Today's tip · Account Health
Your business buyers keep office hours. Friday, Amazon checks yours.
If you ship your own orders to Amazon Business customers, a 90% Business Hour Delivery Rate stopped being a suggestion on September 30. October 30 is when Amazon looks at who fixed it.
The metric is simple and slightly unfair. It counts how many of your seller-fulfilled shipments to Amazon Business customers arrive while that business is open, over a rolling 14 days. A box that lands at 6 pm at an office that closed at 5 is a miss, even if it showed up two days early.
Amazon notified sellers who were under 90% on September 30. If the rate hasn't improved by October 30, those seller-fulfilled offers may be deactivated for Amazon Business customers. Nobody loses the listing for regular shoppers, and FBA offers aren't touched. What you lose is the procurement manager with a purchase order and a habit of reordering.
There is one clean way out. Amazon says shipments that use Automated Handling Time, Shipping Settings Automation and Amazon Buy Shipping together are guaranteed to meet the requirement. Two of those are settings, not projects. With two days left, settings are what you have time for.
Dates and rules as stated by Amazon in Seller Central News.
Source: Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceThe weekend plan
- 01Open Account Health
Your Business Hour Delivery Rate sits in the Eligibilities section. Note where it stands against 90%.
- 02Download the carrier report
From the Program Eligibilities page, download the report and see which carriers delivered inside business hours more than 90% of the time.
- 03Switch on the three tools
Turn on Automated Handling Time and Shipping Settings Automation, then buy labels through Amazon Buy Shipping for business orders.
- 04Or hand it to FBA
If your business buyers order steady sellers, FBA offers are not affected by this requirement.
Section 02
This week's checklist
7 jobs pulled from this issue, in the order the deadlines bite. Tick them off as you go. Your browser remembers the ticks, nobody else sees them, and a fresh list comes with each issue.
0 of 7 done
Section 03
The seller calendar
Every date Amazon has put in writing for the season, plus the two everyone knows. October is zoomed in on the chart because that's where the trouble is.
Peak fulfillment fees run Oct 15 to Jan 14. Plus $0.32 per unit on average, with the 3.5% surcharge on top.
| Date | What happens | Type | Countdown | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Big Deal Days (Oct 6 to 7) | Shopping event | Done | About Amazon | |
| AWD arrival deadline for Black Friday Week | Inventory | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees begin | Fees | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Original Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal deadline (Amazon has since extended it to Nov 13) | Deals | Done | Seller Central News | |
| FBA arrival deadline, minimal shipment splits | Inventory | Done | Seller Central News | |
| FBA arrival deadline, Amazon-optimized splits (most sellers) | Inventory | Today | Seller Central News | |
| Business Hour Delivery Rate review: seller-fulfilled offers under 90% may be deactivated for Amazon Business customers | Offer | In 2 days | Seller Central News | |
| Last day of off-peak storage for AWD with auto-replenishment | Inventory | In 3 days | Seller Central News | |
| Confirm New Selection Program (2026) enrollment to keep launch fee credits | Fees | In 3 days | Seller Central News | |
| Extended holiday returns begin: items bought Nov 1 to Dec 31 can come back until Jan 31 | Returns | In 4 days | Seller Central News | |
| Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal sourcing closes (extended from Oct 20) | Deals | In 16 days | Seller Central News | |
| Black Friday | Shopping event | In 30 days | Calendar | |
| Cyber Monday | Shopping event | In 33 days | Calendar | |
| Last day to sign up for the free 12-month Amazon Quick Plus subscription | Offer | In 64 days | About Amazon | |
| Last purchase date covered by the extended holiday return window | Returns | In 64 days | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees end | Fees | In 78 days | Seller Central News | |
| Last day to return holiday purchases under the extended window | Returns | In 95 days | Seller Central News |
Add every date to your calendar (.ics)Works with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar. Re-download after big announcements.
Sources: Seller Central News, Holiday 2026, About Amazon, Seller Assistant, Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy, Seller Central News, Black Friday Cyber Monday deals deadline extended, Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
Fee watch
The changes that cost money this year, newest last. If Amazon hasn't announced it, it isn't here.
