On-time delivery rate -- W*F?!?!?
First off, per the services agreement, Amazon needs to preannounce policy changes, and did not in this case (or many others). Also, apologies if the search function in the fora is so poor that this is effectively a duplicate of another thread ... the most germane thing I can find is a month ago, when a Mod reiterated old policy shortly before Amazon instituted a new one.
As of today (7/25), OTDR has a new definition, and this at-one-time info-only metric can now kill your account. In this change, Amazon is announcing that they recognize that sometimes stuff -- like hurricanes, riots, state-wide power outages, strikes, etc. -- can happen which will make even Amazon's automated estimate (over which we have no control) of delivery time wrong. When this happens, buyers will be notified, but according to the OTDR page, sellers will not be cut slack. "An OTDR below 90% may result in account deactivation" ... and this metric ("On-time delivery rate without promise extensions") is prior to any extensions. Effectively: if there's a natural disaster in your shipping lane, expect to have your account shuttered. Who comes up with this? Either the description of an unannounced, new-release feature is so poorly written as to be wrong in a way that will make long-time sellers think they'll lose their accounts (ooops! our bad!), or it's accurate and the idea is insane.
Other platforms I can name simply ignore metrics for orders affected by these unavoidable issues. [I bet this doesn't apply to FBA, which is just another anti-trust-worthy measure instituted by Amazon to illegally push people to that platform.]
(p.s. this forum software is also heinous ... making me reload to post, or logging me out mid-screed, and throwing away my work in the process simply doesn't happen in any other forum software I've ever used)
On-time delivery rate -- W*F?!?!?
First off, per the services agreement, Amazon needs to preannounce policy changes, and did not in this case (or many others). Also, apologies if the search function in the fora is so poor that this is effectively a duplicate of another thread ... the most germane thing I can find is a month ago, when a Mod reiterated old policy shortly before Amazon instituted a new one.
As of today (7/25), OTDR has a new definition, and this at-one-time info-only metric can now kill your account. In this change, Amazon is announcing that they recognize that sometimes stuff -- like hurricanes, riots, state-wide power outages, strikes, etc. -- can happen which will make even Amazon's automated estimate (over which we have no control) of delivery time wrong. When this happens, buyers will be notified, but according to the OTDR page, sellers will not be cut slack. "An OTDR below 90% may result in account deactivation" ... and this metric ("On-time delivery rate without promise extensions") is prior to any extensions. Effectively: if there's a natural disaster in your shipping lane, expect to have your account shuttered. Who comes up with this? Either the description of an unannounced, new-release feature is so poorly written as to be wrong in a way that will make long-time sellers think they'll lose their accounts (ooops! our bad!), or it's accurate and the idea is insane.
Other platforms I can name simply ignore metrics for orders affected by these unavoidable issues. [I bet this doesn't apply to FBA, which is just another anti-trust-worthy measure instituted by Amazon to illegally push people to that platform.]
(p.s. this forum software is also heinous ... making me reload to post, or logging me out mid-screed, and throwing away my work in the process simply doesn't happen in any other forum software I've ever used)
254 odpowiedzi
Seller_QjYfjZwWH8D0l
@Quincy_Amazon
Same here. I went from 100% on time to 96.44% overnight. I downloaded the report. It showed that the carrier scanned all the "late" shipments on time. We use Amazon Buy Shipping, so I thought I was protected from late shipment hits as long as the carrier scanned on time.
I called Account Health support, which was, as usual, a waste of time. The agent answered, "Ship on time, and everything will be okay." I explained to her that all the shipments in the report were shipped on time, but I still got dinged for late deliveries. She then told me to call Seller Support because there was nothing else she could do.
Seller_0vK0FOuRXFwld
Promised delivery date without a promise extension: 7/18/24 06:59:59 GMT, Actual delivery date: 7/18/24 22:03:00 GMT
For this order, we shipped 1 day earlier and the package was delayed because of the weather, but since we sent it a day before, it should have been fine. Guess what? This was marked late... how and why.... Do sellers have to consider the delivery time now?? This is mind-blowing..
Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9
Also, this:
What is Amazon’s policy for on-time delivery without promise extensions?
