Amazon.co.uk on-time delivery policy and shipping settings update
Fast and accurate delivery is essential for customers and often determines where they choose to shop. The best way to ensure reliable on-time delivery for customers is to set accurate handling and transit times and to choose reliable carriers. To help reduce late deliveries, we’re introducing an on-time delivery rate (OTDR) policy.
Effective from September 16, 2025, you’ll be expected to maintain a minimum 90% OTDR without promise extensions when fulfilling Fulfilled by Merchant orders on Amazon.co.uk. OTDR measures the percentage of your Fulfilled by Merchant units that are delivered on or before the “Deliver by” date.
Depending on your OTDR performance level, you may face actions ranging from temporary deactivation of individual listings to restrictions on your ability to list Fulfilled by Merchant products. We will publish the updated OTDR metric on the Account Health dashboard starting from September 16, 2025, and send out informative warnings from October 16, 2025, with your current OTDR and recommendations on how to improve, if you’re below the minimum requirement. No enforcement measures will apply before February 2, 2026.
To improve your OTDR, you can set accurate delivery promises by adjusting your handling time and transit time settings and choosing reliable carriers. Alternatively, you can get help managing your delivery dates by using the following tools, which are designed to offer accurate promises and reduce late deliveries:
- Automated handling time sets handling times at SKU level based on how long it usually takes you to process and hand over that product to carriers.
- Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) sets transit times based on up-to-date carrier delivery performance from your warehouse locations to different customer destinations.
- Buy Shipping helps you choose a shipping label for a service that can meet the Prime delivery promise to the customer.
When you use all of the above tools to fulfil an order or alternatively set a 0- or 1-day handling time in combination with SSA and Buy Shipping, those orders will have no negative impact on your OTDR. You’ll still be expected to ship on time and meet the account level requirement on late dispatch rate.
Effective from January 19, 2026, we’ll also make changes to shipping settings to provide customers with accurate and fast delivery promises. The maximum transit times available in standard domestic shipping templates for the UK mainland will change from 5 days to 4 days based on observed actual carrier transit times. Non-mainland and certain remote areas will be excluded from this change. For a detailed list of excluded areas and item level exceptions, go to Default transit times for domestic sellers.
To learn more about these changes, the various performance thresholds and actions, go to the announcement on the Changes to programme policies page.
Amazon.co.uk on-time delivery policy and shipping settings update
Fast and accurate delivery is essential for customers and often determines where they choose to shop. The best way to ensure reliable on-time delivery for customers is to set accurate handling and transit times and to choose reliable carriers. To help reduce late deliveries, we’re introducing an on-time delivery rate (OTDR) policy.
Effective from September 16, 2025, you’ll be expected to maintain a minimum 90% OTDR without promise extensions when fulfilling Fulfilled by Merchant orders on Amazon.co.uk. OTDR measures the percentage of your Fulfilled by Merchant units that are delivered on or before the “Deliver by” date.
Depending on your OTDR performance level, you may face actions ranging from temporary deactivation of individual listings to restrictions on your ability to list Fulfilled by Merchant products. We will publish the updated OTDR metric on the Account Health dashboard starting from September 16, 2025, and send out informative warnings from October 16, 2025, with your current OTDR and recommendations on how to improve, if you’re below the minimum requirement. No enforcement measures will apply before February 2, 2026.
To improve your OTDR, you can set accurate delivery promises by adjusting your handling time and transit time settings and choosing reliable carriers. Alternatively, you can get help managing your delivery dates by using the following tools, which are designed to offer accurate promises and reduce late deliveries:
- Automated handling time sets handling times at SKU level based on how long it usually takes you to process and hand over that product to carriers.
- Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) sets transit times based on up-to-date carrier delivery performance from your warehouse locations to different customer destinations.
- Buy Shipping helps you choose a shipping label for a service that can meet the Prime delivery promise to the customer.
