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Help / Policies, agreements, and guidelines / Changes to programme policies

Changes to programme policies

Listed below are upcoming changes to Amazon’s programme policies.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

We are updating our Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) policy.

The following changes will enter into effect on August 9, 2021:

If you ship from a location in China, you are required to use a carrier that is ship track integrated with Amazon for all items purchased on Amazon.co.uk that are shipped to customers directly from China; and
(i) for all packages with a value less than £5, including shipping charges, use a tracked delivery service that provides at least one carrier scan; and

(ii) for all packages with a value equal to or greater than £5, including shipping charges, use a fully tracked delivery service that provides at least two carrier scans (including a delivery scan/attempt).
You are required to reach a Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) of 95% for all your seller-fulfilled packages shipped from China.

We also remind you of the following change as previously announced:

We no longer require you to provide information on the delivery service during ship confirm. However, when calculating your domestic VTR, we can only exclude orders that are sent using untracked delivery services if you provide the name of the untracked delivery service used, with the name being identical to one in the Delivery service drop-down menu of the Confirm shipment page.

A version in track changes of the updated VTR policy per store is available here in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

Effective August 9, 2021 all seller fulfilled offers on Fashion items will feature a free return message and sellers will no longer be able to deduct the return shipping fee for Fashion items listed under Apparel, Shoes, Jewellery and Watches in the UK. To learn more about this, go to Free returns of Fashion items for seller fulfilled orders Help page here.

The following changes will enter into effect on 5 July 2021:

We are updating our Return policies to improve the customer return experience for non-Prime items. We request all selling partners with a UK default return address to either offer prepaid return labels for a tracked ship method (domestic only) or returnless refunds for customer return requests that fall within the scope of the Amazon Return Policy. All selling partners with a UK default return address will automatically be enrolled into the Amazon Prepaid Return Label (APRL) feature. Once APRL is enabled, all customer initiated returns requested through the Online Return Centre (ORC) that fall within the scope of the Amazon Return policy will be automatically authorized and will have a tracked Prepaid Return Label issued on your behalf through Buy Shipping Services, provided there is coverage by any of the third-party shipping service providers that support returns through Buy Shipping Services. Currently, Hermes and Royal Mail are the integrated third-party carriers that support returns within the UK. By using Buy Shipping Services through APRL, you agree to the participating service providers’ terms and conditions, in addition to Amazon’s Buy Shipping Services terms and conditions:

The carrier rates for customer returns are pre-negotiated for this service by Amazon. For more information, see Shipping costs for seller fulfilled returns. We only send you return requests that are outside of Amazon’s policy or exempt from this requirement for manual review. All customer initiated return requests that fall outside the scope of the Amazon Return Policy or items exempted from APRL feature will be sent to you for manual review and authorization.

A version in track changes of our Return policy is available here in English. If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

The following changes will enter into effect on 27 April 2021:

FBA lost and damaged inventory reimbursement policy: To simplify the reconciliation process, we are removing the requirement to wait until 30 days after the inventory is misplaced or damaged in an Amazon warehouse to file a claim. With Amazon’s new inventory adjustment report, warehouse lost or damaged inventory adjustments will be reported when they have been reconciled or are eligible for a reimbursement claim. For any warehouse lost or damaged inventory that has not been reimbursed or found, as shown in the inventory adjustment report, you can file a claim with Amazon immediately. If you disagree with Amazon‘s grading of items returned by customers as customer damaged or defective, you will have the ability to submit a claim. In order to file a claim, the disputed item must have been physically returned to you by means of a removal order. We are also updating the language regarding the reimbursement calculation methodology, in order to provide more clarity about how your reimbursements are calculated.
A version in track changes of the FBA lost and damaged inventory reimbursement policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.
FBA Subscribe & Save policy: We are updating the FBA Subscribe & Save policy to reflect that the enrolment of new products in the program is no longer limited to brand owners registered in Amazon Brand Registry. Eligible, replenishable items will be automatically enrolled at a 0% base discount (that is, at no cost to sellers) and Amazon will fund a 5% customer discount for tiered deliveries when customers receive a fixed number of items in one delivery. Sellers who want to fund a customer discount can do so at 5% or 10%, and Amazon will fund an extra 5% under the applicable conditions. Sellers can opt out at any time.
A version in track changes of the FBA Subscribe & Save policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Amazon Renewed Programme Terms: We are updating the Amazon Renewed Programme Terms to reflect the introduction of a fee that applies to Amazon Renewed products as of 8 June 2021. Additionally, we are updating our Amazon Renewed performance metrics to ensure the best customer experience.
A version in track changes of the Amazon Renewed Programme Terms is available here in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

The following change will enter into effect on 30 June 2021, for Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr and Amazon.es, while on 26 July 2021, for Amazon.it:

