Amazon is updating its internal policies concerning the third-party delivery times to end customers and business customers. Fulfilled by Merchant(FBM), a service offered by Amazon to third-party vendors in the UK and Germany, is being significantly readjusted.
On Time Delivery Rate – UK and DE
New rules represent a less “tolerable” approach by Amazon when it comes to the On-Time Delivery Rate(OTDR) and Handling Times. When it comes to the OTDR, the adjusted Terms and Conditions indicate that the company “expects” FBM sellers to maintain a rate of 90% or higher.
Amazon’s new requirements are based entirely on the expectation that the German vendors that are using the FBM operating model maintain an OTDR rate of 90% or more. These new requirements are officially shared in the German Seller Central.
The same goes for UK FMB vendors, and the requirements have been recently shared on the UK Seller Central.
In the same note, Amazon has officially informed its respective vendors in the UK and DE that meeting the “new” standard is of utmost importance for successful future collaboration. By September 1, 2026, affected listings may be deactivated if the policy requirements are not met, and the vendor may be limited in expanding its offer.
Similar thresholds, delivery times, and operational expectations should be met for B2B transactions in Germany and the UK. The main difference lies in the starting date of the new requirements; for B2B transactions, the readjusted rules are being enforced by September 30, 2026.
Handling Times
Amazon is readjusting the internal policies concerning handling times for FBM deliveries in the UK and DE. New rules are stricter, with the core focus on limiting the “possibility” of a vendor to advertise the necessity for more “handling time” than it actually needs for a specific SKU.
From July 16, 2026, accounts with a default handling time of two days will be automatically readjusted to one day.
From September 1, 2026, Amazon DE is putting in place an “automated” handling time process in charge. Practically, when the FBM vendor in the UK or Germany has set its handling time in a more “flexible” manner than expected or actually needed, the Marketplace will automatically adjust it after 30 days if they remain longer than the vendor’s actual performance shows.
Statement from Amazon concerning the change of this policy:
“We will enable Automated Handling Time for those SKUs to make it easy for you to offer faster delivery promises that reflect your actual performance.”
Sales Revenue
Amazon shared that the policy updates have one common goal, and that is to set a path that will lead to higher conversion rates. The FBM changes in Germany and the United Kingdom, concerning specifically a higher % of successful deliveries in less time, and more accurate achievement of delivery promises, will lead to higher conversion rates