When you use all of the above tools to fulfil an order or alternatively set a 0- or 1-day handling time in combination with SSA and Buy Shipping, those orders will have no negative impact on your OTDR. You’ll still be expected to ship on time and meet the account level requirement on late dispatch rate.
Effective from January 19, 2026, we’ll also make changes to shipping settings to provide customers with accurate and fast delivery promises. The maximum transit times available in standard domestic shipping templates for the UK mainland will change from 5 days to 4 days based on observed actual carrier transit times. Non-mainland and certain remote areas will be excluded from this change. For a detailed list of excluded areas and item level exceptions, go to Default transit times for domestic sellers.
To learn more about these changes, the various performance thresholds and actions, go to the announcement on the Changes to programme policies page.
136 replies
Seller_HwaQlgFnhSuGS
So to be sure of not having this metric affect us, not only do we have to use Buy Shipping, we have ti use Automated Handling time and SSA
If we use SSA & AHT then as we ship most orders the same day this will be reflected and we get no buffer zone. This will lead to a NCX and metrics taking a hit. The sole reason we have our handling times at +1 or +2 is to give an extra couple of days for the order to arrive. Not becasue it take US that long, but because of Royal Mails lake of ability to do what they have been paid for. We already get Amazon emailing customer saying the delivery date has been updated, so come back tomorow and get a refund (when it is not possible to update 1st/2nd Class delivery dates).
Amazon are literally pushing us under a bus, because by implementing this policy the customers will expect a quicker delivery (and therefore more orders for Amazon to have the fees from), while the sellers have to contantly fund giveaways to customers for slower than quoted promises.
We are held responsible for couriers delays. The metric states 90% OTDR. Can you show me a year that Royal Mail has achieved this on a consistent basis? No, but that is not our fault. What happens to all of them orders that do not get scanned that Amazon already give away free because they email the customer to say its late? So not not only will we loose the product, we will get punched in the stomach with some metric for an order that has been delivered but Amazon disagree, contrary to evidence.
I am so glad that our own website sales are growing week on week as this is just impossible.
Seller_HetZ8jdM3gAgI
@Ange_Amazon
Will the questions we asked above (and copied below) also be looked at by the right teams?
What tools will be available for sellers to appeal the defects should they do everything right, dispatching on time or early and using a fast service to delivery if the issue is caused by events beyond the sellers control. IE; missed connection at the national hubs due to inclement weather or mechanical issues with the courier vehicles?
Will the first delivery attempt count towards the ODTR, if the customer has ordered an item that wont fit through a letterbox, cant be left somewhere safe and the customer isn't in?
Will Amazon be posting lists of who are deemed reliable couriers on a regular basis to support sellers?
Seller_Ia4rfwPcFkAIZ
Is this just going to be another endless fight/appeals for a company that cannot use integrated suppliers/traditional carriers such as mine?
It's bad enough constantly tackling VTR (even thought my order fulfilment rate is very good) strikes, is this going to be another reason amazon will suspend my account and then be a roll of the dice whether the appeal process works?
Seller_9eQoilvUMduf7
What about sellers who are based outside the UK and ship from overseas?
Also it would be nice if Amazon provided shipping updates (like the customer sees) on our shipped orders.
Seller_tcjTAYWS9J4EP
*I can see the question being asked repeatedly but no real response.
What happens with none tracked large letters that aren't scanned on delivery very often? I know VTR seems to take this into account even though it affects the VTR, but how will this work with OTDR?
The only response I can see to this in the thread is 'To determine what products require tracking you can refer to the valid tracking rate policy.' We have already determined this which is why we use RM48, but this doesn't answer the question. My VTR is at 45% because of RM not scanning RM48, although most are actually delivered but they do seem to confirm with RM before deactivating.
So...how will OTDR deal with untracked post that isn't scanned on delivery?
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
This is the big question.
Are they going to continue using the metrics they currently use to determine which shipments are considered for OTDR, or are they changing it?
Right now, parcels without valid tracking aren't part of the On Time Delivery Rate calculation, so them not having a delivery scan doesn't negatively affect your score.
