheets to count characters as you type.
- --Focus on high-impact keywords rather than full sentences in title fields.
- --Review titles for length before exporting -- it is much faster to fix them in the source sheet.
How StriveFormats detects this
StriveFormats measures the character length of every cell in the item-name column and compares it against Amazon's documented limit. Rows exceeding the limit are individually flagged with the actual character count.
►Technical detail
Amazon enforces a 500-character limit on the item-name field. This limit exists because the platform stores and indexes the value in a fixed-width database column or a search index with a maximum token size. Values exceeding the limit are either silently truncated (causing your data to appear differently on the storefront) or the entire row is rejected. The character count includes all spaces, punctuation, and special characters -- it is not a word count.