Unfair VTR Defect Despite On-Time Shipment and Delivery with DHL Express
Hello fellow sellers,
I am facing a very frustrating issue regarding the Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) metric, and I want to share my experience here. Maybe others have faced something similar.
On March 17, I received an order (Order ID: 111-2730541-1669000) from a business customer.
The promised delivery window shown to the buyer was March 21 to March 27.
I immediately shipped the order the same day via DHL Express, one of the most reliable carriers.
The tracking number was promptly uploaded to Amazon, and the order was successfully delivered on March 21, exactly within the promised window.
Today, I checked my metrics and noticed that my Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) has dropped to 93%.
I downloaded the VTR report and saw that this very order was marked with a VTR defect.
I contacted Amazon Seller Support through live chat. Here's what they told me:
The order failed "VTR Criteria 4," meaning "Carrier provided tracking scan to Amazon" was not met.
Even though the tracking number was working perfectly on DHL's official website, Amazon claimed they didn't receive an electronic scan directly into their system.
They advised me: "To avoid this in future, please ensure the carrier you select provides tracking scan to Amazon."
Here’s the strange part:
I have been shipping all my other orders with DHL Express too, and I have never faced any VTR defect with them before.
Only this one order is showing the defect — despite using the same carrier, same shipping process, and same tracking upload method.
Frankly, this is completely unfair.
We sellers have no control over whether major global carriers like DHL send tracking events directly to Amazon’s system.
We are fulfilling our duties — shipping on time, uploading tracking numbers, and ensuring timely delivery.
Still, Amazon punishes us for something completely outside our control, and damages our account health with unjustified defects.
Instead of supporting sellers who maintain good performance, Amazon’s rigid and unrealistic VTR policies are making it harder for us to focus on actual business growth.
My questions to the community:
Has anyone else experienced a random VTR defect even after proper shipping and delivery?
How are you handling such unfair VTR issues?
Is there any escalation method where Amazon genuinely investigates these cases?
It’s extremely discouraging. We are trying our best to give a good buyer experience, but random metric hits like this are totally demoralizing.
Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Unfair VTR Defect Despite On-Time Shipment and Delivery with DHL Express
Hello fellow sellers,
I am facing a very frustrating issue regarding the Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) metric, and I want to share my experience here. Maybe others have faced something similar.
On March 17, I received an order (Order ID: 111-2730541-1669000) from a business customer.
The promised delivery window shown to the buyer was March 21 to March 27.
I immediately shipped the order the same day via DHL Express, one of the most reliable carriers.
The tracking number was promptly uploaded to Amazon, and the order was successfully delivered on March 21, exactly within the promised window.
Today, I checked my metrics and noticed that my Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) has dropped to 93%.
I downloaded the VTR report and saw that this very order was marked with a VTR defect.
I contacted Amazon Seller Support through live chat. Here's what they told me:
The order failed "VTR Criteria 4," meaning "Carrier provided tracking scan to Amazon" was not met.
Even though the tracking number was working perfectly on DHL's official website, Amazon claimed they didn't receive an electronic scan directly into their system.
They advised me: "To avoid this in future, please ensure the carrier you select provides tracking scan to Amazon."
Here’s the strange part:
I have been shipping all my other orders with DHL Express too, and I have never faced any VTR defect with them before.
Only this one order is showing the defect — despite using the same carrier, same shipping process, and same tracking upload method.
Frankly, this is completely unfair.
We sellers have no control over whether major global carriers like DHL send tracking events directly to Amazon’s system.
We are fulfilling our duties — shipping on time, uploading tracking numbers, and ensuring timely delivery.
Still, Amazon punishes us for something completely outside our control, and damages our account health with unjustified defects.
Instead of supporting sellers who maintain good performance, Amazon’s rigid and unrealistic VTR policies are making it harder for us to focus on actual business growth.
My questions to the community:
Has anyone else experienced a random VTR defect even after proper shipping and delivery?
How are you handling such unfair VTR issues?
Is there any escalation method where Amazon genuinely investigates these cases?
It’s extremely discouraging. We are trying our best to give a good buyer experience, but random metric hits like this are totally demoralizing.
Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
0 replies
Josh_Amazon
Hello @Seller_tkvwTuuH9PwGI,
This is Josh from Amazon, thank you for contacting our Forums!
I understand your frustration with the VTR defect situation. Since you've already contacted Seller Support about this issue, could you please share the case ID? This will allow me to review your situation further.
Kind regards,
-Josh
Seller_v2laoQdsVlgOo
Hello everyone,
I'm having the same problem with my account. I ship from Venezuela with DHL, and since last week my VTR has dropped to 92%. This involves orders that have already been confirmed for delivery by DHL. Please, can someone from Amazon help resolve this issue?
The case number is 17717846661
Seller_wOYdrOWjeoIWY
Today I received 23 buyer messages asking for refunds due to the VTR issue. I use DHL Express.
Amazon is sending automated messages to buyers, telling them to file A-to-Z claims because the tracking status on their side shows “lost” or “delayed.”
My ODR is also getting affected — Amazon is counting these claims against my ODR, even though the orders were actually delivered with signed proof of delivery.
I appealed the A-to-Z claims, but they are still being counted against my ODR. Today’s VTR is 51%.
Any Mods, please look into this urgently. Case ID: 17707701281
