Amazon Expands Valid Tracking Rate Policy to All Shipping Providers
Amazon has expanded its Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) policy to count every seller‑fulfilled shipment, including all carriers and EU cross‑border parcels, while keeping the 95 % minimum per category. Letter‑class mail under €20 is exempt, but all other orders now affect the VTR shown on the Account Health dashboard.
Overview
Amazon has widened its Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) policy for seller‑fulfilled orders so that every shipment, regardless of carrier, now contributes to the VTR metric. The adjustment also brings cross‑border parcels into the calculation, with a narrow exemption for low‑value letters. Sellers must keep a 95 % VTR across product categories, but the pool of orders that affect the score has grown substantially.
Key Points
- All carriers counted — Orders shipped with any carrier, even those not linked to Amazon’s tracking system, are now measured for VTR.
- International shipments included — Packages moving between European marketplaces are added to the VTR pool, removing the previous blind spot for cross‑border routes.
- Letter‑class exemption — Cross‑border shipments classified as “letter” mail and valued under €20 (excluding VAT and shipping) are excluded from VTR calculations.
- 95 % minimum unchanged — The required VTR threshold remains at 95 % per category, but the expanded scope means more orders must meet the standard.
- Higher stakes for A‑to‑Z claims — Lack of a valid tracking number now influences Amazon’s decision‑making on guarantee claims more frequently.
How the Expanded VTR Policy Works
- Carrier eligibility check — When an order is marked as seller‑fulfilled, Amazon scans the shipment’s tracking number regardless of the carrier’s integration status. For example, a parcel sent via a regional postal service that only provides a basic tracking code will still be evaluated for validity.
- Cross‑border inclusion — If the destination is in another European country, the order is automatically added to the VTR tally. A seller shipping a laptop from Germany to France now sees that order counted, whereas it previously might have been omitted.
- Letter‑class exemption assessment — Amazon examines the declared value of the shipment. A €15 letter‑type mail sent from Spain to Italy will be excluded, but a €25 parcel on the same route will be required to have a trackable number.
Analysis & Recommendations
Why This Matters
The broadened VTR scope means more orders must have Amazon‑recognizable tracking, or sellers risk falling below the 95 % threshold and facing more A‑to‑Z claims. Cross‑border parcels that were previously ignored now count, increasing the volume of orders that affect health scores.
Key Takeaways
- All carriers, even non‑integrated ones, are now evaluated for VTR.
- EU cross‑border shipments are included in the VTR pool, removing the prior blind spot.
- Letter‑class shipments valued under €20 are exempt from VTR calculations.
- The 95 % VTR minimum per category remains unchanged, raising the number of orders that must meet it.
Recommended Actions
- →Check Seller Central > Account Health daily; monitor VTR percentage for each category and pause non‑tracked shipments if any fall below 95 %.
- →Update shipping templates in Seller Central > Settings > Shipping Settings: add rule ‘If destination = EU and order value > €20, use a tracked carr...
- →Audit your carrier portfolio in Seller Central > Settings > Shipping Settings; ensure every carrier you use provides a trackable number that Amazon...
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