Will your product photo pass?

Amazon Flat-File Image Errors, Decoded

By the ListingLint team · Updated 3 September 2026 · How we check photos

Bulk-uploading with an inventory file or the Images template turns a photo problem into a spreadsheet of error codes. The codes look cryptic, but each points at one category of problem. Here's what the common ones mean and the specific thing to change.

Before you re-upload: most of these are about the file itself — size, format, or a background that isn't pure white. Run the photo through the checker first so you're fixing the actual failure, not guessing. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

How flat-file image errors work

When you submit images through a feed — an inventory loader file, the category template's image columns, or the dedicated Images feed — Amazon fetches each image from the URL you supply, runs its technical and content checks, and reports the outcome per row in the processing report. A failure comes back as a numeric code plus a short message. The message wording changes over time and by category, so treat the code as the category of problem and the message as a hint, not gospel.

Two broad groups: fetch problems (Amazon couldn't get the file) and image problems (it got the file but the file breaks a rule).

Fetch problems — Amazon can't get the image

8501 — the image could not be retrieved from the URL

Amazon tried the URL and got nothing usable. Causes, in rough order of frequency:

Fix: paste the exact URL into a private browser window. If the raw image doesn't load instantly with no login, Amazon can't fetch it either. Host the files somewhere that serves direct, public, static image URLs.

8560 / invalid image URL

The value in the image column isn't a well-formed URL at all — often a local file path (C:\Users\...\main.jpg), a filename with no domain, or a cell that got mangled when the spreadsheet was saved as CSV. Fix: put a full https://… URL in the cell, re-save as the template's expected format, and re-submit.

Image problems — the file breaks a rule

8541 — the image doesn't meet Amazon's technical requirements

The catch-all technical rejection. Work through these:

8542 — the image is too small

The pixel dimensions are below Amazon's minimum. You need at least 1000px on the longest side for zoom, and that's effectively the floor. Fix: re-export from the largest original you have at 1600px or more. Upscaling a small file adds pixels but not detail and often still looks soft — see Amazon image size requirements.

90007 — the main image doesn't meet main-image standards

A content rejection specific to the main image slot: the background isn't pure white, the product doesn't fill enough of the frame, or there's text/a logo/a border on the image. In practice the background is the usual reason — a lightbox shot that reads as 248,249,250 instead of 255,255,255.

8564 — the image contains additional text, graphics, or a watermark

Amazon detected content that isn't the product: overlaid text, a "handmade" badge, a size chart baked into the main image, a seller URL, or a decorative frame. Fix: supply a clean photo for the main slot and put the annotated versions in the secondary image columns, where they're allowed.

5665 — no main image on record (often via Brand Registry)

The listing has no valid main image attached, so Amazon treats the submission as incomplete. This frequently hits brand-registered sellers whose earlier image failed silently, leaving the slot empty. Fix: confirm a compliant main image actually processed — re-submit it explicitly, and check the processing report shows it succeeded rather than assuming the feed took it.

A workflow that avoids most of them

  1. Export every image the same way: JPEG, sRGB, 1600–2000px square, high quality (80–90%).
  2. Get the main image's background to a true 255,255,255 and verify it — don't eyeball it.
  3. Batch-check the set before you build the feed, so one bad template doesn't fail across every SKU that used it. See check a batch before a bulk upload.
  4. Host on direct, public, static URLs and test one in a private window.
  5. After submitting, read the processing report row by row — don't assume success.

Check a product photo now →

Frequently asked questions

Amazon's error message doesn't match what you wrote for that code.

Amazon revises the wording and occasionally reuses codes across categories. Use the code to identify the type of problem (fetch vs. technical vs. main-image content) and work that category's checklist.

The same image works in Seller Central's uploader but fails in the feed.

The interactive uploader is more forgiving and will sometimes convert or resize on your behalf. The feed fetches the file as-is, so a format, colour-profile, or size issue that the UI papered over shows up. Export to Amazon's preferred spec and it passes both ways.

Can ListingLint tell me which code I'll get?

Not the code itself, but it measures the things behind the image-problem codes — dimensions (8541/8542) and the main-image background, fill, and overlays (90007/8564) — so you can clear those before you submit. Fetch problems are about hosting, not the pixels.

Related guides

This guide is our summary of how Amazon's bulk-upload image processing behaves and is for general information. Error codes, messages, and requirements can change at any time and vary by category — always confirm against the official guidance in Amazon Seller Central. ListingLint is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon.