Premium Shipping Ideas for Amazon
Ok, so we all know the issues with premium shipping replacing the expedited shipping option. Myself, like many others regularly lose premium shipping every other month and consequently we see a sales drop of 50%.
The metrics are far too draconian because the time frame for measuring the metrics is set far too short.
This is our current Premium Delivery Eligibility status:
Not eligible 19-Sep-2019 - 19-Oct-2019 34 orders
On-Time Delivery Rate: 94.4%
Required ≥ 97%
34/36
Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate: 0.0%
Required < 0.5%
0/34
Valid Tracking Usage Rate: 100.0%
Required ≥ 100%
36/36
Both orders affecting our metrics were delivered ‘late’ by DPD either because the buyer asked for a later delivery date or because they never responded to messages from DPD advising them that there was no-one in to take delivery.
We only offer second day shipping to try and counteract the odd, 1 day delay for our carrier of choice (DPD as our product range is pretty diverse and Royal Mail SD won’t cut it). We always use a next day DPD service, always ship on time and don’t cancel orders. We even try and despatch premium orders a day early if we’re able to.
So, to fix this I propose that Amazon firstly increase the range of measuring metrics up to 6 months to give a far better indication of the actual shipping metrics. If sellers fall below the metrics during this 6 month period Amazon should give them one month to improve.
Secondly, Amazon should also take into account orders delivered early.
The reason most, if not all sellers lose their premium delivery status is not because they don’t despatch on time or cancel too many orders, it’s always issues with the delivery company.
We do use SF prime (again using DPD), but only for selected products and the metrics are pretty good for the last 6 months and a far more accurate depiction of our service:
On-time Shipment: 99.5% (192/193)
On-time Delivery: 97.4% (184/189)
Buy shipping services: 99.5% (192/193)
Cancellation: 0% (0/193)
I understand that Amazon, being the behemoth that it is, uses automated services, no-one actually looks at the reasons why sellers lose premium delivery eligibility and quite frankly you might as well bang your head against a brick wall trying to appeal it as the rules are quoted back to you at every turn.
Ultimately, it’s the Amazon buyer that loses, resulting in the buyer leaving the Amazon website and going elsewhere to purchase the item that they need quickly…surely not a great Amazon customer experience?
Time to change Amazon and put your customers first with the help of the multitude of marketplace sellers who are being wrongly denied the ability to send express delivery orders, resulting in less fees for Amazon, less happy customers and more disgruntled marketplace sellers.
Premium Shipping Ideas for Amazon
Ok, so we all know the issues with premium shipping replacing the expedited shipping option. Myself, like many others regularly lose premium shipping every other month and consequently we see a sales drop of 50%.
The metrics are far too draconian because the time frame for measuring the metrics is set far too short.
This is our current Premium Delivery Eligibility status:
Not eligible 19-Sep-2019 - 19-Oct-2019 34 orders
On-Time Delivery Rate: 94.4%
Required ≥ 97%
34/36
Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate: 0.0%
Required < 0.5%
0/34
Valid Tracking Usage Rate: 100.0%
Required ≥ 100%
36/36
Both orders affecting our metrics were delivered ‘late’ by DPD either because the buyer asked for a later delivery date or because they never responded to messages from DPD advising them that there was no-one in to take delivery.
We only offer second day shipping to try and counteract the odd, 1 day delay for our carrier of choice (DPD as our product range is pretty diverse and Royal Mail SD won’t cut it). We always use a next day DPD service, always ship on time and don’t cancel orders. We even try and despatch premium orders a day early if we’re able to.
So, to fix this I propose that Amazon firstly increase the range of measuring metrics up to 6 months to give a far better indication of the actual shipping metrics. If sellers fall below the metrics during this 6 month period Amazon should give them one month to improve.
Secondly, Amazon should also take into account orders delivered early.
The reason most, if not all sellers lose their premium delivery status is not because they don’t despatch on time or cancel too many orders, it’s always issues with the delivery company.
