🚨 CLOSED – Ask Amazon: New VTR Policy update 🚨
Dear Community,
We invite you to join us TODAY for our Ask Amazon Event focusing on the new VTR policy update.
We have updated our Valid Tracking Rate VTR policy for seller-fulfilled orders on the 15th of January, to allow customers to see tracking over a higher number of their orders.
Do you have questions about the recent changes? Then share them with us TODAY, 11th of February 2025, from 9 am to 5 pm (BST). You can post your questions in the comments below and we'll collaborate closely with our partner team to provide answers.
Please note: This event is intended for general questions and we cannot provide advice or feedback on individual cases.
We look forward to addressing your queries!
🚨 CLOSED – Ask Amazon: New VTR Policy update 🚨
Dear Community,
We invite you to join us TODAY for our Ask Amazon Event focusing on the new VTR policy update.
We have updated our Valid Tracking Rate VTR policy for seller-fulfilled orders on the 15th of January, to allow customers to see tracking over a higher number of their orders.
Do you have questions about the recent changes? Then share them with us TODAY, 11th of February 2025, from 9 am to 5 pm (BST). You can post your questions in the comments below and we'll collaborate closely with our partner team to provide answers.
Please note: This event is intended for general questions and we cannot provide advice or feedback on individual cases.
We look forward to addressing your queries!
133 replies
Seller_Nx3Da5XPngGEm
Hello I have a few questions please.
E.g. Julia the Amazon moderator said:
"I´m confirming that cross-border shipments below £20 are exempted from VTR calculations, provided they're sent using a letter method. This includes large letter with Royal Mail. You'll need to use a tracked shipping method for shipments over £20, unless you use untracked Royal Mail 1st and 2nd Class Letter stamps and franking purchased through Amazon Buy Shipping (at no extra cost).
Has this clarified your questions?"
However, other sellers are saying their VTR is still affected despite sending cross-border shipments below £20 using a letter method. Which I presume is under £20 including shipping, ex vat. Is this maybe a technical issue?
Either way, this should urgently be looked at and clarified before the enforcement date.
I have moved all our international over to tracked and put our prices up due to this uncertainty.
Please kindly take a closer look at this, just to be safe.
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Secondly, the policy page says untracked 1st / 2nd stamps / franking are exempt from VTR if using buy shipping - does this also include Royal Mail 24 and 48?
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Thirdly - the other question people have is if unscanned are still going to be validated behind the scenes still (if not using Buy Shipping). There was no announcement saying this had changed, but it's not mentioned on the policy page anymore. If we can get all these questions answered, that would be really helpful. Any questions answered would be a great start.
Seller_ZJhFeE3tNKzfh
@Ezra_Amazon this isn't difficult. There is one main question that is being asked and asked and asked.
- I use Royal Mail 24/48 and I am buying those labels outside of Amazon Buy Shipping
- I upload into Amazon the tracking number
- Royal Mail scan at best 80% of Royal Mail 24/48 services
- Since VTR came into force, amazon state that they will 'validate' unscanned Royal Mail 24/48 labels and won't suspend the ability to list in impacted categories
- Amazon have removed that policy from their policy pages
So really simple - will amazon still validate unscanned Royal Mail 24/48 purchased outside Amazon Buy Shipping, or not? Note the answer can't possibly be that they are exempt - because the policy doesn't even say that.
if the team you are passing that question to cannot answer - this Ask Amazon is useless.
Seller_Y9fFZ8oEs17ES
Thank you for your question! Royal Mail 24/48 services will be exempted
Will Amazon abide by this or just mark them as invalid as they have done before?
Seller_vufGlJbJ0bgG5
Hi
We ship large items (furniture) and it is impossible to use carriers such as UPS, DPD etc.
Our couriers provide tracking numbers which I always upload but there is no actual scan.
Please could you kindly help with this as I am worried about my account health
Seller_HwaQlgFnhSuGS
Would definately like to know this as it really affects our ability to sell our items on Amazon FBM.
Previously, Amazon claimed to 'validate' unscanned Royal Mail parcels and large letters behind the scenes, so that offers were not suspended as a consequence of Royal Mail's failure to scan items. This was the case regardless of whether the shipping was bought through Amazon or another channel.
That wording has now disappeared from the policy pages, so we need to know immediately whether the policy has changed. Do Amazon still 'validate' unscanned Royal Mail items so that offers are not suspended? If so, is this still the case for labels not bought through Amazon?
If you are no longer validating are Amazon saying that all Large Letter 1st/2nd Class not have to be purchased through Amazon? If so why? The service level is the same, the price is the same, the delivery company is the same.
All of ours are sent Click & Drop which update Amazon and we will not use Buy Shipping under duress, when the delivery service/promise is the exact same, but we are then not able to claim for missing items. Amazon say contact Royal Mail and Royal Mail say we are not their customer, its Amazon. I will not swicth to Buy Shipping which costs the same, yet get less of a service and zero protection. I will lodge a complaint with the CMA before that day happens, as if we have to use Buy Shipping it is frankly bullying and anticompetative.
Ezra_Amazon
Hi sellers,
I notice there's some confusion about Royal Mail shipping methods, so I'd like to share the update from our partner team:
- Untracked RM 24/48 services: These are exempted from VTR (not valid unlike previously) even when they are not purchased through Buy Shipping.
- Untracked Large letters of RM (except 1st class and 2nd class, stamping & franking): Exempted from VTR calculation (not valid unlike previously) even when they are not purchased through Buy Shipping.
- Untracked 1st class and 2nd class letters stamps & franking are only exempted (not valid unlike previously) from VTR calculations only when purchased through Amazon Buy Shipping (at no additional cost).
Please make sure you select the correct shipping method from the dropdown menu for the system to properly process these exemptions.
Seller_RAXEWLxQ2dbmN
Does the 'except' in the quote below mean that only untracked parcels sent via RM will be exempt from VTR if not purchased via Buy Shipping and untracked letters and LL will not be exempt?
It doesn't bother me too much as I currently purchase all my Amazon postage via Buy Shipping but it would be good to know for future reference.
Seller_vufGlJbJ0bgG5
I think it is only fair that furniture and home categories should be put in an exempted catagory. It is impossible to provide scans due to the nature of carriers that are used to deliver these heavy and bulky items
Seller_dtDzb0clEI627
So much to read through...
All i want to know is what are the new changes to VTR for non-Tracked mail? Do we now need a Royal Mail scan for non-Tracked?
Thanks
