If you are an FBS (Fulfillment by Seller) vendor you need to read and digest the new upcoming changes to On-time delivery policy. I am certain every FBS vendor , like me, wants their customers to get their products in a timely manner but we all know things go bump in the night when it comes to every delivery service. It seems Amazon is planning to become less understanding of the realities of the state of package shipping in the US. Based on the upcoming changes to On-time delivery policy. The new policy will require FBS sellers to hit 90% on-time delivery rates - without promise extensions (Promise extensions are additions of delivery window timing based on known transportation issues - think weather, known transportation network constraints) More on this later.

This may all sounds reasonable based on our shared desire to make happy customers but as they say 'The devil is in the details'

Based on the new expectation my current business does not make the On-time delivery window for the last measured window (I think it's 14 Days but unclear based on current reporting) The new expectation is 90% OTDR I am at 88.2%. The current communication is unclear exactly what the consequence maybe for missing the window or what window is used to determine the missing, you may be subject to losing your selling rights - but there is in interesting annotation that FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) sellers will not held to the same expectation. But lets examine my data used to determine my 88.2% performance.

It seems that 21 out of my 187 shipment over the last 14 day window by Amazons measure did not deliver "On-time". When you look at the 21 shipment though 5 of those shipment actually showed on the date originally promised - just not by the hour of the day cut off - this seems nitpicky as I comfortable saying most my customers would not be disappointed getting their package on the promised day but after the literal hourly measurement window. Next there are 7 of the deliveries that delivered past the original promise date but before the promise extension date? - seems wrong to hold a seller accountable for known transportation system issues, really what am I supposed to do, control the weather and one off transportation system issues? Lastly The final 8 shipment that missed the new AMAZON determined promise extension window, 3 were again delivered on the actual promise extension date but after the hours cut off and the final 5 were just plain late.

I understand there is need to measure but we all know that Amazon loves to build filters and parameters that are programmed and applied systemically without human review and consequently decisioning by machines can lead to sellers losing their ability to sell. Hoping to motivation AMZ to rethink or al least add some human review to the mix before we sellers have issues.