Calling All SFP Sellers > HELP! > SFP order cut off time - Dear Amazon we want our freedom back!
Dear Fellow Amazonians,
I’m not sure how the new SFP order cut off times and workdays have affected you, but being an owner-run business it’s been a very negative experience for us.
Since the new order cut off time of 4pm has come into effect it has really affected our work-life balance. We chose this business as we could control our work times and days (of course up to a certain point), but now it feels like we have to work until 4pm Monday to Friday and also a weekend day (I know its life and we all have to work, but at least its good to have the option). We wouldn’t mind doing this but it genuinely has not increased business for us and we may get 1 order between 1.30pm and 4 pm which is to be dispatched on that day, so it really is a big waste of time for us. The weekend cut off times are also another nightmare as we are being forced to work either a Saturday or Sunday with no added benefit to our business.
We are a small business which is run by me and my dad and we don’t have the funds to employ more staff to stay behind to wait for the post especially if it’s not generating any income for us.
We would really appreciate it if we could revert back to the old cut off time Monday to Friday or even if possible to choose our own cut off times as we may want to stay behind on a Friday or Monday or even be given the option to opt into the weekend pick-ups.
I was just wondering how everyone else is getting on and how you guys are dealing with it? I feel like if we have enough people we could take this further with amazon and get our lives back!
Kind regards
KB
38 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Are you sharing asins with other sellers and using SFP as an advantage over competitors ?
would standard delivery impact your sales massively as you could of course set all your items to Premium Delivery with no extra charge
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
Luckily for me my pickup from Royal Mail is 5pm so I can do the 4pm cut off. I process all orders up until 3pm then check at 4pm to see if any extra ones have come in and can quickly add those.
My main problem with SFP is the weekend pickup as I cannot get a weekend collection.
I was going to switch the shipping template for my SFP items on Friday afternoon and then switch it back on Sunday afternoon to get round the problem, however, according to Amazon, about a month ago I was not meeting the metric deadlines (not my fault as anything ordered before 4pm was sent same day) so they disabled SFP for me and I have still not got it back even though my current metrics have been fine for at least 3 weeks.
I buy my labels via Amazon Buy Shipping so they knew I was sending out on time - it was just that a few items were not then scanned on time that caused the problem.
Seller_Uvtgcgm4spNMe
We were using SFP for a while and seem to recall it can be switched off at will and your normal shipping settings take over. Is this not still the case?
Gave up with it as minimal increase in sales and massive increase in returns.
Seller_2Zn4LKv3YOnlV
Can Seller Fulfilled Prime be switched off and on like Premium Delivery? And does that impact SFP metrics in any way?
Seller_1jLYHF2PkzPBl
Hello we had the same issue so we decided to stop selling PRIME that was the answer and we are busier,Our work hours are 7am- 4pm when Rpyal Mail Call and NO weekends however this time of the year we cover weekens due to volume
Robert
Seller_LQdbIT3WV5PV5
We are in the same boat. Think it is the same for most SFP sellers. We have added an extra shift on a saturday in the warehouse and utilise the time to pack FBA goods. We only have a couple of Prime orders on a saturday morning and have the added challenge that the Amazon cut off date is later than the postman can collect our goods. Good old amazon!!! We just smile and get on with it.
Seller_WMvaZxtViUiaq
We have exactly the same issue here. Small family business and no increase in sales at all - yet like you we are having to work longer hours and one of us a Saturday morning. Added costs, stress and all to no benefit for us or Amazon.
Seller_FqalN2Equ13mj
We are SFP, selling products that we purchase from UK suppliers along with many other sellers and indeed Amazon themselves, so SFP gives us an advantage especially when Amazon allow buyers to click a button to only show Prime Orders!!
We use either Amazon Logistics or Royal Mail
Prior to the change, our cut off time was 2.30pm our Royal Mail Pick up was 4.20pm and Amazon Logistics Window was 2.30pm - 5.30pm. They usually turned up between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. We also had a Sunday pick up from Amazon Logistics between 2.30pm - 5.30pm.
When the change came into force, Amazon Logistics stopped our Sunday Pick Up and would not give us a weekend pickup so all any orders that had to be shipped on Saturday for Monday delivery had to go Royal Mail T24, which costs more than Amazon Shipping Next Day!!
I am lucky, in that my local Delivery office is just over the road, so i didn’t need to arrange a Saturday Pickup as i can just walk it over on a Saturday.
Initially, to account for the price rise in shipping T24, we raised our prices from Friday 2.30pm till Saturday 11am, only took a couple of mins by file.
We do not do that now, as i now know the % involved and have spread the cost across all orders.
I am not sure what has changed but pretty much most of the orders that i come into on a Saturday, i can still send by Amazon Logistics on the Monday for delivery Tuesday, it wasn’t like that at the beginning.
The amount of orders that i have to use RM T24 is very few, normally to Northern Ireland or The very North of Scotland.
The cut off for Saturday is 11am, so before this i choose to Work a Sunday unless i had something on and i could just cancel that weeks pick up, but now i’m finished by 11.30 on Saturday, so for me, its worked out for the better.
My SFP issues are that at 2.30pm, Amazon forces me use RM T24 for any orders that come in from then till 3.30pm, even if Amazon Logistics have not yet collected.
Also, if a customer messages to cancel an order after the 30mins grace and we confirm the cancellation, we get hit with a defect for Order Cancellation, i have had to do 2 PoA in the last month for this!!
Also, If you receive multiple orders going to the same customer to the same address, if you combine them, you run the risk of Not Buying labels Through Amazon Buy Shipping as it only recognises the 1st order the tracking number is used on.
Seller_fkhQ8ucc0l4Pb
As soon as Amazon brought in these changes, I turned off SFP. As I don’t have staff, the benefits to my business where not worth the detriment to my work life balance.
It has meant that I’ve started to dabble in FBA more - which I think is why amazon wants out of this policy change. They already know SFP sellers don’t like it, I don’t think a petition would change anything.
Seller_fxBnTYiiYILkG
Hi KB10101
We used to sell iva SFP after being hounded by an Amazon rep for a number of years. It worked fine for around 2 years when the cut off was 2pm but since November last year we stopped doing it due to not only the cut off times but also because Amazon Shipping stated all large letters sent through their carrier would now be Parcels, adding over £2 to each shippment, this was the last straw for us and we just pulled out of the programme. It does still show on our shipping setting but we choose not to add any ASIN to it.
Do what is best for yourself and your sanity, we don’t work Fridays now and can chose when we go home, much better than a few extra sales.
