🚚 Smart Delivery Time Management for Amazon Sellers
Why It Matters
- Faster delivery times increase your chances of becoming a Featured Offer
- Customers strongly prefer sellers with quick delivery
- On-time delivery and tracking significantly impact customer satisfaction
Key Components of Delivery Time
Delivery Time = Handling Time + Transit Time (+ Holidays)
1. Handling Time
- Time from order placement until handover to carrier
- Set account-wide default or customize per product
- Pro tip: Choose same-day or one-day handling for best results
2. Transit Time
Two ways to manage:
Automated: Use Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) for precise calculations
Manual: Customize transit times by region through shipping templates
Best Practices for Success
- Set realistic handling times you can consistently meet
- Enable weekend operations when possible
- Use order handling capacity limits to prevent overload
- Maintain 95%+ On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR)
- Provide tracking for all shipments
Improving Performance
- Monitor your metrics via the Fulfillment Insight dashboard
- Partner with reliable carriers
- Consider enabling Premium Shipping options
- Use automated tools like SSA for accurate transit times
Important Note
Amazon may extend your displayed delivery times if:
- Your OTDR falls below 95%
- External factors (weather, holidays, carrier issues) affect delivery
- Extensions range from 1-10 days until performance improves
This streamlined guide maintains the essential information while being more readable and action-oriented. Need any clarification on specific points?
🚚 Smart Delivery Time Management for Amazon Sellers
Why It Matters
- Faster delivery times increase your chances of becoming a Featured Offer
- Customers strongly prefer sellers with quick delivery
- On-time delivery and tracking significantly impact customer satisfaction
Key Components of Delivery Time
Delivery Time = Handling Time + Transit Time (+ Holidays)
1. Handling Time
- Time from order placement until handover to carrier
- Set account-wide default or customize per product
- Pro tip: Choose same-day or one-day handling for best results
2. Transit Time
Two ways to manage:
Automated: Use Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) for precise calculations
Manual: Customize transit times by region through shipping templates
Best Practices for Success
- Set realistic handling times you can consistently meet
- Enable weekend operations when possible
- Use order handling capacity limits to prevent overload
- Maintain 95%+ On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR)
- Provide tracking for all shipments
Improving Performance
- Monitor your metrics via the Fulfillment Insight dashboard
- Partner with reliable carriers
- Consider enabling Premium Shipping options
- Use automated tools like SSA for accurate transit times
Important Note
Amazon may extend your displayed delivery times if:
- Your OTDR falls below 95%
- External factors (weather, holidays, carrier issues) affect delivery
- Extensions range from 1-10 days until performance improves
This streamlined guide maintains the essential information while being more readable and action-oriented. Need any clarification on specific points?
1 reply
Seller_mS10UjVYuuGor
Hi @Spencer_Amazon
This has happened to me recently, due to Royal Mail letting me down on a few Tracked 24 Age Restricted deliveries a day or two late in a short space of time, Amazon has now added two days to my delivery ETA for all items, not even just the ASIN concerned, noticably reducing sales.
The problem with using OTDR as a metric is that it is beyond seller control, once handed over to an Amazon intergrated courier on time, what more can a seller do? In my case I sell alcohol so can only use age restriced services further limiting my courier options e.g. I can't upgrade to Royal Mail Special Delivery to improve OTDR even if I wanted to and was prepared to pay the premium.
Royal Mail, DPD, DHL etc etc all have a pretty similar OTDR so if already using one of the best (of a bad bunch) available courier services then swapping courier isn't the answer and (in the short term at least) may well make the situation worse.
Forunately for me Amazon is only a part of my overall business so I shrug my shoulders and focus elsewhere while being penalised for the couriers preformance, if my business was mostly/wholly Amazon based I'd be pulling my hair out and angry at being penalised for something completely beyond my control.
As it is, I view it as Amazon also penalising itself in reduced sales as customers look outside the platform for a quicker ETA as not every product I sell is offered by Amazon or other sellers. The extended delivery time shown may well drive some customers off site, perhaps to my own site where they would get exactly the same delivery service, Amazon is cutting its own nose off to spite its face.
The real answer is for Amazon to devise a list of couriers that (depending on service used) it considers to be reliable and if a seller uses that service and hands over to the courier on time then they are protected against poor courier preformance affecting their OTDR.
On my desk there is a bottle of Amazon own brand Shepley Spring Water which although ordered through and purportedly fulfiled by Amazon was actually delivered by Royal Mail. I can therefore only assume Amazon views Royal Mail to be a reliable delivery partner for themselves but if Royal Mail lets a seller down then the seller gets penalised. It looks like double standards.
