Amazon FBM Shake-Up: Faster Handling, Stricter Prime Delivery

Amazon is tightening its seller-fulfilled delivery requirements in the U.S. marketplace. Starting June 29, 2026, new rules will apply to FBM sellers, with a stronger focus on accurate handling time and faster delivery promises.

 

For sellers shipping directly from China or using overseas warehouses, this Amazon FBM policy update is important. Forest Shipping is sharing this reminder to help Amazon sellers review their current settings, avoid unnecessary account risks, and prepare ahead of the deadline.

 

 

Policy Timeline

Amazon will introduce two major updates for U.S. seller-fulfilled orders:

Effective Date	Marketplace	Policy	Applicable Sellers
June 29, 2026	United States	New Handling Time Requirements： 1. From June 29, sellers must make sure the handling time set for each SKU matches the actual time needed to prepare and ship the order. 2. Starting September 1, 2026, if the SKU-level handling time is one day or more longer than the seller’s actual handling performance for more than 30 days, Amazon may automatically enable Automated Handling Time for that SKU.	This applies to sellers shipping directly from China and sellers using overseas warehouses.
July 6, 2026	United States	New Handling Time Requirements： From July 6, Amazon will raise the delivery speed requirements for Seller Fulfilled Prime in the U.S. marketplace.	Overseas warehouse sellers

 

1. New Handling Time Requirements for FBM Sellers

The new handling time rule will take effect in the U.S. marketplace on June 29, 2026.

Fast and accurate delivery promises play an important role in customer trust and purchasing decisions. According to Amazon, shortening the promised delivery time by one day can increase average sales by around 5%.

 

From June 29, sellers must set accurate handling time for seller-fulfilled SKUs. In simple terms, the handling time displayed for each SKU should reflect how quickly the seller can actually ship the product.

This requirement does not apply to certain product types, such as customized items, handmade products, heavy bulky goods, and similar categories.

 

From September 1, 2026, Amazon will compare the handling time you set for each SKU with your actual handling performance over the previous 30 days. If a SKU’s handling time is set at least one day longer than your actual performance and this continues for more than 30 days, Amazon may enable Automated Handling Time for that SKU.

Automated Handling Time, also known as AHT, helps sellers provide delivery promises that are faster and more aligned with their real shipping performance.

 

What Amazon Sellers Should Do

Option 1: Enable Automated Handling Time

Amazon recommends enabling Automated Handling Time. AHT uses your recent shipping history to set SKU-level handling time automatically. It can also provide Late Shipment Rate protection.

Sellers can enable AHT in Seller Central through the handling time settings page:
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fbm/handling-time

 

Option 2: Manually Set SKU-Level Handling Time

Sellers may also continue to set handling time manually at the SKU level. However, the setting must remain accurate. The gap between the configured handling time and the actual handling time should be less than one day.

 

2. U.S. Seller Fulfilled Prime Delivery Speed Requirements

The Seller Fulfilled Prime update will take effect on July 6, 2026, for U.S. sellers using SFP.

Amazon is raising delivery speed thresholds to help ensure that the Prime badge continues to represent fast and reliable delivery. For sellers, meeting these new standards is also important for keeping Prime offers competitive on product detail pages.

 

To maintain SFP eligibility, Prime product detail page views must meet the updated delivery speed requirements below.

1. Standard-size products

• 40% of Prime product detail page views must show a delivery date within one day. The previous requirement was 30%.
• 75% must show delivery within two days. The previous requirement was 70%.
• 90% must show delivery within five days.

 

2. Oversize products

• 15% of Prime product detail page views must show delivery within one day. The previous requirement was 10%.
• 80% must show delivery within five days.

 

3. Extra-large products

• 25% of Prime product detail page views must show delivery within two days. The previous requirement was 15%.
• 60% must show delivery within five days.

If your account already meets these updated thresholds, no action is required. Other SFP performance requirements remain unchanged.

 

What SFP Sellers Should Prepare

Amazon is developing a new tool called “Customize Your Shipping Settings,” which is expected to launch in September. This tool will allow sellers to use their own carrier agreements to offer faster delivery speeds.

 

With the new settings, sellers will be able to configure shipping speed, weekend shipping ability, and order cut-off time by zip code. These settings will help Amazon generate more accurate delivery promises for customers.

 

Amazon is also offering a weekend transition period. Since weekend fulfillment may be more difficult before the new tool becomes available, weekends will not be counted toward delivery speed metrics until October 17, 2026. However, sellers must still fulfill weekend orders according to existing SFP performance requirements during the transition period.

Sellers can review the relevant Seller Central information here: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GBZC4VH5HDVPGF5P

 

Beginner Tip: How Automated Handling Time Works

Automated Handling Time sets handling time and order handling capacity based on each SKU’s historical performance. This means sellers do not need to estimate or manually configure handling time for every SKU.

 

AHT can help reduce unnecessary handling time gaps and make delivery dates more attractive to buyers. It can also extend handling time for products that need more preparation time, helping sellers avoid late shipments.

 

Another important benefit is that after enabling AHT, seller-fulfilled offers will not be suspended solely because the Late Shipment Rate does not meet the performance requirement.

To enable Automated Handling Time, follow these steps:

1. In Seller Central, go to Settings.
2. Select Shipping Settings.
3. Choose General Shipping Settings.
4. Scroll down to Handling Time and click Edit.
5. Select Automated Handling Time and click Save.

Sellers can also enter order handling capacity and save the setting. This allows you to limit how many orders can be processed within the default handling time. If order volume exceeds the set capacity, Amazon may add one extra handling day to additional orders, helping protect your Late Shipment Rate.

 

Please note that Automated Handling Time can only be enabled once within 24 hours. Changes may take up to 24 hours to take effect.

 

Conclusion

This Amazon FBM policy update shows that Amazon is continuing to push sellers toward more accurate shipping settings and faster delivery promises. For sellers using FBM, overseas warehouses, or Seller Fulfilled Prime, handling time and delivery speed should no longer be treated as simple backend settings. They directly affect buyer trust, conversion, and account performance.

 

Before June 29, sellers should review SKU-level handling time, decide whether to enable Automated Handling Time, and check whether their current fulfillment network can support the new Seller Fulfilled Prime delivery requirements.

 

For sellers shipping products from China to Amazon FBA, FBM customers, or overseas warehouses, Forest Shipping can help build a more reliable cross-border logistics plan. As a China freight forwarder, Forest Shipping supports international shipping, customs clearance, overseas warehouse delivery, and Amazon-focused logistics solutions to help sellers keep pace with changing marketplace requirements.