I know almost nothing about jewelry, but I do know a thing or two about Variation Relationship Sets; it is indeed the case that the Valid Values that Amazon has set up for various nodes (aka Category/Sub-category) in it’s Browse Tree infrastructure can often leave something to be desired.

If I go to the Add Products via Upload (link) Dashboard (which is where the latest version of any given template is to be found; those available from Seller Help Content pages are not always up to date) and type ‘jewelry’ into the Search tool, I’m presented with 11 choices, including three (Drop& Dangle, Stud, and Hoop) which I cannot access because we are not Handmade Artisans.

I can access the templates, that I believe should be used for non-Handmade listings, for each of those three types of earrings (whether in the ‘Women’ or ‘Girls’ “Departments” of the ‘over-arching Category’ Clothing, Shoes, & Jewelry - click “BT Strings” below to see the category classifications which the Add Product wizard has presented); the Stud template for the Women’s Department (which for me downloads as a macro-enabled Excel workbook titled “Stud_Hoop.xlsm”), I see that column BC of its Valid Values worksheet shows this (I added the text notes in parentheses and the underlines of the first two rows myself to offer some clarity; neither are actually p/o of the template itself):

Clasp Type - [ fashionearring ] (> Note 1: this is Row 1, “Product Type (PTD)”)
clasp_type (> Note 2: this is Row 2, “product_feed_type”)
box-with-tongue-and-safety (> Note 3: this & subsequent rows are the actual Valid Values)
box-with-tongue
buckles
double-locking-fold-over
double-safety
easy-hook
fancy
fold-over
hidden-safety-clasp
invisible-double-locking
leather-deployment-buckles
lobster-claw
magnetic
multistrand-box
pin-stem-with-safety
post-and-nut
push-button
screw-barrel
screw-barrel-with-safety
single-locking-fold-over
single-strand-fishhook
snap
spring-ring
spring-rings-with-terminals
toggle
other-clasp-type
no-clasp-type

As I say, my knowledge of jewelry is limited to little more than appreciation (“I know what I like” ), so I’m not even certain that the type of clasp is appropriate terminology in the situation of leverbacks (I presume that it is for clip-ons; maybe Amazon believes that one of the fold-over values, or single-strand-fishhook, is appropriate?) - but I do know that one is, by and large, constrained to use the Valid Values that Amazon makes available for any given product classification; as previously mentioned, I think that the Handmade templates should not be used for making Offers upon 'regular’Amazon Catalog Listings (although it must be admitted that I don’t know that for sure; perhaps one of the bulk-file experts like @Oneida, or one of the Handmade experts like @AndThenSome or @ImageAbility does) - but it might be worthwhile to compare the Valid Values & Themes available there to those in the ‘regular Catalog’ Category Templates in search of clues on how best to proceed.

In an earlier day, I would have tagged one of our Seller Community’s foremost jewelry-selling experts, @Style, for advice; she, unfortunately, is no longer actively participating (although her posting history, including some definitive tutorials, is still available, and perhaps worth combing through for applicable posts), but perhaps some of the other experts in the field (@BeffJezos, @ElegantBridalDesigns, @Puppy_Love_Jewelry, @jtrends, @PopTart, @Envious_Gems, et al.), or the many other smart cookies who post over in the Affinity Group Jewel forum can offer better advice than I am able to provide.

Thanks @Dogtamer for the ping.

@Elaine_Coyne_Galleri I don’t sell Jewelry, I do sell on handmade and the commercial side. I do not know the rules and allowances for variations in Fashion Jewelry, you do need to find out what is allowed. It should be in the style guide and in the flat file information.

While the “online software” GUI (Graphical User Interface) in the back end of Amazon Handmade is easy to use, it creates pages that are problematic. The variations in Amazon Handmade all share the same ASIN and SKU.

This makes offering FBA on any item that has variations impossible.

The presentation to the customer is $5 +$20 +$30 +$50 when you have four variations. Very Etsy like, but very confusing to the customer.

Complicated yes, flexible more yes. On the commercial side IMO you do need to learn how to do flat files and upload your items that way.

We avoided flat files on the commercial side for the first six months we were here. After all, I was being creative inventing and crafting products while trying to run a company. Not be an accountant using spreadsheets everyday. I gave in, and glad I did, it has made things simpler for us.

A-B Testing

We have been frustrated with the limitations of Amazon Handmade, we have shared this with Amazon and with others in the closed Handmade Forums. They do, and I hope they do, make a change.

Most of our handmade products are on the Commercial side. Amazon Custom Overlay is just one reason. FBA without turning FBM off and on is another reason.

We launched a product in Amazon Handmade, we are launching a similar product on the Commercial Side. To be clear it is different, if it were the same it would be against the rules.

When I have data on this I will share it in the Handmade Forums. For now let me say, the variations and the customer experience on the commercial side is head and shoulders above Amazon Handmade.

It is not easy to do, but it can be done.

See you on the other side.