Why Remove the 2-Day Handling Time? More Stress for Amazon Sellers
Amazon's new default handling time of 0 or 1 day means sellers no longer have the option of a 2-day handling time by default.
While we dispatch most of our orders the same day, there has always been some reassurance in knowing there was a 2-day buffer for unexpected situations—courier delays, staff shortages, supplier issues, or simply the realities of running a business.
This new policy adds yet another layer of pressure for third-party sellers.
It often feels as though every new update is designed to increase the stress of selling on Amazon. Sellers already deal with strict performance metrics, A-to-Z claims, delivery defects, account health monitoring, returns, and ever-increasing fees. Now there's even less flexibility to manage the unexpected.
Amazon says these changes are intended to improve the customer experience, but a great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of seller wellbeing.
Surely there has to be a better balance between fast delivery expectations and the operational realities faced by the businesses that keep the marketplace stocked.
Why, Amazon? Why?
Why Remove the 2-Day Handling Time? More Stress for Amazon Sellers
Amazon's new default handling time of 0 or 1 day means sellers no longer have the option of a 2-day handling time by default.
While we dispatch most of our orders the same day, there has always been some reassurance in knowing there was a 2-day buffer for unexpected situations—courier delays, staff shortages, supplier issues, or simply the realities of running a business.
This new policy adds yet another layer of pressure for third-party sellers.
It often feels as though every new update is designed to increase the stress of selling on Amazon. Sellers already deal with strict performance metrics, A-to-Z claims, delivery defects, account health monitoring, returns, and ever-increasing fees. Now there's even less flexibility to manage the unexpected.
Amazon says these changes are intended to improve the customer experience, but a great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of seller wellbeing.
Surely there has to be a better balance between fast delivery expectations and the operational realities faced by the businesses that keep the marketplace stocked.
Why, Amazon? Why?
43 replies
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
If I had to guess, most of the feedback Amazon gets from users about why they purchase through Amazon is because it will be delivered fast.
Instead of asking themselves if they've damaged their users' perceptions of them to the point that people would rather shop elsewhere and only use Amazon when there is a time crunch, they've decided to interpret it as 'fast delivery is always the most important thing for Internet shoppers'.
The Amazon line of stated reasoning is that they want to give more accurate delivery information so people can plan appropriately for where and when the parcel can be delivered. The majority of items purchased on Amazon can't be posted through a letterbox, so giving accurate and narrow delivery expectations makes it easier for people to make sure it can be received at the shipping address when delivery is attempted. Something that gets more and more significant as more and more items are purchased online, taxing couriers and forcing delivery hours to be expanded.
Seller_nex6aLZ9HPynF
Despite the banner stating from 15th July, it's not kicked in for me yet.
When it does, I shall create a custom holiday once or twice each week to allow a buffer against expected delivery dates.
I post Royal Mail 2nd class (no signature/low value)
1 in 100 may need a signature
Seller_QIfMqKDNjs4wc
We are also not happy about this - our customers need an accurate delivery time, and can see this when our handling time was set to 2 days - if the order arrives early they are pleasantly surprised.
Forcing us into a 1 day handling time which is not always achievable will do nothing for our sales, or customer satisfaction.
We have over 12,000 titles listed on Amazon, so the option of amending Handling Time at SKU level is ridiculous.
We seem to have an automated cut off time of 8am which means that essentially any overnight orders will become 0 day Handling Time.
Can anyone advise if setting our cut off time to 1am would help in this regard?
Otherwise as @Seller_nex6aLZ9HPynF say, the only option may be setting 2 custom holidays every week.
This kicked in today for us btw.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
I'm taking the logic that if they take away our business sales then whatever. Obviously that's much easier for us than most since not many businesses are buying novelty t-shirts. You can change your handling time back to 2 days at the SKU level, it's just agony to have to go through them all.
Then there is the requirement to waste time shortening item titles which would not be as long if Amazon hadn't added additional words such as generic & kit (my items are not kits). I am not going to compromise my health further by working when unwell or waste my time on on even more pointless rules.
I was servicing military jets when still a teenager, now being forced to use Buy Shipping as some pen pusher has decided that I'm not responsible enough to post a parcel when I say I have.
Have had enough of the abusive culture. I think it's time for me to go.
I'm going through and doing ours now and it's pulling teeth. The worst part is that the parent listings aren't showing up in the list when I organise products so I can work through them across multiple weeks. After sorting out the Child ASINs I'm going to have to go back through to manually search the Parent ASINs.
Sorry to hear you feel you need to pack it in, but your health is worth more. If you do end up leaving then good luck!
Seller_GKVc5zj2QTT1e
I've mentioned this on the official discussion for this announcement, but trying to go through and bulk upload handling times to each SKU isn't as straightforward as it seems either.
I've managed to do it for most of our sku's (I think), but a large portion of our SKU's that technically are CHILD ASINS and belong to a variation family (we don't have the parent listed ourselves), do not seem to have been downloaded from an inventory list file with the correct SKU's... So I can't just copy and paste them over to a price and quantity file.
I don't understand why there were not correctly shown in the file download, it is just ridiculous.
Seller_RguKGMHvWFmo3
I agree this is an absolute farce. Clearly Amazon are trying to eek out FBM so they can make more money money money from FBA.
I literally am at my whits end with Amazon.
