As the COVID-19 pandemic develops around the world, the impact on people's lives, work, etc. is gradually showing. Amazon has been closely monitoring the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on consumers, sellers, and employees, and has adjusted relevant policies accordingly to protect the rights and interests of consumers and sellers, and the health and safety of employees.

Affected by the pandemic, initial transit times are slow, air freight space is limited, freight rates have skyrocketed, inventory is urgent, and FBA temporarily prioritizes the storage of some categories. We know that these changes are affecting the business of many sellers. In response to recent changes, we've summarized a few suggestions to help sellers transition smoothly during this special period.

🔸 If FBA sellers are temporarily unable to stock, they may consider using self-shipping to continue selling.
🔸 If FBA sellers can continue to stock, they can consider using Amazon Cross-border Logistics Service (AGL). AGL will operate as usual, provide sellers with stable shipping times by sea and air, and guarantee space, and a worry-free first trip.
🔸 If inventory is low or out of stock, consider temporarily adjusting the store operation strategy, closely monitor account health, and smoothly transition to this special period.

If you're temporarily unable to create an Amazon fulfillment center for your shipments, and you have inventory to continue selling, consider temporarily switching your order delivery method to self-fulfill.

1. Check if the seller's performance metrics meet the requirements to win the “Buy Box”

The “buy box” is important to your Amazon business, and when you win the “buy box,” consumers can find your products to buy more quickly from a wide range of buying options, thereby increasing your sales. If you want to temporarily switch to self-shipping, please check whether your performance metrics meet the requirements. Your self-delivered products will only have a chance to get a buy button if the performance metrics described below meet the requirements.
▼ Order Defect Rate (ODR) less than 1%
▼ Cancellation rate (CR) less than 2.5%
▼ Late Shipment Rate (LSR) less than 4%
After confirming that the performance metrics meet the requirements, how can I check if my product has won a “buy box”?Xiaobian teaches you to use the mini template to follow your “buy button”. In “Seller Central > Inventory > