Amazon has officially removed the default two-day handling time in Seller Central. While this may sound like a small operational tweak, it has meaningful implications for account health, delivery performance, and seller risk.
If you have not proactively adjusted your handling time settings, this change can quietly create problems that are hard to unwind later.
What Changed
Historically, many Seller Fulfilled sellers relied on Amazon’s default two-day handling time. If a seller did not explicitly set a handling time, Amazon applied the default automatically.
That default no longer exists.
Now, sellers must manually define handling times at the SKU, template, or account level. If no handling time is set, Amazon may assume a faster fulfillment window than your operation can realistically support.
Why This Matters
Handling time directly impacts several critical performance metrics:
Order defect rate
Late shipment rate
On-time delivery metrics
Eligibility for premium shipping programs
If Amazon expects an order to ship faster than you can fulfill it, late shipment defects can accumulate quickly. Even a small number of late shipments can put account health at risk, especially for lower-volume Seller Fulfilled accounts.
This change also increases enforcement risk. Missed handling commitments are now more likely to trigger warnings, suppressed listings, or performance reviews.
Who Is Most Affected
This change primarily impacts:
Seller Fulfilled sellers
Hybrid FBA and FBM accounts
Brands with made-to-order or kitted products
Accounts using bulk uploads or legacy templates
Even sellers who ship quickly can be affected if handling times are not aligned across all SKUs, regions, or shipping templates.
What Sellers Should Do Immediately
Audit handling time settings across your entire catalog
Confirm shipping templates reflect real operational capacity
Set conservative handling times if fulfillment speed varies
Monitor late shipment metrics weekly, not monthly
Document internal fulfillment processes in case of performance reviews
It is better to slightly under-promise and consistently deliver than to over-promise and trigger account health issues.
The Bigger Picture
This change is part of a broader trend on Amazon toward stricter performance accountability. Amazon is removing assumptions and defaults and shifting responsibility directly to sellers.
Operational precision now matters more than ever. Sellers who treat fulfillment settings as a set-it-and-forget-it task are taking unnecessary risk.
Final Takeaway
The removal of default handling time is not just a technical update. It is a structural shift that rewards sellers who actively manage their operations and penalizes those who rely on legacy defaults.
If you are unsure whether your account is properly configured, now is the time to fix it, before Amazon’s systems find the gaps for you.
Need Help Navigating Amazon Changes?
At CoreTrex, we proactively manage operational, compliance, and performance changes like this so our clients stay protected and positioned for growth.
If you want a team that stays ahead of Amazon updates and handles the details before they become problems, reach out to CoreTrex and let us help you scale with confidence.