Since Jan 15, 2026
2026 US fee update
FBA fees rose by an average of $0.08 per unit. Amazon added no new fee types for 2026.
Amazon, 2026 US referral and FBA fee updateSince Apr 17, 2026
Fuel and logistics surcharge
3.5% on FBA fulfillment fees, about $0.17 per unit on average in the US. Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime followed on May 2.
Seller Central News, Fuel and logistics surchargeSince Sep 2026
MCF Preferred Pricing Program
Discounted Multi-Channel Fulfillment fees plus FBA credits per unit shipped. Amazon says sellers save 15% to 25% on fulfillment fees for the first six months, with no contract and one-click enrollment in Seller Central.
About Amazon, Prime delivery for MCF merchants' websitesOct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027
Holiday peak fulfillment fees
About $0.32 more per unit on average, with the 3.5% surcharge calculated on top.
Seller Central News, Holiday 2026Holiday deal events
Deal fees
$100 upfront per promotion plus 1.5% of promotional sales, capped at $5,000, for Best Deals, Lightning Deals and Prime Exclusive Price Discounts.
Seller Central News, Holiday 2026Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
Extended holiday returns
Orders placed Nov 1 to Dec 31 can be returned until Jan 31, 2027, for FBA and seller-fulfilled orders alike. Budget for a slower, larger return wave.
Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy2027
Next annual fee update
Not announced as of Oct 24, 2026. Amazon says it gives at least 90 days' notice, and the 2026 changes were announced in October 2025.
Amazon, 2026 US referral and FBA fee update
Section 04
By the numbers
Four figures worth knowing this week. Each one is Amazon's own, linked to where they said it.
minimum Business Hour Delivery Rate on seller-fulfilled business orders
Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipmentsrolling window Amazon uses to measure the rate
Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipmentsannualized sales driven by Amazon Business
Sell on Amazon, Amazon BusinessFortune 100 companies shopping on Amazon Business
Sell on Amazon, Amazon BusinessSection 05
The playbook
3 moves for this week, then a few quick ones for the train.
Supply chain
Your carrier has a business-hours report card. Read it.
Account Health already grades your carriers on this. Download the report from the Program Eligibilities page and it shows which carriers got business orders delivered during business hours more than 90% of the time. That's the list Amazon wants you shipping business orders with.
In the US, Amazon names UPS Ground, UPS Ground Saver and FedEx Ground as reliable for this metric. If your cheapest label for a small package is something else, the saving is real but so is the miss. Consider routing only business orders differently and leave regular shoppers alone.
Do this: Pull the carrier report today and set business orders to ship with whichever carriers clear 90% in your own data.
Source: Seller Central News, Monitor your business hour delivery rate
- Go to the Program Eligibilities page in Account Health and download the report
- Find the carriers with a Business Hour Delivery Rate above 90%
- Use those carriers for future seller-fulfilled Amazon Business orders
- In the US, Amazon recommends UPS Ground, UPS Ground Saver and FedEx Ground
Steps and carriers as listed by Amazon in Seller Central News.
Source: Seller Central News, Monitor your business hour delivery rate
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceAmazon Business
Before you shrug off business buyers, look at the size of the room
It's tempting to let the business offers lapse and call it simplification. Amazon's own figures argue otherwise. Amazon Business drives $35 billion in annualized sales and serves 8 million organizations globally, excluding emerging markets, and 97 of the Fortune 100 shop there.
Amazon also says business customers often buy in larger quantities and return items less. In a season when holiday returns stretch to January 31, a buyer who orders a case and keeps it is worth a carrier change.
Do this: Check what share of last quarter's seller-fulfilled orders came from business customers before you decide the metric is not worth meeting.
Sources: Sell on Amazon, Amazon Business, Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy
Source: Sell on Amazon, Amazon Business
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceOperations
Five deadlines, sixteen days, one calendar
This is the tightest stretch of the quarter. Today is the last arrival date for Amazon-optimized inbound splits. Friday brings the business delivery review. Saturday closes off-peak AWD storage and the New Selection Program confirmation, and Sunday opens the long holiday return window.
Then the pace slackens until November 13, when Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal sourcing closes. Put the near dates on whoever ships, and the November one on whoever prices. They are rarely the same person, and both of them think the other one has it.
