How to Change Shipping Speed on Amazon Seller Central: A Comprehensive Shipping Guide for Any Amazon Seller

Over the years, Amazon has significantly improved its shipping speed to maintain the global e-commerce supremacy. In December 2015, Amazon’s average shipping time (click-to-door) in the US was 5.92 days. It had come down to 3.07 days in the next three years.

Amazon also lets sellers change and regulate the shipping speed to streamline the delivery time. It subsequently helps sellers improve inventory management, sales, and customer experience. For instance, slowing down the shipping speed can rule out the inventory shortage. Meanwhile, ramping it up for fast deliveries doesn’t just attract more customers but also helps you win the Buy Box. 

It is worth noting that changing shipping speed/delivery time on Amazon Seller Central is not a one-step process. You need to be aware of a couple of things to manage the shipping time of orders. What are those things, and how can you take control of shipping speed/delivery time on Amazon?

Here, we will cover this vital aspect of selling operations in great detail.

What Is Shipping Speed on Seller Central?

Before discussing how to alter shipping speed, it is imperative to understand how Amazon identifies it on the Seller Central. Amazon uses the term “delivery time” to represent shipping speed on the Seller Central. It is essentially the estimated time between when a buyer places an order and the day they receive it. Amazon displays this estimated time on listings and checkout pages— the shorter the delivery time, the higher the shipping speed.

Amazon’s delivery time primarily comprises two periods/phases/durations: Handling time and transit time. Handling time is the duration between the customer’s order placement and when you hand the order over to your carrier. Meanwhile, transit time (previously known as shipping time on Amazon) is the time window that stretches from when your courier picks up the order and delivers it to the customer’s address.

The following schematics sums up the delivery time/shipping speed on Amazon.

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So, delivery time is essentially the sum of handling time and transit time. In other words, if you want to modify the shipping speed, you have to modify the handling and transit windows. In the next two sections, we will thoroughly break down for you how you can change handling and transit times to adjust the shipping speed of your orders.

How to Modify Handling Time on Seller Central

Usually, a seller account is set on a default handling time of either one or two business days. The account-level handling time applies to all the products you list from that account. So, changing the account-level handling time will change the duration of handling for all the listed products. 

However, you’re not just limited to modifying the account-level handling time only. You can also set your preferred handling time for each product listing. Let’s see how you can modify handling time in both scenarios.

How to Change the Account-Level Default Handling Time?

Changing account-level handling time is simple compared to modifying it for each product. The process goes like that:

• Go on the top right corner of the main page of your Seller Central Account. Next, expand the Settings drop-down menu and click on Shipping Settings.

• Click on the General Shipping Settings tab on the Shipping Settings page.

• Navigate to the Handling Time and Click on the Edit button to change the Default Handling Time. Here, the default handling time for all products is set at one day. 

• Choose the default handling time and click on the Save button.

What Is Order Handling Capacity?

It is a new feature packaged in the Handling Time settings. Order Handling Capacity essentially lets you set the number of shipped orders you can manage for a day. By assigning an order handling capacity, you can ensure that the handling of your orders is smoothly transferred to the next business day. In addition, creating this limit will ensure you can maintain your performance metrics and serve customers without spoiling their buying experience.

How to Change the Handling Time for Particular Products

You may need more than the default handling time to ready and ship particular products. If that’s the case, you can change the handling time for that specific item. Modifying its handling time will subsequently alter its shipping speed as well. 

• Open the Inventory file templates while following this path on your Seller Central account.

• Scroll down on the Inventory file templates page and locate this box. Download either Inventory Loader or Price and Quantity Excel file.

• Open the file, click on the Excel file's Template tab, and locate the “handling time” column. Here, you can change the handling time per SKU. For instance, if there are 15 products listed in your inventory file with default handling time, you can customize the handling duration for any of them. Changing the handling time of any single SKU won’t affect the account-level default settings. If the inventory file is already filled up, just modify the handling time of the given product and then save the file in .txt format. 

• In the last step, upload the modified inventory .txt file on the Upload Inventory File section of Add Products via the Upload page. Usually, your listing will update within 15 minutes. However, it can take up to 48 hours for your listing to adjust its handling time and subsequently delivery time.

How to Modify Transit Time on Seller Central

Besides altering handling time, you can also modify transit time to change the shipping speed of your orders. As a seller, you have the option to opt for Shipping Setting Automation. When you select this option, Amazon regulates your transit time depending on your ship-from address, your carrier choices, and its transit time default windows. 

But if you want to set slower or faster transit times manually, you need to follow the below steps. 