Effective September 25, 2024, you must maintain a minimum 90% on-time delivery rate (OTDR) without promise extensions to have seller-fulfilled products listed on Amazon.com. An OTDR below 90% can result in restriction of your ability to have seller-fulfilled products listed. For a great customer experience, we recommend that you maintain a 95% or greater OTDR for all seller-fulfilled orders.
What is changing?
Our updated policy requires a minimum 90% OTDR without promise extensions to have seller-fulfilled products listed on Amazon.com. An OTDR below 90% can result in restriction of your ability to have seller-fulfilled products listed. To help provide a positive customer experience, we recommend that you maintain a 95% or greater OTDR for all seller-fulfilled orders.
We are also changing the way we measure OTDR to now measure the percentage of your tracked seller-fulfilled items that were delivered on or before the seller-promised "Deliver by" date prior to promise extensions being added. Before this change, OTDR was measured after promise extensions were added. Promise extensions are additional days that we may add to the delivery date to account for logistical factors that may delay a delivery such as extreme weather, transportation network constraints, or recent history of a seller delivering shipments after their set delivery date. This policy does not apply to offers using the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service because sellers are not responsible for on-time delivery promises for FBA orders.
Note: We will communicate as we roll out the OTDR policy, and any changes from the policy as it stands today, that may affect you.
It's not Sept 25th, and there were no announcements!!!
Seller_rroWYWFgu113Q
We need answers on this, Amazon. Our account went from around 99% on time delivery to 85%. And I don't understand how this is possible. We ship almost all shipments through Amazon Buy Shipping or Amazon Shipping Ground (the carrier) and have SSA automated shipping templates. Our late shipment rate is 0%.
In our "fulfillment insights dashboard," our promised delivery time is 5.7 days, and actual delivery time is 4.2 days.
Our handling time promise: 1 day. Actual: .9 days.
Transit time promise: 3.6 days. Actual: 3.2 days.
And somehow this all equates to a 85% ODR? What's almost funny is a massive portion of our dinged shipments are with Amazon Ground Shipping... their own carrier. How do we not have protection when using their own carrier?
Seller_YEG7lRFI3Maem
Even putting aside the absurdity of dinging us for late delivery of items shipped within the handling the time using Amazon shipping, the metrics are just flat out wrong.
I have 6 orders dinged for late delivery but the Report itself shows they were delivered. on or before the promised delivery date, so Im not sure what's going on.
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_r9wMm8LrE5iKj@Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9@Seller_bzHT6bQ9deVVk@Seller_QjYfjZwWH8D0l@Seller_0vK0FOuRXFwld@Seller_rroWYWFgu113Q@Seller_YEG7lRFI3Maem
We just announced this policy change, you can read the details HERE.
If there is a major disruption event that impacts all sellers shipping to a specific region, we will not count deliveries that are late as a result in your OTDR. Whether a disruption is considered to be major is a discretionary decision made by Amazon.
I've surfaced all of the individual cases to the team to ensure everything is working as intended and will follow up when I have updates.
-Jim
Seller_QjYfjZwWH8D0l
@Jim_Amazon
So, it appears (buried in the announcement) that Buy Shipping no longer protects us unless we use Automated Handling Time. Is that correct?
We tried it, and it was a nightmare. Standard orders with 1-day handling time would come in on Fridays and show they must ship the same day. We do not have weekend operations enabled. We should have had until Monday.
Also, the announcement you referenced states that the policy change will go into effect on September 25th, but my metrics were affected today. It looks like the change is already in effect.
My case ID number is 15703534441.
Seller_rroWYWFgu113Q
Jim, thanks for the post.
Can you help me understand something? We have same-day handling until 2PM, and our on time ship rate is almost always perfect. Several months ago, amazon switched us to automated handling, and suddenly orders were flowing over with 1-2 day handling. These are orders that we are going to ship the same day. How is automated handling necessary for on-time delivery protection, and how does Amazon better know my team's handling capacity than myself?
It is bizarre to me that we can use SSA and Amazon buy shipping, but still not receive ODR protection.
