Check the Message tag of Responses for more detailed information about the cause of an error

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Published: July 11 2005, 11:17:00 AMUpdated: September 01 2022, 1:11:16 AM

Why do I get an Error Code 240 when adding or revising an item even though there is no apparent problem with my listing?

Check the Message tag of Responses for more detailed information about the cause of an error Sometimes you may get the following error in your response even though you think your listing is perfectly legitimate and adheres to all the eBay requirements:

<Errors>
<Error>
    <Code>240</Code>
    <SeverityCode>1</SeverityCode>
    <Severity>SeriousError</Severity>
    <Line>0</Line>
    <Column>0</Column>
    <ErrorClass>RequestError</ErrorClass>
    <ShortMessage>Item cannot be listed or modified.</ShortMessage>
    <LongMessage>Item cannot be listed or modified, either because the title and/or description contains improper words, or some other reasons stated in the Message node of the response, if any.</LongMessage>
</Error>
<Errors>
<Message><FORM action="http://shiptrack.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SCRPlaceCall" method="post"><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><TR><TD bgcolor="#9999CC"><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" height="2"/></TD></TR></TABLE><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#D6DEFF"><TR><TD><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/notch.gif" width="13" height="3" align="center"/></TD><TD><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" height="25" width="6"/></TD><TD width="100%"><B><FONT face="arial,sans-serif" size="+1">Verify Your Phone Number</FONT></B></TD></TR></TABLE><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><TR><TD bgcolor="#9999CC"><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" height="2"/></TD></TR></TABLE><BR/><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><TR><TD><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" width="10"/></TD><TD><FONT face="arial,sans-serif" size="-1">To help provide a safe trading environment, eBay members need to have a valid phone number on file. Please work with us to verify or update and verify your phone number by following a few, easy steps. We care about your privacy and encourage you to <A href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/updating-contact-information.html">learn more</A>.</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR/><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%"><TR><TD><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" width="10"/></TD><TD><FONT face="arial,sans-serif" size="-1">1. Receive an automated call at the phone number we have on file for you.<BR/>2. Remember the PIN (Personal Identification Number) you receive during the call.<BR/>3. Return to eBay and enter the PIN.</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR/><TABLE cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><TR><TD><IMG src="http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/tbx/s.gif" width="10" height="1"/></TD><TD><INPUT type="submit" value="Continue >"/></TD></TR></TABLE></FORM><p> </p>
</Message>

In such situations it is always a good idea to take a close look at the message tag which can contain very detailed information about what is required. For e.g. if a power seller has an invalid phone number on file and it needs to be updated, the Message tag may say exactly that when rendered as HTML:

As a best practice, capture all the Messages and render only the distinct messages to your user for further action. Otherwise in the above example, if the seller lists a thousand items, you will end up with a thousand of the same messages.

Check the Message tag of Responses for more detailed information about the cause of an error

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