• Go on the top right corner of the main page of your Seller Central Account. Next, expand the Settings drop-down menu and click on Shipping Settings.

• Click on the General Shipping Templates tab on the Shipping Settings page and then click on the Edit Template button on the right side.

• Here you can change the transit time and the shipping fee of your standard and expedited shipping. How you change the transit window here will change the overall delivery time of your orders. This is the transit time settings for domestic shipping of a Canada-based seller. 

• You can also scroll down the same page to find the transit time settings for international shipping. After changing the transit time, click on the Save button at the bottom of the page.

How to Change Shipping Speed through Premium Shipping 

You can also change the shipping speed of your orders by enabling the premium shipping options of one-day and two-day delivery operations. However, every seller is not eligible to opt for premium shipping. First, you need to fulfill the following requirements to qualify for premium shipping.

• You must be selling on Amazon for at least 90 days.
• Your account must have a valid tracking rate of 99% for 30 days.
• You maintain at least a 97% on-time delivery score for 30 days.
• Your seller-initiated cancellation rate must be less than 0.5% for 30 days.

Amazon also provides a Premium Shipping Eligibility dashboard on the Seller Central. You can access it to see if you can opt for premium shipping. 

How to Change Shipping Speed for Two-Day Delivery

Besides the requirements mentioned above, you must have processed ten or more orders across all shipping options in the last 30 days to opt for two-day delivery. You will need to follow more or less the same steps that you use to modify the handling time.

Opt for Two-Day Delivery for Price Banded Model

• Click on Shipping Settings from the Settings drop-down menu
• Click the Edit button on the right under Your Price Branded Shipping Rates
• Check the 2 business days box under the Two-Day column and click Continue
• Enter the rates for each price band under Two-Day and click Continue
• Assess your rates once again in the section highlighted in yellow and click Confirm

Opt for Two-Day Delivery for Per Item/Weight Based Model

• Click on Shipping Settings from the Settings drop-down menu
• Click the Edit button on the right side under Your Pet Item/Weight Based Model
• Check the 2 business days box under the Two-Day column and click Continue
• Enter your per Shipment and per Item rates and click Continue
• Assess your rates once again in the section highlighted in yellow and click Confirm

How to Change Shipping Speed for One-Day Delivery

You will need to fulfill a bunch of requirements to be eligible to change shipping speed for one-day delivery. 

• Maintains an on-time shipment rate of a minimum of 99% for One-Day Delivery orders
• Maintains an on-time delivery rate of a minimum of 95% for One-Day Delivery orders
• Maintains an on-time delivery score of 92% for Premium Shipping orders (for 30 days at least)
• Maintains a cancellation rate of not more than 1.5% for Premium Shipping orders(for 30 days at least)
• Maintains a valid tracking rate of 94% for Premium Shipping orders while using UPS, USPS, OnTrac, or FedEx(for 30 days at least)

Once you fulfill these requirements, you can ramp up your shipping speed to one-day delivery.

• Click on Shipping Settings from the Settings drop-down menu
• Click the Edit template button on the far right to choose a shipping template that you want to register for One-Day Delivery
• Check the One-Day Delivery checkbox and add your One-Day Delivery regions by clicking on Add new Shipping rules.
• Enter your shipping rates and click Confirm

How to Change Shipping Speed on Amazon Seller Central: FAQs

Before rounding off this article, let’s answer some of the frequently asked questions related to shipping speed changes on Amazon.

Can You Change the Shipping Speed to Make It a Same-Day Shipment?

You can only provide same-day delivery to customers if you sell any of around 100,000 ASINs that Amazon promises to deliver in as fast as five hours. This Same-Day delivery option is open for all FBA sellers (as long as their listed ASIN qualifies for this service).

Can Shipping Speed Changes Affect My Seller Performance?

Yes, if you’re not taking care of your shipping speed through handling and transit time modifications, your Late Shipment Rate (LSR) may increase. Unfortunately, a high LSR is not good news for the seller account health.

Can Amazon Sellers Change the Shipping Rates Based on Delivery Time? 

Yes, you can change the shipping rates based on the delivery time and shipping method. For instance, you can charge more for one-day delivery than a standard delivery time.

What Estimated Delivery Time SFP Sellers Need to Maintain?

If you’re a member of a Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP), your estimated delivery time should aim for one and two-day shipments. 

Final Words

We hope that the above discussion helps you understand how you can change the shipping speed for buyers by tweaking the handling and transit times. You can improve your performance metrics and ensure customer satisfaction by having a hands-on approach to manage shipping speeds. 

Want to improve your shipping regimen and guarantee sales success on the Amazon marketplace?

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