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eBay Listing Errors
Error
5

eBay Error 5

eBay System Limits & Software Issues
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XML Error Text: [xxxx]

eBay could not parse the request, usually because the description contains an invalid control character. Clean the text and retry.

Why this happens

The software you're using did not process the item description text properly. Why eBay enforces this: eBay's Trading API accepts listings as XML. XML forbids a small set of invisible control characters, so a single one inside the title, description or an item specific makes eBay reject the whole request before it even checks the listing data. When it usually happens: It usually appears right after text was pasted from Word, a PDF, a supplier spreadsheet or another website, because those sources carry hidden formatting characters that are not visible in the editor.

Example Wrong Settings

A description pasted from a supplier PDF that contains an invisible control character (Unicode 0x2) between two words.

How to fix it

  1. Read the error: it usually names an invalid XML character (for example Unicode 0x2) and a position.
  2. In 3Dsellers, open the description in HTML view, delete the odd character (often pasted from Word or a PDF) and save.
  3. Publish again. If it persists, contact 3Dsellers support with the listing ID.

How to prevent it

Paste supplier text as plain text (Ctrl+Shift+V) or clean it in a plain-text editor first. When importing descriptions by CSV, save the file as UTF-8 and strip control characters in the spreadsheet before uploading.

Example Correct Settings

The same description retyped or pasted as plain text, so only normal letters, spaces and line breaks remain.

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