Overview

Amazon reminds sellers to activate Holiday Status settings before taking time off during festive periods. This Seller Central feature temporarily removes seller-fulfilled listings from search results and product pages so orders don't accumulate while sellers are unavailable. Failing to manage availability properly leads to missed orders, late shipments, and damaged Account Health metrics.

Key Points

• Seller-fulfilled listings only — Holiday Status affects merchant-fulfilled items where you handle shipping, FBA listings continue normal fulfillment through Amazon's warehouses
• Prevents late shipment penalties — Customers cannot place orders on suppressed listings, preventing accumulation of unfulfilled orders or late shipment marks
• Amazon support closed December 25 and January 1 — Dedicated seller support channels closed on these dates, resolve account issues beforehand
• Account Health protection — Order defects, late shipments, and cancellations damage metrics, festive season has elevated customer delivery expectations

Setup and Configuration

• Navigate to holiday settings — Seller Central > Account Settings > Holiday Status and Holiday Settings section
• Specify unavailable dates — Set start and end dates, activate before stepping away with buffer day on either end
• Fulfill pending orders first — Check for pending orders before activating, fulfill or cancel them appropriately
• Deactivate promptly on return — Listings won't reappear until you turn setting off, every day it stays on after return is lost sales
• Handling time alternative — If you want to accept some orders with limited availability, extend handling time instead of full holiday mode

Account Health Best Practices

• Review current metrics — Check Account Health dashboard and address existing issues before taking time off
• Brief backup team — Communicate standard operating procedures to team members or VAs covering for you