Seller_ZDUFw1qRNIbgB
so what is Amazon saying, are we now NOT protected by using Amazon shipping UNLESS we opt for the insanely ridiculous automated shipping settings? why is Amazon so vague and non transparent on these major changes that can shut down our businesses...after being on this platform for decades and paying you millions in fees? please clarify!
Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9
My store has VTR exemption, why would I not be exempt from this ridiculous OTDR?
Seller_PrlPfcTvnz6l6
What amazon is saying is they want your products to sit in there warehouses an they will handle the shipping. There should be no OTDR. If the package is shipped with a reputable shipper, FedEx or UPS on time and with the proper ground service, then all late shipments should be waived. I was advised by my UPS rep manager that UPS has not offered guaranteed service since Covid AND they are now holding trailers until they are full. SO you may think your shipment will be on the next trailer out of town but if there is room for a few more packages, it will wait. Another sign that Amazon does not need us.
Seller_mlV9hk5A1YthG
That is nice, but does not account for disruptions of my supplies reaching me, does it?
I'm an Amazon Handmade seller. My Handling Time is days longer than I usually need in case my blanks supplier makes random mistakes with my order or FedEx can't find anyone to drive a truck for a few days. Poop like this happens often enough that I build in a bit of slop, but usually beat these times by a few days--days which Amazon will now deem to subtract.
Also, I am ONE person who makes everything that ships based on the orders I have received up to that point in the week. ONE person who occasionally goes to the beach for a few days or gets sick or FUBARS a print or two.
It is my loss if my stated Handling Time prevents some customers from buying. Amazon may think it is their loss, but it is not, as Amazon will "fire" me when I am unable to meet the Bots hallucinated Handling Times.
Amazon cannot impose both the 90% OTDR and the Automated Handling Time without ruining some of us. To be clear, it is the Automated Handling Time that will doom us.
Jim_Amazon
@Seller_ZDUFw1qRNIbgB
We designed these tools to set accurate delivery dates, reduce late deliveries, and meet or exceed the minimum OTDR requirement when used together, and because Amazon is making calculations on your behalf that affect OTDR, you will get OTDR protection from late deliveries on items shipped through Standard Shipping if you use all three tools.
On top of getting OTDR protection, using Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) sets accurate delivery dates through automated Transit Times calculations of your preferred ship methods, and using Automated Handling Time (AHT), sets accurate Handling Times per SKU based on how long it usually takes you to pass each SKU to carriers. Plus, if you use AHT you get Late Shipment Rate (LSR) protection.
-Jim
Seller_ZDUFw1qRNIbgB
this is absolutely broken now, we just went from 100% on time delivery (we've NEVER been below 99%) to 88%!!! why does Amazon takes things that aren't broken and break them just to make sellers look bad? f'ing ridiculous, the final straw in they're totally screwed up shipping systems for FBM sellers...I think they just want to get rid of FBM period....why else would they pull this crap?
Seller_YK8nyZtNXTxyC
This is insanity. Why doesn't Amazon close the FBM modality? This is impossible to accomplish. Imagine Black Friday and dates like Christmas? We cannot control what UPS, USPS FEDEX and etc will do after products are delivered to them. There are many factors that can influence it, sometimes the carriers collect the products and take a while to beep the boxes and they are only updated the next day or after a few days. We can't control this!
Seller_nvFc1cgLWXuZe
Another everyday stressor unlocked.
It will be impossible to maintain perfect 100% OTDR any longer. The only way to be over 90% is to increase your settings for transit and handling time, which will reduce your ability to be eligible for a Featured Offer. This puts all FBM in even bigger disadvantage compared to FBA.
With increased FBA inbound fees, low stock, old stock fees and slow consumer economy, it's going to be a fun end of the year.....
Seller_4mbrVddPNE9Zm
did you also notice your promised delivery dates are off?
apparently now with the update amazon believes it take 6 days to deliver a package to an address 30 min away from us.
Every update they break everything.
Seller_9jYZMo2jvtfO1
FBA was so bad for us we switched to shipping ourselves with much better ship times and next to zero complaints. Funny Amazon has the nerve to even mention shipping. Also after quitting FBA 10 months ago Amazon still cant fix the inventory we do not have in stock. The cant find 4 products them keep charging us a fee for.
