Overview

Amazon has warned that invoice defect rates (IDR) tend to climb sharply during and after high‑volume sales events, putting European sellers at risk of account restrictions. The platform requires the IDR to stay under a 5 % ceiling, and it now recommends automated invoicing as the most reliable way to meet that target. Sellers who ignore the alert could see warnings, loss of selling privileges, or full suspension.

Key Points

• Peak‑season spikes — Order surges around Q4 holidays, Black Friday and Cyber Monday can push a modest 2 % defect rate above the 5 % limit within days.
• Defect definition — A defect is logged whenever a buyer does not receive a correct VAT invoice on time, or the invoice contains errors such as wrong VAT amounts, missing buyer data, or non‑standard formatting.
• 5 % rule enforcement — Amazon continuously monitors the ratio of defective invoices to total invoiced orders; crossing the 5 % threshold triggers warnings, selling‑privilege limits, or account suspension.
• Lag effect — Defects generated during a sales surge may not appear in the IDR calculation until two to three weeks later, allowing the problem to grow unnoticed.
• Automation impact — Sellers using Amazon’s free VAT Calculation Service (VCS) or an approved third‑party tool typically see their IDR drop to near‑zero because every eligible order receives a compliant invoice automatically.
• Compliance risk — Using an invoicing solution that is not on Amazon’s approved list can still generate defects, even if the seller believes the invoices are correct.

How Invoice Automation Works

1. Enable the VAT Calculation Service (VCS) — A seller activates VCS in the Tax Settings of Seller Central; the system then calculates the appropriate VAT rate for each order based on product category and buyer location, and instantly generates a compliant invoice. Example: a French buyer purchases a kitchen gadget; VCS applies the 20 % French VAT and creates a correctly formatted invoice within seconds.
2. — If a seller needs custom branding or multi‑channel consolidation, they select a provider from Amazon’s official list and connect it via API credentials. The provider receives order data, produces a VAT‑accurate invoice, and pushes it back to Amazon’s fulfillment system.