Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime Is Back
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Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) is reopening for new seller enrollment, accompanied by updates to program requirements to ensure a consistent and exceptional Prime experience! Enrolled SFP sellers have received an email outlining the upcoming program changes effective from October 1, 2023, and another email was sent to sellers who were on the SFP enrollment waitlist and pre-qualified to initiate the SFP trial.
When Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) was first introduced in 2015, Amazon’s aim was to empower sellers to independently manage the fulfillment of their products while ensuring they remained accessible to Prime customers, enjoying the same rapid, dependable, and complimentary delivery services that Prime members have grown accustomed to.
However, as time went by, Amazon recognized that SFP was not consistently delivering the high-quality experience that Prime customers expect leading them to temporarily halt new seller enrollments to concentrate on enhancing support for sellers and implementing clear program standards, all aimed at ensuring exceptional Prime experience for customers. With these new program standards firmly established, we are thrilled to announce the reopening of new seller enrollments.
Starting from October 1, 2023, significant changes are coming to Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) eligibility requirements. If you’re already an SFP seller, you won’t need to undergo the trial again as long as you meet the updated eligibility criteria. These changes are aimed at ensuring the speed and reliability of SFP shipments align with other Prime deliveries.
The 2% SFP program fee is being eliminated, reflecting Amazon’s commitment to seller success and responsiveness to feedback. The fee had originally been designed to cover Amazon’s costs associated with developing and running the program. However, after careful deliberation, they opted to not apply this fee to avoid it having a detrimental impact on sellers’ willingness to take part in the program due to preconceptions.
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Sign Up for FreeWhat’s Going to Remain the Same?
Several key requirements will remain unchanged.
The on-time shipment requirement will be replaced with minimum thresholds for on-time delivery and a valid tracking rate, refreshed quarterly. Also, while you can still use Amazon’s Buy Shipping Services, it’s no longer mandatory; you can choose any Amazon-integrated carrier for your shipments if you so choose. Bear in mind that Amazon’s Buy Shipping Services does come with the added benefits of discounted shipping suggestions and valid tracking.
Delivery coverage and speed requirements will involve three size tiers (standard-size, oversize, and extra large) for items, with updated size definitions for oversize items. The criteria for categorizing items as “oversize” will be revised to encompass items larger than standard size yet smaller than extra large.
Nationwide delivery within the contiguous United States is a must, and speed thresholds will be updated quarterly for each size category based on Prime customer page views across the States where your products are featured and Prime customer page views within your designated one-day and two-day delivery regions. The delivery speed requirements for standard-size, oversize, and extra-large products vary to align with Prime customer expectations based on item size. Smaller items are expected to be delivered more quickly than larger ones, etc.
This is alongside the free returns policy which will now align with Amazon-fulfilled Free Returns, allowing items under 50 lb to be returned for free for any seller- and customer-related reasons.
To get a comprehensive understanding of these changes and ensure your operations are adjusted accordingly, check out the detailed information here. These changes aim to enhance the overall customer experience within the SFP program.
In the case you previously expressed interest in Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) and are not yet a part of SFP, new seller enrollment began on October 1, 2023. You’re invited to check your eligibility to start the trial!
Notably, the SFP program fee, initially intended to cover Amazon’s program costs, has been removed to avoid impacting program participation based on feedback meaning participating in Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) comes at no cost, making it a budget-friendly option for sellers looking to provide a Prime experience.
What’s New: The Seller Fulfilled Prime Trial
The Seller Fulfilled Prime trial is a crucial step in the enrollment process, ensuring that sellers’ offers consistently meet Prime’s high standards for speed and reliability. To qualify for the trial, sellers need a domestic US address as their default shipping address, an Amazon Professional selling account, and must meet specific criteria such as participating for 30 days, shipping 100 or more packages from Prime trial orders, maintaining an on-time delivery rate of at least 93.5%, a valid tracking rate of at least 99%, and a seller-initiated cancellation rate of less than 0.5%. Delivery speeds per size tier must also align with Prime customer expectations.
This trial essentially guarantees that your products consistently adhere to Prime’s stringent benchmarks regarding speed and dependability. If you watch Helium 10’s Weekly Buzz, perhaps you have already heard Bradley discuss Seller Fulfilled Prime before and how difficult it might be to meet the requirements as they are strict. Not everyone has the ability to ship 93.5+% of shipments in one to two days’ time. (If you haven’t seen our Buzz episodes yet, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel where they get posted + that you’re a member of our Helium 10 Facebook Group).
But remember, performance requirements for SFP are designed to meet Prime customer expectations, and to assure sellers are not held to a higher standard than Amazon-fulfilled Prime. As part of the Seller Fulfilled Prime program, all post-order customer service, including returns, refunds, and adjustments, must be handled by Amazon Customer Service, except for product inquiries. Sellers must adhere to this policy to participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime.
