Hi all,
We’re looking for advice from other sellers or any guidance from Amazon regarding “Shipped Late” metrics on Seller Fulfilled Prime orders. In these cases, we dispatched on time using Amazon Buy Shipping, but the orders were still marked as late — seemingly due to courier delays or scanning issues outside our control.
Recent examples:
Order 1
Promised dispatch date/time: 13/06/2025 23:59
Actual dispatch (Buy Shipping): 13/06/2025 15:24
Courier first scan: 15/06/2025 01:39 (DPD UK)
Promised delivery: 14/06/2025
Actual delivery: 15/06/2025
→ Dispatched same day via Buy Shipping, yet flagged as “Shipped Late”
Still flagged as “Shipped Late” due to courier scan delay/delivery timing
Order 2
Promised dispatch date/time: 09/06/2025 23:59
Actual dispatch (Buy Shipping): 09/06/2025 14:00
Courier first scan: 09/06/2025 16:45 (DPD UK)
Promised delivery: 10/06/2025
Actual delivery: 11/06/2025
→ Dispatched well before the cut-off, but marked as late based on delivery date
Marked as “Shipped Late” – but the only anomaly appears to be the actual delivery date, which is outside our control
In both cases:
- We used Amazon Buy Shipping
- Orders were dispatched on time
- Delays seem to be due to courier scanning or delivery performance
- Yet the system still flagged us as late, which affects our Prime metrics.
Questions:
- Is there any way to challenge these flags when there is clear evidence of on-time dispatch using Buy Shipping?
- Is there any option to introduce a buffer or flexibility in delivery times for Seller Fulfilled Prime, especially when delays are caused by the courier?
- Would using Amazon’s own delivery service prevent these issues, or would the same penalties apply if delivery is delayed?
- Would using Amazon delivery service be of any help, or would the same rule apply - even if courier takes longer to deliver - we are being penalised
We take our Prime metrics seriously and always dispatch on time. Any advice or suggestions from others in the community would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