Do this: Assign an owner to each date below today, not on Friday.
Sources: Seller Central News, Holiday 2026, Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments, Seller Central News, New Selection Program (2026), Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy, Seller Central News, Black Friday Cyber Monday deals deadline extended
- Day 0Today: last arrival date for Amazon-optimized splits
- Day 2Oct 30: Business Hour Delivery Rate review
- Day 3Oct 31: AWD off-peak storage ends, NSP confirmation
- Day 4Nov 1: extended holiday returns begin
- Day 16Nov 13: Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals close
Dates from Seller Central News.
Source: Seller Central News, Holiday 2026
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceQuick hits
04Pricing
A business price is also a visibility setting
Amazon says setting business prices and quantity discounts can increase your visibility to business customers and your chances of becoming the Featured Offer. You can set them in the Business Price column on Manage Inventory, or build rules in Automate Pricing so they follow your retail price.
Source: Sell on Amazon, Amazon Business
05Market
Amazon reports its third quarter tomorrow
Results come out October 29. Amazon's own preview of the quarter mentions Seller Assistant, multichannel sales in Seller Central and fulfillment savings of up to 25% through Amazon Supply Chain Services. If those come up on the call, that tells you where the next round of seller tools is headed.
Section 06
The wire
What changed lately, straight from Amazon. We read the announcement so you can read the summary.
- Company
Amazon sets Q3 results for October 29
Amazon's quarter preview lists seller tools including Seller Assistant, multichannel sales in Seller Central and Prime delivery for merchants' own sites.
via About Amazon, Q3 2026 announcements - Account Health
Business Hour Delivery Rate becomes a requirement
Seller-fulfilled shipments to US Amazon Business customers need a 90% rate over 14 days. Offers still under it by Oct 30 may be deactivated for business buyers.
via Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
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Section 07
Straight answers
The questions sellers are typing into search bars and chatbots this week, answered in under a minute each. Every answer is grounded in Amazon's own announcement, linked below it.
What is the Amazon Business Hour Delivery Rate?
It's the percentage of your seller-fulfilled shipments to Amazon Business customers that arrive during the customer's operating hours, measured over a rolling 14-day period. Since September 30, 2026, Amazon requires a rate of 90% or higher in the US store. You can see your rate in the Eligibilities section of Account Health.
Source: Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
What happens if my Business Hour Delivery Rate is below 90% on October 30, 2026?
Amazon says sellers below 90% on September 30 were notified with recommendations. If the rate has not improved by October 30, their seller-fulfilled offers may be deactivated for Amazon Business customers. Offers to regular shoppers stay up, and Fulfillment by Amazon and retail offer eligibility are not affected by the requirement.
Source: Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
Which tools guarantee I meet the Business Hour Delivery Rate requirement?
Amazon says shipments fulfilled using all three of Automated Handling Time, Shipping Settings Automation and Amazon Buy Shipping are guaranteed to meet the Business Hour Delivery Rate requirement. It also recommends using reliable carriers and setting accurate handling and transit times as the best general way to stay above the 90% threshold.
Source: Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
Which carriers does Amazon recommend for business hour delivery?
In the US, Amazon recommends UPS Ground, UPS Ground Saver and FedEx Ground for reliable Business Hour Delivery Rate performance. It also suggests downloading the report from the Program Eligibilities page in Account Health and using the carriers that deliver business orders within business hours more than 90% of the time.
Source: Seller Central News, Monitor your business hour delivery rate
Does the Business Hour Delivery Rate apply to FBA orders?
No. Amazon says Fulfillment by Amazon and retail offer eligibility are not affected by the Business Hour Delivery Rate requirement. It applies to seller-fulfilled shipments to Amazon Business customers in the US store. If you use FBA, business orders draw from the same inventory pool as orders from regular shoppers.
Source: Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
How big is Amazon Business for sellers?
According to Sell on Amazon, Amazon Business drives $35 billion in annualized sales and serves 8 million organizations globally, excluding emerging markets, with 97 of the Fortune 100 shopping there. Amazon says business customers often buy in larger quantities and return items less, and sellers can set business prices and quantity discounts.
Source: Sell on Amazon, Amazon Business