Attention! Starting from June, there will be important updates to Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime!

According to foreign media reports, starting from June this year, there will be an important Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime Update, which includes later cut-off times and requires shipping on at least one weekend day (Saturday or Sunday).

Details of the key updates to Amazon Seller Fulfillment are as follows:

4PM deadline (previously 2pm)

Starting June 30, 2021, the cut-off time required to maintain SFP eligibility will be later. The minimum carrier pickup time on weekdays will be 16:30, which will set your order cut-off time to 16:00. Later order cut-offs mean more customers shopping in your store will see your offer, and delivery will be faster. You can set the cut-off time in Order Shipping Settings under Shipping Settings for Shipping Zone Automation.

Weekend transfers are mandatory

Starting June 30, 2021, you must also use a shipping method that supports pickup on at least one weekend (Saturday or Sunday) to remain eligible for SFP. Weekend shipping provides customers with a more consistent delivery experience throughout the week. You can set different order cut-off times for weekends versus weekdays. You can set your weekend delivery preferences in your Order Fulfillment Settings.

Carrier Pickup Time

When you set an order cut-off time in Seller Central, you must work with your SFP carrier to ensure they arrive for package pickup at the appropriate time after your order is processed. You can find instructions on how to contact your SFP carrier in Seller Central.

New multi-warehouse feature

To help you offer faster delivery promises and increase your Prime service coverage, we’re also launching Multi-Warehouse. This feature lets you select up to 10 shipping addresses in your Prime shipping template to ensure that the delivery promise your customers see reflects your warehouse locations.

The move from 2pm to 4pm cut-off times, with carrier pickup times of 4.30pm or later, will affect many merchants. Not only will this leave you with very little time to collect and pack your order, for some it will mean renegotiating your carrier pickup times.

Perhaps more difficult to deal with is the requirement to use shipping that requires pickup on at least one weekend. For merchants who currently work Monday through Friday, this means opening the warehouse on Saturday or Sunday if you want to maintain Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime status.

The good news is that Amazon realizes that business certainty is critical and has provided 5 months’ notice of these changes. This gives you time to adjust your operations or make plans to migrate to regular FBA to serve Prime customers before the Prime update offered to Amazon sellers, or sacrifice the advantages that Prime eligibility provides to merchants. Another viable option for some merchants is to move part of their business to a fulfillment center that can offer Prime services to Amazon sellers, allowing them to work on weekends.

This will be a significant change for many business people who don't work six days a week. Take the time to consider your options and decide which is best for your business.

The Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime team said:

“We want to ensure you have time to determine how these changes impact your business and work with your carriers to make any adjustments that may be needed, which is why these new requirements will not take effect before June. If you already meet these requirements, nothing will change. If you choose not to meet the requirements of these new programs, you are welcome to continue to offer your products through our Merchant Fulfilled Network or Fulfillment by Amazon.”

You and SFP are important to Amazon and its customers, and we will continue to innovate with tools and products to help provide an even more compelling experience. To help you navigate these changes, we have also launched guides in Seller Central with details, examples, and answers to questions, and a dedicated support team, who can be reached at [email protected].”

In addition, more sellers are concerned about the cost of FBA. The following content will summarize the cost of Amazon FBA:

Costs of Amazon FBA

Leveraging Amazon's fulfillment services is a great way to expand your Amazon business and increase revenue. However, cautious Amazon sellers must understand the potential costs associated with choosing the Amazon Fulfillment (FBA) service that Amazon has extended to third-party Amazon sellers.