Error library
Amazon ASN errors, translated into an exact fix
A rejection message is rarely enough to find the bad carton, hierarchy edge, control number, or identifier. Start with the failure class, then validate the actual payload.
Direct answer
Direct answer
The fastest way to diagnose an Amazon ASN problem is to separate four layers: X12/JSON parsing, envelope or schema validity, shipment hierarchy and identifiers, then reconciliation with the physical pack and purchase order. Fix the first blocking layer, run the preflight again, and only then investigate account-specific rules.
1. The document cannot be parsed
For X12, inspect the ISA header, element delimiter and segment terminator before changing business data. A malformed interchange can make every downstream segment look wrong. For JSON, correct the syntax and confirm the root object contains a shipmentConfirmations array.
- Wrong or inconsistent delimiters.
- Truncated ISA, missing IEA, or incomplete ST/SE.
- Invalid JSON commas, quotes or nesting.
- A file that is an acknowledgement or purchase order rather than an 856.
2. Controls, counts or required fields do not agree
Control numbers are designed to make missing and duplicated transmissions visible. Do not suppress these findings: regenerate the envelope from the source transaction and keep control IDs stable through the same interchange.
For SP-API JSON, required-field errors should be resolved from the current public OpenAPI model. Shipment Sentry records that upstream model in the repository so schema changes are reviewable.
3. The packaging tree is impossible
An HL child cannot point to a parent that appears later or does not exist. Duplicate HL01 values make the tree ambiguous. A profile can contain all the right letters and still place an item under the wrong pallet or purchase order.
For multi-PO pallets, model the hierarchy intentionally. Do not flatten it merely to make a generic validator pass.
4. Labels, quantities or references do not match reality
These are the expensive errors syntax tools miss. Compare SSCC values to the printed GS1-128 label, cartons and quantities to the pack output, purchase orders to the 850/acknowledgement state, and BOL/PRO/ARN values to the transportation documents.
Shipment Sentry’s free preflight validates what can be proven from one document. Pro reconciliation adds the second source needed to detect document-versus-pack mismatches.
Questions
Common implementation questions
What should I fix first?
Fix parser and envelope errors first, hierarchy errors second, then identifier and reconciliation issues. Later findings can be symptoms of an earlier structural defect.
Why is a finding marked account-specific?
Public Amazon documentation does not expose every Vendor Central implementation rule. The label prevents a legacy or common practice from being presented as a universal current requirement.
Primary sources
Public sources cannot establish every account-specific EDI rule. Current Vendor Central documentation and your trading-partner agreement remain controlling.