Seller Flex program performance requirements

Meeting Seller Flex required performance metrics helps ensure customer satisfaction. Seller Flex sellers must meet certain performance metrics in order to keep their Prime eligibility in the program.

Performance metrics

Late Ship rate

Seller Flex requires all orders to be packed before the expected ship date (ExSD). If an order is packed after its ExSD, it is counted as late. An example is an order with an ExSD of 3:00 p.m. on August 14 that was packed at 3:03 p.m. At 3:01 p.m., the FBA system automatically assumed that this package will not be shipped out on time. The system adjusts the assigned carrier pickup time (CPT) to a later time and records the adjustment.

Best practices:

• Prioritize packages with earlier ExSDs before processing packages with next-day ExSDs.
• Add pack stations or additional labor to handle days with higher order volumes.

Late Handover rate

All orders with ExSD on a given day must be handed off to the carrier on that day with a carrier first scan. The missed ExSD carrier first-scan percentage must be 0.5%. Any orders handed off to the carrier with a next-day carrier first scan are counted as late.

Best practices:

• Alert your carrier ahead of time on days with higher order volume so that they are equipped to handle the larger volume.
• Provide accurate carrier pick-up time for all Seller Flex carriers. If there is a change in pick-up time for any of the carriers, inform the Seller Flex team by opening a case in Seller Central.

Seller Cancellation rate

Seller Flex sellers must maintain an order cancellation rate of 0.5% or less.

Best practice:

Conduct periodic audits on your inventory to ensure you have accurate inventory count per product and identify damaged items.

Return Grading Time

This metric measures the time taken by the seller to grade the return shipments post-handover by an associate of the Amazon nominated carrier. Any return shipment must be graded within 2 working days on Amazon returns portal.

Best practices:

• Ensure that you have a disciplined cadence for grading the return shipments every day.
• Always have a minimum of 2-3 team members trained on the grading process so that in case of any absenteeism or contingency, there is a backup resource to follow the process.