Overview

Amazon offers sellers the option to enable same-day handling time (also called 0-day handling time), which requires orders to be picked, packed, shipped, and confirmed on the same day they are received. This feature applies specifically to standard and economy delivery options and is distinct from premium same-day shipping programs. Understanding how same-day handling time works — and how to configure it properly — can help sellers avoid late shipment penalties and improve their delivery performance metrics.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Same-day handling is not the same as same-day delivery — Enabling 0-day handling time means you commit to shipping orders the day they come in, but it does not guarantee same-day delivery to the customer. Same-day delivery is a separate premium shipping program with its own eligibility requirements.
• Order cut-off times determine your shipping window — You are only required to ship orders received before your cut-off time on the same day. Orders that arrive after the cut-off can be shipped the following day without penalty.
• The default cut-off time is 2 p.m. local time — Sellers can adjust this window in their shipping settings to better match their operational capacity.
• SKU-level settings override account defaults — You can set same-day handling at the account level, the SKU level, or the shipping template level, giving you flexibility to apply it selectively.
• Changes take up to 24 hours to take effect — Default handling time can only be updated once per 24-hour period, so plan changes carefully.

How to Enable Same-Day Handling Time

There are several ways to configure 0-day handling time in Seller Central. For individual SKUs, sellers can navigate to their inventory management page, locate the specific SKU, and manually set the handling time to zero days. Alternatively, sellers can update handling times in bulk using inventory feed files — either through the Seller Central upload tool or via the SP-API. For account-wide changes, sellers can set their default handling time to zero days through the shipping settings page. It is important to note that if automated handling time is enabled on your account, you will not be able to manually edit the default handling time, though you can still make SKU-specific adjustments.