On Time Delivery Metric at 87%
Amazon, please do away with the OTD Metric or at least use it as information only. I ran the download report of OTD and 99% of the time we shipped early but USPS and UPS scanned later thus causing late deliveries. I know we can use "Automated Handling Time" to get around the OTD delivery issues but when we do our shipping days to ship are all messed up. This is a nationwide issue with late delivery by carriers, therefore, sellers should not be punished for carrier issues. I hope someone from Amazon sees this.
0 replies
Seller_ONDn9UyWE3G3e
This is what happens when advanced incompetence meets advanced bots; the service levels of the USPS have eroded at astronomical rates. I know for a FACT that hand delivered priority mail packages to the post office directly are delayed for hours, if not 2 days. You may want to set your 'package prep' time to a longer amount to give you some buffer. This doesn't always work, but might help. When we shipped right away, packages happened sooner than later, and we were dinged for that, as well. Like life, you have to choose which battles to fight!
Seller_qTJiCxRI8PpIZ
Amazon has never given us a break when it comes to carrier issues. At least not in the 8 years I've been on Amazon. I've always been under the impression that they believe we should choose the most reliable carrier, but the sad thing is that changes all the time. If you're careful from now on that 87% will rise fast if you're a high volume seller.
Seller_FwpA1naSVnywt
Amazon should drop the addiction to fast shipping. It serves no purpose whatsoever. Not a single customer asks for it. And if they ask, I will tell them it will be a best efforts guarantee. But no time guarantee. And EVERY SINGLE Body accepts it no problem.
Seller_yRkAvv95JyptH
Welcome to the world of Amazon Artificial Non Intelligence. The flawed thinking behind last fall's changes to OTDR are mind numbing . Never seen such a flawed policy in our 13 years on the platform. We are muddling through (barely) but we watch dozens of packages go "late" that we have zero control over , but that we are still measured by. First they shortened Handling Time with AHT which produces all kinds of issues, then they artificially somehow think that showing shortened , unreasonable and inaccurate delivery times is a wise thing to measure sellers by. In what world is this logical if you "value" 3rd party sellers ?
Seller_1Raegj7Zw0G2C
You need to use their Automatic Handling Time (AHT) system to eliminate this issue. Essentially, they are trying to force you to use it; otherwise, your OTDR will suffer. This system was designed by people who have no real understanding of business operations.
If you strive to provide the fastest shipping for your clients, the system will track your performance and eventually impose it on you. One day, if you consistently do your best, all your orders may require same-day shipping. They don’t care whether the orders are small or large—you must use same-day shipping if their metrics indicate that you can.
At some point, you may find yourself with orders too large to fulfill within the same day. That’s when you’ll realize you can’t maintain such fast shipping and will need to downgrade your shipping service. If the handling time is set to one day, you must wait at least 12 hours before shipping orders. Even if you have enough time to ship the same day, you can’t—otherwise, you’ll be forced to do so for many more orders.
Do you Amazon people understand how ridiculous this is? Amazon is like a growing government losing common sense for its people.
Seller_C2NiEkAU4xTGT
Yes. Mine has never gone below 90% until recently. It has been in the upper 80's% for the last several days. Tracking shows that USPS is taking its time and often shows "Delayed" halfway through tracking.
Amazon, HOW ON EARTH is a carrier's delay even remotely the fault and responsibility of the seller??? Do you expect me to go find the package and hand deliver it?
What a stupid metric!
Seller_g7PbGX1YRsgM8
Hi All American:
I am in the same boat on shipping. BE AWARE YOU WILL BE SHUT DOWN if you do not get above 90%. Our company has ALWAYS used Amazon shipping and we were always at 95% or above for the past two years. Now in the past two months we were at 80% and then we shut down ALL shipping and for the past month we were at 87.9% and we have NOT had one order. WE ARE NOW SHUT DOWN BY AMAZON which has forced our company to move to other platforms- Ebay, Wal Mart, Esty etc. What a shame. BE AWARE everyone you are next.
Seller_C5AB8xWOVxurd
Moreover, they count it by 'units', not orders. So if you have multiple items in one order and it is late, it will heavily affect your rate. Not that Amazon cares or will do anything. Hateful company.
Seller_JxGBh45c1NGew
Amazon is BROKEN. Like most sellers here, we have never fallen below 98% ever. Am now at 68% due to very poor sales/low volume, down 80% from prior years also due to Amazon absurdities with the Buy Box and search Ai. Due to all carriers changing policies and slowing down from less turnover, Amazon is holding us accountable. This has become a truly unsustainable platform. We sell on several other major platforms and they also have shipping metrics; unlike Amazon they actually account for changes in the real world and do not give us any issues.
Seller_2gzO3lLOtwvGb
I have a feeling that there's something off on the shipping settings for most of the sellers complaining on this thread. My account is set to AHT and I always use Amazon shipping. All of my orders are shipped within 24hrs. I DO MAKE SURE THAT MY USPS CARRIER SCANS EVERY PACKAGE HERE when he picks them up, before he leaves my residence. Maybe that's why my OTD rate stays between 98-100%. I dunno!
My point is not to brag, but to point out that maybe everyone needs to closely look at their shipping settings, and also to find a way to have their packages scanned the day they're dropped off, or picked up as in my case. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results. You know what they say about doing that!!
