Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) measures the percentage of seller-fulfilled orders that have a valid tracking number. Amazon customers depend on tracking numbers to find out where their orders are and when they can expect to receive them. The Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) is a performance metric that reflects those expectations. To keep a healthy account, you are required to reach 95% Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) target for all product categories.

To calculate VTR, we take the number of packages you ship with a valid tracking number and divide it by the total number of packages you have shipped and confirmed over a 30-day period. VTR is expressed as a percentage. We use promised delivery date to determine which orders are included in the performance metric.

For example, if you confirmed shipment for 200 non-exempted packages in the last 30 days, and 190 of those packages had a valid tracking number, your VTR would be 95% (190 ÷ 200 = .95 or 95%).

Shipping domestically

Domestic packages have valid tracking if Amazon records at least one carrier physical scan*.

The following items are excluded from the VTR calculation:

• Heavy or bulky shipments: Domestic packages shipped by a heavy or bulky freight carriers that are not integrated with Amazon
• Small or flat shipments: Domestic packages (such as screen protectors and greeting cards) that cost less than $10 (including shipping charges) and are shipped in USPS Standard Mail envelopes or USPS First Class Mail envelopes
• Digital products: audio books, for example

For packages shipped directly to customers through Amazon.com from China, the following VTR requirements are applicable starting August 9, 2021:

• All packages with value and shipping charge below 5 USD, must use a trackable ship method that provides at least one physical scan* by the carrier.
• All packages with value and shipping charge totaling to or above 5 USD, must use a fully trackable ship method that can provide at least two scans (including a delivery scan or delivery attempt).

Beginning May 3, 2021, Amazon will validate tracking details (including carrier name and tracking ID) for all merchant-fulfilled packages and show warnings for invalid tracking details. However, this change will not apply to items excluded from the VTR calculation.

You will need to provide the following information when confirming a shipment:

• The name of the carrier
• The specific delivery service used for all seller fulfilled orders
• The tracking ID for seller fulfilled orders that are shipped with a tracking method

Maintain a healthy Valid Tracking Rate

• Purchase shipping labels through Amazon’s Buy Shipping services.
• Choose carriers that are integrated with Amazon.
• For packages shipped from China with a value and shipping charge equal to or above 5 USD , ship and confirm the package with a carrier that offers fully tracked ship options.
• Verify that the carrier name and tracking ID are entered correctly and belong to the same carrier.
• Confirm (and update if necessary) the tracking information before the carrier delivers the package

VTR Below the Requirement

Sellers must maintain a VTR greater than or equal to 95% at a product category level. A VTR below 95% in a product category may result in:

• Restrictions on your ability to sell non-FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) items within that category
• Negative impacts to your eligibility to participate in Premium Shipping and guaranteed delivery

VTR restrictions will not affect your MFN offers in product categories that meet the VTR requirements, nor will these restrictions affect your FBA offers. If any of your listings get suspended, you can submit a Plan of Action and apply for reinstatement to op-pso-vtr-appeals@amazon.com. If your Plan of Action is approved, your merchant-fulfilled listings in the affected product category will be restored.

Integrated Carriers

Sellers are encouraged to use carriers from the following lists to ship their packages as these carriers provide real-time tracking status to Amazon. This helps reduce buyer contacts and improve seller feedback ratings. Carriers that are integrated with Amazon are shown in the drop-down menu in Confirm shipment page. Some correct carrier names are (case-sensitivity applies):

• AAA Cooper
• Asendia
• Best Buy
• DHL
• FedEx
• FedEx Freight
• FIRST MILE
• OnTrac
• UPS
• USPS

Some correct carrier names for fulfilling orders that are shipped from China are (case-sensitivity applies):

• 4PX
• China Post
• Chokou1
• FedEx
• DHL
• JCEX
• SFC
• SF Express
• UPS
• Yanwen
• Yun Express

• To view your VTR metric:
  • From the Performance menu, select Account Health.
  • Locate the Shipping Performance section and click view details.
  • You can see your VALID VTR Metric here.
• To download the VTR defect report:
  • Click Request Report in the Shipping Performance section.
  • Filter by carrier and/or product category.

Please allow 72 hours for the report and metrics to reflect any updates.

Before the delivery date, you can edit order tracking information.

• Go to Orders, and then Manage Orders.
• Check Order ID is selected for Search
• Enter the Order ID, and click Search.
• Once you find the correct order, click Edit Shipment and provide the revised tracking information.
• Click Re-confirm the shipment

Allow 72 hours for the report and metric to reflect the changes.

• Tracking number – Verify the following inputs:
  • You entered the tracking ID correctly
  • You did not leave the tracking information blank
  • You did not enter special characters (such as punctuation), which our system cannot recognize in the tracking information. This includes misspelled carrier name and/or shipping service.

• Carrier Name – Verify the following inputs:
  • If you confirmed your shipment from “Manage your order,” check that you selected a carrier from the dropdown menu in the Manage Orders page.
    Note: If you manually add a carrier name in the free-form text field “Other” and that carrier is integrated with Amazon, your tracking will be marked as invalid. You must use the drop-down menu to select carriers who are integrated with Amazon.
  • If you confirm your shipments via Bulk upload feeds, we recommend that you follow the instructions on the Help page.
  • Check that you entered the carrier name and shipping service correctly. If the carrier name or shipping service is misspelled, or contains any extra words, the tracking will be marked as invalid.
  • Check that the carrier name you entered is associated with the tracking number you entered. For example, if you use DHL to ship a package, but enter "FedEx" as the carrier name, the tracking will be marked as invalid.
  • Check that you are using a carrier that is integrated with Amazon.

• Shipment confirmation and Update:
  • Make sure to confirm/update the tracking information before the package is delivered. If the tracking information is confirmed/updated after the package is delivered, that means the buyer was not able to track the order. This is not useful to the buyer, and the order will not count toward your Valid Tracking Rate metric.