Update: Amazon will cease offering customers Amazon Expedited Shipping from March. Amazon’s reasoning is that they currently offer Standard Shipping, Expedited Shipping and Premium Shipping (detailed below).
Amazon Premium Shipping offers one and two-day delivery options for fast shipping options which are traceable. In order to offer premium shipping, sellers must first meet high delivery performance standards. This is another attempt by Amazon to improve the customer buying experience through the communication of a clear delivery time.
Premium Shipping eligibility
To be eligible for Premium Shipping, you must meet the following requirements for 30 days:
- Valid tracking rate of 100%
- On-time delivery rate of 97% or greater
- Seller-initiated cancel rate of less than 0.5%
If your performance records fall below these requirements, your eligibility for Premium Shipping may be revoked.
If your eligibility is revoked, you can submit a Plan of Action to request that your eligibility be restored.
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Note: There is a lag of 10 days in getting carrier data. Hence, we will measure your performance from day 40 to day 10 in past.
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Premium Shipping allows you to provide fast shipping options to customers. These fast shipping options, with tracking, can improve the customer experience by communicating a clear delivery day.
In the United States, Premium Shipping options include One-Day Delivery and Two-Day Shipping.
If you have been selling on Amazon for more than 90 days, you are eligible to offer Premium Shipping options.
To get started, enable One-Day Delivery, and/or Two-Day Shipping in your shipping settings.
Once you start shipping with Premium Shipping options, Amazon will determine your ongoing eligibility by your delivery performance for orders with Premium Shipping. Refer to your Premium Shipping Eligibility dashboard to track eligibility.
To maintain eligibility for Premium Shipping, you must meet or exceed the following requirements for the trailing 30 days:
- Valid tracking rate: 100% for Premium Shipping orders. To learn more, see Valid Tracking Rate.
- On-time delivery rate: Greater than or equal to 97% for Premium Shipping orders. For more information, see On-Time Delivery Score.
- Seller-initiated cancel rate: Less than 0.5% for Premium Shipping orders. See Cancellation Rate for more details.
Eligibility revocation
If any of your performance metrics fall below the established thresholds for Premium Shipping, Amazon will revoke your eligibility. Premium Shipping options will be disabled on your offers, and your status will change to not eligible in the Premium Shipping Eligibility dashboard.
Premium Shipping eligibility restoration
Any time after an eligibility revocation, you can submit a Plan of Action to request the restoration of your eligibility to Premium Shipping.
Order Cutoff Times
The order cutoff times for your Premium Shipping options orders must be set to at or after 2:00 p.m. local time (in the time zone of your warehouse located farthest east).
Premium Shipping options FAQ
Can I set the handling time for Premium Shipping options?
No. The handling time for Premium Shipping options is zero days, regardless of the system default of 1-2 days or any seller-set handling time that you enter in the system.
If a customer orders a product with a Premium Shipping option before the cut-off time but it changes from “pending” to “unshipped” after the cut-off time, am I still responsible to ship the product the same day?
You should still strive to meet the customer delivery expectations. However, orders that are still “pending” after the cut-off time will receive a new estimated delivery date that will be communicated to the customer.
I am currently not eligible to offer Premium Shipping options because my business model does not meet the eligibility requirements. Can I have an exemption?
We do not grant exemptions for sellers who cannot meet the eligibility requirements.
My carrier does not provide tracking information or is not one of the carriers that Amazon accepts. Can I still offer Premium Shipping Options?
No. We only support selected carriers with whom we can validate tracking. Please visit the Premium Shipping Options help page for details.
I am an international seller, and I do not provide tracking due to cost constraints. Does the 80% tracking across all orders, including standard and expedited, apply to international sellers?
Yes. All tracking requirements apply to all U.S. and international sellers.
My carrier pick-up is before the cut-off time for Premium Shipping options. Can I change the cut-off time?
You can change your cut-off time by navigating to General Shipping Settings and clicking the Edit button in the “Order cut off times” section. You can select any time between 11:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Source: Amazon Seller Central
