Overview

Amazon holds seller-fulfilled merchants to strict shipping and order fulfillment standards. Meeting these expectations is essential for maintaining good account health, keeping customers satisfied, and ensuring you receive timely payment for your sales. This reference covers the core shipping rules every merchant-fulfilled seller must follow.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Media products require two-day shipping — Books, music, DVDs, and video items must be shipped within two business days of the order being placed, regardless of the shipping method selected by the buyer.
• Non-media products follow your listed availability — All other product categories must ship by the shipping availability date you specify in your product feed, so accuracy in your listings is critical.
• Shipment confirmation triggers payment — You must confirm shipment in Seller Central once orders have been dispatched. This confirmation is what initiates the payment process and sends the buyer a shipment notification with an estimated delivery date.
• Daily order monitoring is mandatory — Amazon expects sellers to check their accounts at least once per day for new orders to avoid late shipments.
• 24-hour response window for returns and messages — Return requests and customer messages must be addressed within 24 hours, even if your listings are currently inactive or set to a vacation status.
• No unauthorized inserts allowed — You may only ship the product described on the detail page. Including marketing materials, promotional inserts, or any additional items not listed on the product page is prohibited and can result in account deactivation.

Shipping Timelines and Confirmation

Amazon differentiates between media and non-media products when it comes to shipping deadlines. Media items such as books, music, and DVDs carry a firm two-business-day shipping window measured from the date the order is placed. For everything else, the deadline is determined by the shipping availability date you configure in your product feed. This means sellers need to keep their handling time settings accurate and realistic. When you confirm shipment through Seller Central, two things happen simultaneously: Amazon begins processing your payment, and the buyer receives an automated email confirming the shipment along with an estimated delivery date. Failing to confirm shipment promptly can delay your payouts and generate customer complaints.