diff --git a/python/mxnet/io.py b/python/mxnet/io.py
index b07f7c1bea57..201414e8f6e1 100644
--- a/python/mxnet/io.py
+++ b/python/mxnet/io.py
@@ -168,7 +168,10 @@ def __init__(self, data, label=None, pad=None, index=None,
 
     def __str__(self):
         data_shapes = [d.shape for d in self.data]
-        label_shapes = [l.shape for l in self.label]
+        if self.label:
+            label_shapes = [l.shape for l in self.label]
+        else:
+            label_shapes = None
         return "{}: data shapes: {} label shapes: {}".format(
             self.__class__.__name__,
             data_shapes,
diff --git a/tests/python/unittest/test_io.py b/tests/python/unittest/test_io.py
index e8aba38b8253..58ca1d74fbba 100644
--- a/tests/python/unittest/test_io.py
+++ b/tests/python/unittest/test_io.py
@@ -252,6 +252,17 @@ def check_libSVMIter_news_data():
     check_libSVMIter_synthetic()
     check_libSVMIter_news_data()
 
+
+def test_DataBatch():
+    from nose.tools import ok_
+    from mxnet.io import DataBatch
+    import re
+    batch = DataBatch(data=[mx.nd.ones((2,3))])
+    ok_(re.match('DataBatch: data shapes: \[\(2L?, 3L?\)\] label shapes: None', str(batch)))
+    batch = DataBatch(data=[mx.nd.ones((2,3)), mx.nd.ones((7,8))], label=[mx.nd.ones((4,5))])
+    ok_(re.match('DataBatch: data shapes: \[\(2L?, 3L?\), \(7L?, 8L?\)\] label shapes: \[\(4L?, 5L?\)\]', str(batch)))
+
+
 @unittest.skip("test fails intermittently. temporarily disabled till it gets fixed. tracked at https://github.com/apache/incubator-mxnet/issues/7826")
 def test_CSVIter():
     def check_CSVIter_synthetic():