We do use SF prime (again using DPD), but only for selected products and the metrics are pretty good for the last 6 months and a far more accurate depiction of our service:
On-time Shipment: 99.5% (192/193)
On-time Delivery: 97.4% (184/189)
Buy shipping services: 99.5% (192/193)
Cancellation: 0% (0/193)
I understand that Amazon, being the behemoth that it is, uses automated services, no-one actually looks at the reasons why sellers lose premium delivery eligibility and quite frankly you might as well bang your head against a brick wall trying to appeal it as the rules are quoted back to you at every turn.
Ultimately, it’s the Amazon buyer that loses, resulting in the buyer leaving the Amazon website and going elsewhere to purchase the item that they need quickly…surely not a great Amazon customer experience?
Time to change Amazon and put your customers first with the help of the multitude of marketplace sellers who are being wrongly denied the ability to send express delivery orders, resulting in less fees for Amazon, less happy customers and more disgruntled marketplace sellers.
12 replies
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
Actually, according to the published rules, Amazon should be recognizing attempted delivery for the purpose of maintaining your On-Time Delivery score:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/201605130
Note: If the delivery carrier attempts but fails to deliver a package, it counts as being delivered for the purposes of this requirement.
Seller_SlXZyY9vz3zbX
The biggest problem with Amazon is that their automated systems do not recognise DHL Express (an approved premium delivery carrier) tracking numbers 100% of the time.
I have a case that has been open for almost 2 years on this issue and it never, ever gets fixed. Try submitting the screenshots proving the tracking is valid is fruitless - they just send generic templated “you currently do not meet the requirements” responses back (and not necessarily in English!) and don’t read or look at the evidence provided proving their systems are at fault and that the tracking number is valid.
We’ve lost eligibility again today for the period up to 25th October. I can’t even see which order is the alleged culprit because the valid tracking rate report only takes us up to the 23rd October!
I think this time, I’m going to email the MD and see if we get a better level of service from the MD’s team.
Automated systems are all very well but if there are bugs and demonstrable flaws they should not be applied to live algorithms. It’s not just us that miss out - Amazon’s customer goes elsewhere too when they can’t get what they want on time.
Of course Expedited shipping used to be the fall back but the removing that was an extra punch to the gut to sellers (and customers!).
Seller_5ia3Q2YxXVCxe
I feel it should be simply the shipping out date in the metrics - once a package has entered any postal service, tracked, signed, plain vanilla, whatever,we as sellers have absolutely no control over its delivery time frame - how WE can be penalized for delivery delays is plain bonkers. Its the same on Ebay - i regularly lose out because people say a package was late - and becasue you can look t orders claimed as late on Ebay, you can cross reference the feedback left - on MANY occasions ive had feedback of ‘fast shipping’ or ‘delivered early’ or similar, and those exact same orders are listed as ‘late delivery’ so i just gave up worrying about it all.
Seller_takKx86qacqmt
Surprise, surprise…no reply from Amazon after 4 DAYS!
Seller_GGByEa9ThBuw8
This happened to us last week. A customer purchased directly from our website and chose faster delivery and when the item arrived the following day, they sent us a little thank you email in which they told us that they originally tried purchasing via Amazon but headed to our website instead as we were not offering faster delivery on Amazon (it’s been taken away from us…again). I hope more customers do this. In this case Amazon have well and truly shot themselves in the foot!
Seller_takKx86qacqmt
Go to Help>Contact Us and request a call back.
The first person you speak to won’t be able or willing to help you so ask for their supervisor (they called us back within an hour) then laboriously go through the process with them, give the affected order numbers to them to check their end and quote Amazons own rules (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/G201503640). Lay it on thick about how this is unfair, Amazon customers are losing out and their needs aren’t being catered for, bad customer experience etc etc
They should then flag it up on the system and advise you to again email seller-performance@amazon.co.uk quoting all relevant order numbers plus a POA.
Once we had done that, premium eligibility was restored within about 24 hours.
As I said, a huge amount of hoop jumping, but certainly worth sorting out for this time of year, especially when you’re in the right.
Good luck!
