Overview

Fulfilling orders efficiently is one of the most important aspects of running a successful Amazon Handmade shop. Amazon holds Handmade sellers to strict fulfillment standards, and failing to meet them can result in order cancellations, lost revenue, and penalties on your account. This guide covers the key practices every Handmade seller should follow to keep customers happy and avoid common pitfalls.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Delivery time is calculated automatically — Amazon displays an estimated delivery window to buyers based on your production time plus transit time, including weekends and holidays.
• Production time can range from 1 to 30 days — This should reflect how long it actually takes you to create and prepare the item for shipment, including any customization work.
• You must confirm shipment within 30 days — If you fail to confirm that an order has shipped within 30 days of the order date, Amazon will cancel it and you will not be paid, even if you already shipped the product.
• Setting quantities to zero prevents overselling — If you cannot fulfill a product, immediately update the available quantity to zero to stop accepting new orders.
• Confirming shipment early does not hurt your metrics — There is no downside to confirming shipment ahead of schedule.

How Delivery Time Works

When a buyer views your product listing or reaches the checkout page, Amazon shows them an estimated delivery date. This estimate is not something you enter directly. Instead, Amazon calculates it by combining your stated production and handling time with the transit time you configure in your shipping settings, factoring in weekends and holidays. Getting both of these inputs right is essential because the displayed delivery window sets the customer's expectations. If the actual delivery takes longer than what was promised, you risk negative feedback, A-to-Z claims, and damage to your account health metrics. Accurate delivery estimates also help drive conversions, since buyers are more likely to purchase when they trust the timeline.

Setting Production and Handling Times