During the trial, customer-facing Prime branding will not be displayed on your offers, but if you are able to meet all the program requirements, you will be enrolled in SFP with Prime branding on eligible offers.
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Already an SFP Seller?
Existing SFP sellers do not need to participate in the trial as long as they maintain their eligibility until October 1, 2023, but if this is you, you will need to meet the updated program requirements. Amazon will monitor Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) performance on a weekly basis, eliminating the need for Plan of Action (POA) submissions. If your performance falls below minimum requirements, you will receive email alerts, and if the issue persists, Prime listings may be paused or SFP enrollment revoked.
Interested? For more comprehensive information on the enrollment procedure and program prerequisites, go over to the Seller Fulfilled Prime trial and program enrollment page.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re updating our requirements for SFP to ensure that it provides customers a great and consistent Prime experience. These changes are required so that the speed and reliability of SFP shipments are similar to other Prime shipments. With these changes in place, we’re excited to now reopen new seller enrollment.
The SFP program fee has been removed from the set of program changes. We’re committed to supporting sellers’ success, which includes listening to your feedback. The intent of the SFP program fee was to cover Amazon’s costs required to develop and run the program. After careful consideration, we’ve made the decision not to implement this fee to ensure sentiment related to the fee does not impact program participation.
An email was sent to enrolled SFP sellers to remind them of the upcoming program changes effective on October 1, 2023. Another email was sent to sellers who were on the SFP enrollment waitlist and pre-qualified to start the SFP trial.
Performance requirements are set to meet customer expectations for Prime. We do not hold sellers to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.
A requirement of the Seller Fulfilled Prime program is that all post-order customer service for Prime orders, including customer returns, refunds, and adjustments, are provided by Amazon Customer Service. Amazon Customer Service will handle all post-order contacts, with the exception of product inquiries. Sellers must agree to this policy to participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime.
A requirement of the Seller Fulfilled Prime program is that all post-order customer service for Prime orders, including customer returns, refunds, and adjustments, are provided by Amazon Customer Service. Amazon Customer Service will handle all post-order contacts, with the exception of product inquiries. Sellers must agree to this policy to participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime.
There is no fee to participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime.
The trial is part of the enrollment process to participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime and have Prime-branded offers. You must first pre-qualify to start the 30-day trial, and then meet all program requirements during the trial period in order to have Prime-branded offers as an enrolled seller. The pre-qualification criteria include the following:
* Have a domestic US address as your default shipping address
* Have an Amazon Professional selling account
* Meet the following criteria over the past 90 days:
– Self-fulfilled at least 100 packages
– Cancellation rate less than 2.5%
– Valid tracking rate greater than 95%
– Late shipment rate less than 4%
If you pre-qualify, you can register to start the trial. Once you start the trial, you’ll configure Prime shipping templates and associate them with the items that you want to include in the trial. During the trial period, customer-facing Prime branding will not be displayed on your offers.
You must ship at least 100 Prime packages while meeting or exceeding all program requirements. If successful, you’ll be enrolled in Seller Fulfilled Prime, and Prime branding will be displayed on your offers that are associated with a Prime shipping template.
The SFP trial ensures your offers can consistently meet the high standards of Prime speed and reliability.
You can start the trial multiple times. If you pass the trial and are enrolled in Seller Fulfilled Prime but later leave the program, you must again pre-qualify for and pass the 30-day trial to be re-enrolled.
To participate in the program, you must be enrolled. If you aren’t enrolled, you must first pre-qualify to start the 30-day trial, and then meet all program requirements during the trial period in order to pass and have Prime-branded offers as an enrolled seller.
Because you’re already enrolled in the program, if you retain your eligibility status until October 1, 2023, you’ll remain enrolled and won’t be required to participate in the trial period. However, you must meet the updated program requirements moving forward.
There is no longer a requirement to submit a plan of action if you’re not meeting one or more of the requirements. Instead, your Seller Fulfilled Prime performance will be reviewed on a weekly basis, from Sunday through Saturday. The first time that you don’t meet a requirement, you’ll get an email alert.
If you don’t meet that same requirement a second time, you’ll get an email notice, and Prime listings will be paused for your account. A pause temporarily disables your Prime status, which will remove Prime branding from your offers. You can re-enable Prime status at your discretion, but we recommend that you do so only after you address the root cause of the performance issue.
If you don’t meet the requirement for a third time, you’ll get an email notice and your SFP enrollment will be revoked. Prime offers will be disabled for all Prime shipping templates and your program status will go from “Enrolled” to “Not Enrolled”.
Prime customers have different expectations for delivery speeds depending on the item size. Smaller items can be picked, packed, shipped, and delivered quickly to Prime customers. Whereas, larger items take more time to fulfill and deliver, resulting in the difference in delivery speed requirements by size tier.
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