Mintsoft validates data at several points: when importing orders, uploading CSV files, creating shipments, and syncing stock with integrations. When data fails validation, you will see an error message that can point to the field, the value, or the file causing the problem. This article explains the most common validation error types, which characters and formats cause them, and how to resolve them.
Tip: Most validation errors are caused by one of three things: a special character in a field that does not accept it, a number formatted as text (or vice versa), or a value that exceeds a field's character limit. Check these first before raising a support ticket.
Special characters in address and order fields
Special characters in customer names, delivery addresses, or order fields can prevent shipment labels from being generated. The error typically appears when you attempt to despatch an order.
Error: Unable to translate bytes [E9] at index 623 from specified code page to Unicode (or similar byte index values)
This error means a character in the order data cannot be encoded for the courier system. Common causes include accented characters (é, ü, ñ), curly quotes (' '), em dashes, and characters copied from word processors that insert non-standard formatting.
To resolve this:
Click Orders then Overview.
Search for the affected order and click Actions then Details.
Review the customer name, address lines, and any order notes for special or non-standard characters.
Replace or remove any problematic characters.
Click Save and retry generating the label.
Note: If the same issue recurs across many orders from an integration, the source platform may be sending characters in an incompatible encoding. Review how customer data is captured and stored on the sending platform.
Special characters in courier-specific fields
Some couriers impose stricter character restrictions than Mintsoft's standard validation. The Parcelforce SOAP fault error is a well-known example, where full stops, commas, and apostrophes in order details cause label generation to fail.
Each courier enforces its own rules. As a general principle, avoid using the following characters in fields that feed into courier label generation:
Character | Name | Known to cause issues with |
. | Full stop | Parcelforce |
, | Comma | Parcelforce |
' | Apostrophe | Parcelforce, some courier APIs |
& | Ampersand | Amazon SKU sync, some courier APIs |
é ü ñ à (etc.) | Accented / non-ASCII characters | Courier label generation (Unicode encoding errors) |
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Courier APIs change their accepted character sets. If a character not listed here is causing an error, check the courier's API documentation or contact the Mintsoft support team.
SKU character limits and invalid characters
SKUs are used to match products between Mintsoft and external platforms. Validation rules vary by integration:
Platform | Character limit | Invalid characters |
Amazon | 40 characters | ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) = + \ : ; |
Shopify | No published limit | SKUs must match Mintsoft exactly (case-sensitive) |
Mintsoft (general) | Varies by field | Consult field-level error messages |
Error: SKU: [Value] stock level cannot be synced because it's over 40 chars or contains invalid chars e.g. &
To resolve Amazon SKU sync errors caused by invalid characters or length:
Identify the affected SKU from the error message.
Update the SKU in Mintsoft to remove invalid characters and ensure it is 40 characters or fewer.
Update the SKU in Amazon Seller Central to match the new value exactly.
Trigger a stock sync to confirm the issue is resolved.
CSV upload errors: number and format validation
CSV upload errors most commonly occur when Excel or other spreadsheet applications automatically reformat values before the file is saved. The two most frequent causes are:
Scientific notation: Long numeric values (such as EAN/UPC codes or SKU numbers) are displayed as 9.35741E+12 instead of the full number.
Non-numeric values in numeric fields: A space, a letter, or a symbol in a field that expects a number (for example, a weight or quantity field).
Errors: An unknown error occurred when processing the order / Invalid Spreadsheet Format: The conversion cannot be performed
To avoid these errors when preparing CSV files:
Open your spreadsheet in Excel.
Select columns containing long numeric codes (EAN, UPC, SKU).
Right-click and choose Format Cells.
Set the format to Text, then re-enter or paste the values.
Save the file as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited), not standard CSV.
Re-upload the file to Mintsoft.
Tip: If you are copying data from another system, paste it into a plain text editor first to strip any hidden formatting before pasting into your spreadsheet.
Mandatory fields and blank values
Some fields are required for Mintsoft to process a record. If a mandatory field is blank or contains only whitespace, the upload or import will fail.
Error: Invalid Spreadsheet Format: The conversion cannot be performed (also appears when a mandatory field is missing, not just when a non-numeric value is found)
Common mandatory fields that are often left blank:
SKU: required for all product and order imports.
Quantity: must be a whole number greater than zero.
Weight: required for certain courier integrations.
Country code: required for all address records.
Review the specific import template for the record type you are uploading to confirm which fields are mandatory. If the error does not identify the affected row, open the file and check for blank cells in columns that should always have a value.
Still seeing a validation error?
If your error is not covered above, try the following before contacting support:
Check the Order Comments or History tab on the affected order. Mintsoft logs detailed failure reasons here.
Review the exact error message character by character for a field name or value clue.
If the error occurs on a CSV upload, open the file in a plain text editor (not Excel) to see the raw data and identify formatting issues.
If the issue persists, contact the Mintsoft support team and provide the full error message, the affected record (order number, SKU, or file name), and the integration or import method you were using.