Maintain enrolment in Seller Fulfilled Prime policy: We are updating the Maintain enrolment in Seller Fulfilled Prime policy to improve the Prime customer experience. The required cut-off time to maintain eligibility for Seller Fulfilled Prime will be later. Note that the required cut-off time may change depending on the Amazon store. Additionally, for orders on the Amazon.co.uk store, you will be required to use ship methods that support pickups on at least one weekend day (Saturday or Sunday) in order to maintain eligibility for Seller Fulfilled Prime.
A version in track changes of the Maintain enrolment in Seller Fulfilled Prime policy is available here in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

We remind you of the following change entering into effect on 19 April 2021, as previously announced:

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) policy : We are adding the Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) policy to increase visibility on shipment tracking for customers. For non-prime seller fulfilled orders you are required, during shipping confirmation, to provide the name of the delivery service provider and delivery service you used as well as the valid tracking ID if you used a tracked delivery method. Also, you are required to reach a 95% Valid Tracking Rate (VTR). Consult the applicable Amazon store policy for detailed information on the respective VTR calculation per store.

This is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new program policies carefully.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

The following change will enter into effect on 19 March 2021:

We are adding the Unsuitable Inventory Investigations Policy as a new program policy. Under this policy, if there is suspicion that a Selling Partner may have been engaged in the sale of counterfeit products or other illegal goods at Amazon, we may require additional information regarding the affected FBA inventory. If the requested information is not provided, or we find after investigation that the inventory constitutes Unsuitable Units, we may dispose of it.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

Effective 1 January 2021, we are making some updates to our programme policies.

We are updating the Amazon Business invoicing policy to reflect the addition of a free automated solution, for selling partners who do not have an obligation to register for VAT in the EU or the UK, to comply with the Amazon Business invoicing policy. The new solution will automatically generate a receipt by Amazon on behalf of selling partners for all of their orders, and will make the receipts directly available to customers via their Amazon account.

We are also updating the Amazon marketplace fair pricing policy to provide more examples about pricing practices that harm customer trust with reference to shipping fees.

Additionally, we are updating the programme policies listed below, to reflect certain changes related to the new trading relationship between the UK and the EU, changes in laws in the UK following Brexit, and to consolidate and clarify certain provisions regarding tax. We have also clarified your obligations to provide us with certain business details that may affect tax calculations on Amazon fees and, where applicable, on your transactions.

The following programme policies are being updated on the above basis:

Finally, we are also updating the content listed below within the overall Product Guidelines programme policy, to reflect regulatory changes for product compliance related to Brexit:

An English version with changes highlighted is available for each programme policy at the corresponding link. Courtesy translations in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish will be published on Seller Central on 1 January 2021.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after 1 January 2021, constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

The following changes will enter into effect on 14 December 2020:

FBA Subscribe & Save (changes effective for amazon.fr, amazon.es, and amazon.it): We are introducing a new funding structure and automatic enrolment of eligible items. Eligible, replenishable items will be automatically enrolled at a 0% base discount (i.e., no cost to sellers) and Amazon will fund a 5% customer discount for tiered deliveries when customers receive a fixed number of items in one delivery. Sellers who want to fund a customer discount can do so at 5% or 10%, and Amazon will fund an extra 5% under the applicable conditions. Sellers can opt out at any time.

This is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new program policies carefully.

A redlined version of the FBA Subscribe & Save is available here in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

We have also updated our Intellectual Property Policy to clarify how you should indicate the compatibility of your products with a product of a different brand, for example, a charging cable that works with a specific brand of phone. If you list such products, please review your product titles for compliance with the new recommendations for the way it should be written to indicate compatibility.

A redlined version of the updated Amazon Intellectual Property Policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes and additions to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

The following changes will enter into effect on 30 September 2020:

We are adding the Amazon Responsible Person Service (the “ARP Service”) as a new programme policy. This policy outlines the eligibility, costs, terms, and conditions for certain Selling Partners (manufacturers, brand owners, or resellers authorized by the brand to sell in the EU) to enrol in the newly launched ARP Service. Under the ARP Service, Amazon will act as the EU product compliance point of contact for non-EU Selling Partners using Fulfilment by Amazon for certain CE-marked products.

The following changes will enter into effect on 15 October 2020:

We are updating our Supply Chain Standards page to provide details about our existing policy and help you adhere to these guidelines. Our standards include the Amazon supplier code of conduct, which requires that products be manufactured in safe, healthy, and inclusive work environments. The Supply Chain Standards page also provides information about why standards are important, how we implement them, and the potential consequences for violations. We are not changing our supplier code of conduct as part of this update.
We are updating the Selling on Amazon Fee Schedule (NL Amazon site) for clarity to include the DIY & Tools category. There is no change to the referral fee currently charged for that category.

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Supply Chain Standards page is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of the Selling on Amazon Fee Schedule (NL Amazon site) is available here in in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes and additions to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

Update to Communication Guidelines

Effective 3 November 2020, our Communication Guidelines are being updated with additional information related to Buyer-Seller messages. See the updates here.

