Overview

Amazon is launching a new delivery performance standard for sellers who fulfill their own orders on Amazon.co.uk. Beginning in 2025, a formal on-time delivery rate (OTDR) metric will track whether seller-fulfilled packages arrive by the promised date, with a 90% minimum threshold required to avoid enforcement actions. The policy marks a significant shift from measuring only dispatch speed to holding sellers accountable for the entire delivery journey.

What's Changing

• On-time delivery rate metric — A new OTDR measurement will track the percentage of seller-fulfilled units delivered on or before the promised date, going beyond the existing late dispatch rate metric.
• 90% minimum threshold — Sellers must maintain at least 90% OTDR without promise extensions to remain in good standing on Amazon.co.uk.
• Graduated enforcement — Sellers falling below the threshold face temporary listing deactivations or restrictions on seller-fulfilled capabilities, with severity scaling based on persistence of the issue.
• Shorter transit times — Maximum transit times in standard domestic UK mainland shipping templates will drop from 5 days to 4 days starting mid-2026.
• Shipping settings overhaul — Broader changes to shipping settings are planned for mid-2026 to ensure customers see accurate delivery promises.

Phased Rollout Timeline

Amazon is giving sellers a generous runway to prepare. The OTDR metric will first appear on Account Health dashboards in mid-2025, accompanied by informational warnings and improvement recommendations for sellers below the threshold. No enforcement actions will begin before early 2026, providing roughly a year for sellers to audit their delivery chains, adjust handling times, review carrier performance, and optimize shipping workflows. Once enforcement starts, actions will be graduated rather than immediate, ranging from individual listing deactivations to broader seller-fulfilled restrictions depending on severity.

Full Delivery Chain Accountability

The critical distinction between OTDR and the existing late dispatch rate is scope. Late dispatch rate only measures whether you hand packages to carriers on time. OTDR tracks whether those packages actually reach customers by the promised date. This means carrier reliability now directly affects your account health. Even if you ship promptly, a slow or inconsistent carrier can drag your score below the 90% threshold. Sellers need to evaluate their entire fulfillment pipeline — from warehouse processing through last-mile delivery — and ensure every link in the chain performs consistently.