Power Sellers Unite

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

Here is the latest I received from Google Merchant Center:
Data feeds >
Feed status summary for data_feed.txt
Disapproved - Processed on May 9, 2010 7:06 pm CDT

Detected encoding: US-ASCII
Detected delimiter: Tab (\t)
Detected file format: Text

I am using the following attributes:
title,description,id,product_type,image_link,condition,price,and link

I am uploading through froogle to a spreadsheet, making any changes or additions like condition and then saving it.
I had changed the attribute"category" to product type instead, since category is no longer acceptable.

I do have other venues with some of the same items listed. Last night I inactivated them in the other venues, but my data feed would not be approved. Does this take time for google to recognize the changes?

Also, I am no longer receiving their error messages. So I don't no what to fix.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Stockmiser · Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 1169

Are you saving the file as tab delineated?

Are there any 'Item Warnings" listing below the info you just gave?

Under your "Settings" in the merchant center, have you "claimed" your URL? (Basically proven that you own this website)

Under My Products there is a "Data Quality" section that will list specific problems with your feeds. Are any listed?

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

Yes, I am saving under tab delineated. Yes, my site is claimed and confirmed.
There are no longer any reports stating what is wrong with my feed.
Over the last several days I have made numerous adjustments to my feed.
For a few times, they did report error messages with my feed. When I got to only one error message and corrected the error, I thought it would be approved. That's when they simply starting disapproving my feeds without any more explanations.

mojavelyn · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 10:36 pm Post subject:

I thought condition, but I see it.

It that the same order as google says to put them in?

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

I just listed the attributes in random order for my question.

I have them listed in this order:
link,title,description,image_link,product_type,price,id ,condition

Could the order be the issue?

mojavelyn · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 11:14 pm Post subject:

Possibly. you might want to check google's instructions.

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

Per Google:
* The file must be tab-delimited plain text.
* The first line of the file is the header -- it must contain attribute names, separated by tabs.
* One item per line; separate each attribute in that line by a tab.
* Do not include trailing tabs at the end of lines.
* Do not include tabs or line breaks in the attributes themselves.

I don't think the order is the issue, as long as the attribute name matches up within the same column.

Per Google:

Creating your Data Feed

Step-by-step instructional videos for creating your feed:

Microsoft Excel
Open Office Calc
Step 1: Open your spreadsheet program

Using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel makes it easy to create a feed and convert it to the proper format.
Step 2: Create a header row

On the first row of the spreadsheet, enter the names of the attributes that describe your items, each in its own column. Include any relevant pre-defined attributes. You can also define your own custom attributes.

As an example, the header row might look like this:

Step 3: Enter your item information

In the rows below the header row, enter information about your items for the attributes you've chosen. Each item should be listed in a separate row, and its information divided into the appropriate columns. (For example, an item's description should be in the same column as the "description" header.)

mojavelyn · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 12:51 am Post subject:

file delimited plain text... have you tried taking your spreadsheet, copy only the used cells, and pasting into a non-word wrapped format notepad?

And submitting via text file?

corrected spelling.

xbaystores · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 562

Have you verified the site yet?
http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en_US&answer=176793
Google has a habit of starting programs early.
Here is the sample Excel file by Google that I follow with all uploads:
http://base.google.com/base/products.xls
I also remove empty columns (like the "mpn" column) and only upload the ones I use as Mo said.

Sharons_Vintage_Store · Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 37

Although the google feed page where you check on the feeds no longer gives you any info on the feed, if you click on the link in the email they send you and log in from there, it will tell you the errors. At least that is what I have discovered.

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

This is all I receive now when they send me an email:
Feed status summary for data_feed.txt
Disapproved - Processed on May 9, 2010 7:06 pm CDT

Detected encoding: US-ASCII
Detected delimiter: Tab (\t)
Detected file format: Text

My site is verified.

Stockmiser · Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 1169

I'd take it at face value - it's been "disapproved" - as opposed to "import failed". This may be an administrative disapproval and not a technical one.

I had a number of items "disapproved" a few years back because they had the word "nude" in the title (no actual nudity in item..lol). There was no technical explanation given - just "disapproved".

At some point you will need to just contact google support. My experience with google support is that they will eventually answer you - but you'll have to be patient.

Best of luck!

mojavelyn · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 11:00 am Post subject:

I think there is something else happening..

Oh yes, if there is a word that even resembles a dirty word...

But now they will tell me that an item is dissaproved by which seller, and will tell me the error with item and line numbers.... if more then 5, I only get a sample of the items, but they will tell me what caused the error, unless it is a disapproved word.

One item got dissapproved for a dirty word because a publisher was named "Chatto". Another got disapproved for "porn"... one of the leading characters in the book synopsis was a porn star.

What is the name of your datafeed? Are you uploading it manually from your computer? Or do you have a sitemap page on your site?

My site deals with multi-sellers.. I have a sitemap for the feeds. I set the time the bots harvest the info, based on how the seller lists and turn over of items. I personally have listed 270 items, set for 1 month listing, but something relists nearly daily, so I want to get those relists submitted when they relist. Another who might have imported their listings, on a 1 year duration, is only to be submitted once a month, because there is no turn over.

xbaystores · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 562

I would go to Google beyond what you've been told here. It must be something on their end that doesn't like your upload. They've always responded to me in a couple days or so with a solution.
Here is a banned word list I saved from Artfire.com last year when I kept getting hit with the bad word bug and it got my whole feed disapproved several times:
PROMOTIONAL WORDS:
- free (including hyphenated words such as pet-free, smoke-free, hands-free, etc-free)
- sale
- vacation
- travel
- travels

ANYTHING ALCOHOL & TOBACCO RELATED WORDS
- smoke, smoked
- champagne
- whiskey
- beer
- cigar
- cigarette
- rum
- rummo
- vine (supposedly because vine = wine in another language)
- vineyard
- camel (for it being a cig brand)
- brandy
- gin
- bordeaux

ADULT & EXPLICIT/NAUGHTY WORDS:
- anime ( however "manga" is allowed)
- strip
- stripper
- adult; including hyphenated words such as adult-size
- butt
- sexy
- affair
- ale
- chick
- sensual
- hemp

MISCELLANEOUS WORDS:
- postage (or postage stamp)
- collecting (collectible and collect are okay)
- thorny
- precious metal
- muse
- corsage
- gun

PRICE RESTRICTION: Google Base will not take items under US $1.

Now we know all of this, what to do to get our listings passing through Google Base?
1. By replacing those words with other words; such as:
Free shipping = complimentary shipping, shipping is on me, no price charges on shipping, etc.

2. OR put those forbidden/disallowed words in the Promo Box if you're an ArtFire seller. Promo Box is not gonna get indexed by Goggle Base.

ModernDayVintage · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

Thanks for everyone's responses! I contacted Google and after reviewing my data feed, they approved it.

I did act on xbaystores advice prior to contacting them. I noticed that I had used the word "adult" as in adult large in 22 of my feed descriptions. I either deleted the word or changed the word to size.