Amazon is never clear about the most important part.
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
A Mod replied to me about this
According to the Mod in the Fulfilment Insights Dashboard the metric is correct (See Inventory->Manage Seller Fulfilled Products). The metric in Account health contains unscanned items.
According to the Mod (somewhere in this thread) the Account Health Metric will be replaced with the one used in the Fulfilment Insights Dashboard on the 16th September.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
Do you send anything using RM24/48, or another delivery confirmation service?
Would be useful to know if the fulfilment insights dashboard is including them when there's no delivery scan.
The Account Health one definitely doesn't include unscanned items, which makes me dubious about what they've said.
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
I send Letter Post via Buy Shipping. Tracked 48/24 and RM48 are sent via Royal Mail Click and Drop.
Fulfilment Insights Dashboard shows an On Time Delivery Rate of 96.3%
Account Health shows 56.98% as it is including unscanned RM48's which fulfilment insights dashboard doesn't.
Verified this by downloading the defect report for both.
Seller_tcjTAYWS9J4EP
Yes, RM48. It seems to make a big difference if the metrics Direct Gifts mentioned is what they use. My VTR is around 40% but the Inventory->Manage Seller Fulfilled Products OTDR is actually 97.4 so if that is being used we should be ok!
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
Looking at it the calculation is wrong anyway.
They are saying that I have 468 on time out of 832 parcels which gives me an OTDR of 56.25% today.
But I have sent 1166 in that timescale so the total parcels figure is wrong and the on time parcels should be 798 I l believe. I think they have subtracted the unscanned parcels from both figures which is wrong
Ange_Amazon
Hi @Seller_tcjTAYWS9J4EP, @Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ, @Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn,
Tracked units (with valid delivery scan) are considered for OTDR evaluation.
Ange
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
That doesn't add up. What is the number of parcels the account health page says has valid tracking for you? The number, not the percentage. What are the parcel figures for the OTDR that is showing as 56.98%?
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
Your VTR, or your OTDR?
Seller_W0UadCH7lVBVG
Well done Amazon!...I have just added more days onto my handling and transit time, customers now see an item for sale with an even slower delivery speed!!!!
Excellent work.
This new OTDR that started today is NOT going to do what you want it to do!
OTDR started today. I have just ran my report. For many many weeks my VTR has been 100%, today, it has 7 orders that are on the report.
5 are 'Amazon buy shipping' (Royal Mail) So I'll have to extend the promised delivery date for all RM items.
1 is a DX Freight item where the customer asked DX to re-arrange a delivery date by 1 day, causing it to be included in the report...so i'll have to extend the promised delivery date for all DX parcels in case the customer can't receive the item so lightening fast!
And then there was the same for a Parcel Force item.
So, Amazon, tell me....How on earth is this supposed to benefit an Amazon customer for a "Fast and accurate delivery is essential for customers and often determines where they choose to shop"..and to ensure that items are "....delivered on or before the “Deliver by” date.".
Clearly you have not thought this through, not tested it, so typical of a big Corp.
Sellers like myself now have to extend the handling days or number of delivery days just to ensure we fit within the OTDR.
So, now, instead of customers seeing an item delivered within 1-2 days, they will be seeing 2-3 days, possibly 3-5 days in some cases.
So, in your own words Amazon, I do indeed wonder '... where they choose to shop' will not be on Amazon, but instead other trusted, Marketplace platforms that can offer a faster, accurate delivery speed which are coming online each day... Tesco, B&Q, Harvey Nichols, The Range...and so many more...and with much lower % rates!
Well done Amazon!
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
Is the report and calculation correct?
According to the dashboard I have 51 late orders. The report has 46 lines on but some of those lines are duplicated as it shows it at SKU level. For example on tracked order with 4 SKU's on it shows 4 times on the report.
Is there any need to have the SKU on the report, it doesn't matter what they ordered...all that matters is how late the order is.
