Amazon.co.uk on-time delivery policy and shipping settings update
Fast and accurate delivery is essential for customers and often determines where they choose to shop. The best way to ensure reliable on-time delivery for customers is to set accurate handling and transit times and to choose reliable carriers. To help reduce late deliveries, we’re introducing an on-time delivery rate (OTDR) policy.
Effective from September 16, 2025, you’ll be expected to maintain a minimum 90% OTDR without promise extensions when fulfilling Fulfilled by Merchant orders on Amazon.co.uk. OTDR measures the percentage of your Fulfilled by Merchant units that are delivered on or before the “Deliver by” date.
Depending on your OTDR performance level, you may face actions ranging from temporary deactivation of individual listings to restrictions on your ability to list Fulfilled by Merchant products. We will publish the updated OTDR metric on the Account Health dashboard starting from September 16, 2025, and send out informative warnings from October 16, 2025, with your current OTDR and recommendations on how to improve, if you’re below the minimum requirement. No enforcement measures will apply before February 2, 2026.
To improve your OTDR, you can set accurate delivery promises by adjusting your handling time and transit time settings and choosing reliable carriers. Alternatively, you can get help managing your delivery dates by using the following tools, which are designed to offer accurate promises and reduce late deliveries:
- Automated handling time sets handling times at SKU level based on how long it usually takes you to process and hand over that product to carriers.
- Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) sets transit times based on up-to-date carrier delivery performance from your warehouse locations to different customer destinations.
- Buy Shipping helps you choose a shipping label for a service that can meet the Prime delivery promise to the customer.
When you use all of the above tools to fulfil an order or alternatively set a 0- or 1-day handling time in combination with SSA and Buy Shipping, those orders will have no negative impact on your OTDR. You’ll still be expected to ship on time and meet the account level requirement on late dispatch rate.
Effective from January 19, 2026, we’ll also make changes to shipping settings to provide customers with accurate and fast delivery promises. The maximum transit times available in standard domestic shipping templates for the UK mainland will change from 5 days to 4 days based on observed actual carrier transit times. Non-mainland and certain remote areas will be excluded from this change. For a detailed list of excluded areas and item level exceptions, go to Default transit times for domestic sellers.
To learn more about these changes, the various performance thresholds and actions, go to the announcement on the Changes to programme policies page.
Amazon.co.uk on-time delivery policy and shipping settings update
Fast and accurate delivery is essential for customers and often determines where they choose to shop. The best way to ensure reliable on-time delivery for customers is to set accurate handling and transit times and to choose reliable carriers. To help reduce late deliveries, we’re introducing an on-time delivery rate (OTDR) policy.
Effective from September 16, 2025, you’ll be expected to maintain a minimum 90% OTDR without promise extensions when fulfilling Fulfilled by Merchant orders on Amazon.co.uk. OTDR measures the percentage of your Fulfilled by Merchant units that are delivered on or before the “Deliver by” date.
Depending on your OTDR performance level, you may face actions ranging from temporary deactivation of individual listings to restrictions on your ability to list Fulfilled by Merchant products. We will publish the updated OTDR metric on the Account Health dashboard starting from September 16, 2025, and send out informative warnings from October 16, 2025, with your current OTDR and recommendations on how to improve, if you’re below the minimum requirement. No enforcement measures will apply before February 2, 2026.
To improve your OTDR, you can set accurate delivery promises by adjusting your handling time and transit time settings and choosing reliable carriers. Alternatively, you can get help managing your delivery dates by using the following tools, which are designed to offer accurate promises and reduce late deliveries:
- Automated handling time sets handling times at SKU level based on how long it usually takes you to process and hand over that product to carriers.
- Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) sets transit times based on up-to-date carrier delivery performance from your warehouse locations to different customer destinations.
- Buy Shipping helps you choose a shipping label for a service that can meet the Prime delivery promise to the customer.
When you use all of the above tools to fulfil an order or alternatively set a 0- or 1-day handling time in combination with SSA and Buy Shipping, those orders will have no negative impact on your OTDR. You’ll still be expected to ship on time and meet the account level requirement on late dispatch rate.
Effective from January 19, 2026, we’ll also make changes to shipping settings to provide customers with accurate and fast delivery promises. The maximum transit times available in standard domestic shipping templates for the UK mainland will change from 5 days to 4 days based on observed actual carrier transit times. Non-mainland and certain remote areas will be excluded from this change. For a detailed list of excluded areas and item level exceptions, go to Default transit times for domestic sellers.
To learn more about these changes, the various performance thresholds and actions, go to the announcement on the Changes to programme policies page.
136 replies
Seller_HetZ8jdM3gAgI
What tools will be available for sellers to appeal the defects should they do everything right, dispatching on time or early and using a fast service to delivery if the issue is caused by events beyond the sellers control. IE; missed connection at the national hubs due to inclement weather or mechanical issues with the courier vehicles?
Will the first delivery attempt count towards the ODTR, if the customer has ordered an item that wont fit through a letterbox, cant be left somewhere safe and the customer isn't in?
Will Amazon be posting lists of who are deemed reliable couriers on a regular basis to support sellers?
(I can guess the answer to these but worth an ask.)
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
So which is it, Prime, MFN, or both?
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
So which OTDR are you going to use?
In account health mine shows consistently as 55% as you treating unscanned RM 48 as not being on time
In fulfilment insights dashboard it shows as 95.9% currently as unscanned RM48's are not being included.
The cynic in me thinks this is just another way to get people to use buy shipping as OTDR is not a factor then
Seller_AVteysPitiEJq
Clear as Mud - as usual.
Is this about Seller Fulfilled Prime perhaps?
We use 2nd class letter via Amazon Buy Shipping so there's no tracking so how will this work for us?
Between Royal Mail scaling back deliveries and Amazon constantly changing the goal posts, it's so difficult these days.
Seller_N8sdIVWmCyj2a
does this effect 2nd class large letters brought through buy shipping as no tracking is provided?
Seller_FQHkqHJI5SqTh
Another policy that will discriminate against low volume sellers.
Just one hiccup could send us below target after years at 100%.
Seller_nzd3XpaZpr8Gb
Yet another seller here wondering how untracked Large Letters will work.
I assume they will be dealt with in the same way as VTR? ie - purchased through Buy Shipping = assumed on time.
Seller_AlYpsVHv0gj21
you may face actions ranging from temporary deactivation of individual listings to restrictions on your ability to list Fulfilled by Merchant products.
Is this yet another attempt to make sellers go FBA ?
I have not studied this message closely yet but on first glance it appears to be yet another completely over the top big brother tactic.
A couple of days ago an Amazon seller poll was something to the effect "Changes made by Amazon are beneficial to sellers". I wonder if these two things are connected
Seller_8bXb7DV5LHlkO
You said that one of the ways to improve OTDR is to use SSA, but there is a problem with SSA which Seller Support has not been able to help me with due to misunderstanding the issue (I am not talking about Buy Shipping):
The two options for Royal Mail under Premium Shipping Automation Preferences are 'Royal Mail Tracked 48' and 'Royal Mail'.
Where is Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed? These are approved services for Premium Shipping, but I can't offer them through an SSA template.
Seller_hf3WAIwfSX840
Hi,
This is all well and good but it is not the seller whom should be punished if the item is posted on time with the correct postage and the parcel etc is delivered late, it is the COURIER services that should be looked into. We post everything Tracked next day DPD or RM so if they arrive late why do the sellers get flagged, we have fulfilled our part of the bargain.
Courier companies should be liable for any refunds for LATE DELIVERY