The following changes will enter into effect on 30 September 2020:

Pan-European FBA programme policy: To better meet anticipated customer demand, we will automatically enable FBA inventory placement in countries for which FBA sellers have provided a valid VAT number in their selling on Amazon account. We are also making changes that will allow sellers more flexibility in their selection of countries for inventory placement as part of the Pan-European FBA programme. In connection with this update, we are removing the Multi-Country Inventory Terms and Conditions from the list of programme policies.
ASIN creation policy: We are adding rules on the creation of branded ASINs by sellers who are not associated with the brand owner.

Lastly, we are also incorporating our long-standing policies on Marketplace Fair Pricing and Intellectual Property into our programme policies. Their content and scope of application remains unchanged.

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Pan-European FBA programme policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of the ASIN creation policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes and additions to our programme policies that will go into effect on July 12, 2020, and apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

Changes to existing programme policies:

Monitor your account health: We are adding information about your performance metrics to this policy.
Amazon Vine terms and conditions: The units requested by Vine Voices must be fulfilled using Fulfilment by Amazon to protect the anonymity of our Vine Voices population.
Category, Product and Content Restrictions: You may be restricted from selling certain types of products for various reasons, including regulatory compliance, product safety and customer experience.
Product guidelines: We may offer product insurance or instalment financing products on certain products sold by you or Amazon.

New programme policies:

How products are given visibility in the Amazon store: This policy describes features of the Amazon store that help customers find, discover and shop for products, such as the Featured Offer, Featured shopping results, product highlights (like badges) and Sponsored Ads.
Data access: We are adding this policy to help you find data about your sales in our stores and other relevant information.
Mediation policy: We are introducing mediation as an option to resolve seller disputes out of court. The new policy clarifies which disputes are eligible for this process, and explains basic rules of the process.
Amazon Launchpad programme terms: This policy will substitute and amend the Amazon Launchpad Business Solutions Agreement Addendum. The Amazon Launchpad programme terms include the terms and conditions related to participation in the Amazon Launchpad programme. We introduced the possibility to fulfil your orders via Seller Fulfilled Prime, in addition to Fulfilment by Amazon. We also made the one-year commitment reciprocal for both parties (Amazon Launchpad and the selling partner).

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Monitor your account health policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of the Amazon Vine terms and conditions is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of the Category, Product and Content Restrictions policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after 12 July 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes to the following programme policies:

Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct: We are clarifying the limited circumstances under which sellers are allowed to set up multiple seller accounts.
VAT Agreement: We are making a minor clarification to this policy to reflect the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.
EU VAT Services Online Agreement: We are updating our data processing terms and allowing for the participation of additional service providers in the VAT Services on Amazon programme.
FBA Subscribe & Save (changes effective for amazon.co.uk and amazon.de only): We are introducing a new funding structure and automatic enrolment of eligible items. Eligible, replenishable items will be automatically enrolled at a 0% base discount (i.e., no cost to sellers) and Amazon will fund a 5% customer discount for tiered deliveries when customers receive five or more items in one delivery. Sellers who want to fund a customer discount can do so at 5% or 10%, and Amazon will fund an extra 5% under the applicable conditions. Sellers can opt out at any time.
Amazon Renewed Global Quality Policy: We are updating quality requirements for Renewed products. Also, to improve customer experience, Renewed products (i) must be priced with a minimum 5% discount from the current featured offer on the new ASIN equivalent; and (ii) include the Amazon Renewed Programme Insert, which contains general information about the Amazon Renewed Programme. The changes to this policy will require participating sellers to source accessories for Apple iPhones from a list of pre-approved brands, to improve quality control.
We are also adding the FBA Dangerous Goods programme terms and conditions as a new programme policy. This policy clarifies requirements regarding product eligibility, shipping requirements and storage limits applicable to the FBA Dangerous Goods programme in Europe. Refer to the help page for more information.

These changes will enter into effect in 15 days, i.e., June 15, 2020.

The above list doesn’t include all of the changes, so please review the updated programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of VAT Agreement is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of EU VAT Services Online Agreement is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of FBA Subscribe & Save is available here in English and German. (changes effective for amazon.co.uk and amazon.de only)

A redlined version of Amazon Renewed Global Quality Policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after 15 June 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Upcoming changes to the Amazon Business invoicing policy

We are making changes to the Amazon Business invoicing policy. From 20 March 2020, the Amazon Business invoicing policy will no longer allow you to use the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service to provide invoices and credit notes to Amazon Business customers.

Business customers have indicated that they prefer to be able to download invoices from their account rather than receiving them as email attachments. To ensure the best customer experience, you will be required to provide downloadable invoices and credit notes via the VAT Calculation Service or by uploading them on Seller Central - either manually via Manage Orders or automatically through a third-party solution.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes to the following programme policies:

These changes will enter into effect in 15 days, i.e., 17 March 2020.

We ask you to review the updated programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of Monitor your account health is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of Trademark usage guidelines is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, reach out to Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after 17 March 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Vine Agreement

We are adding the Amazon Vine Agreement to the Programme Policies page on 4 December 2019. You can access a copy here.

Amazon Vine can help you to generate insightful and trustworthy customer reviews for your products. The programme is open to selling partners with a registered brand.

Visit the help page for more information.

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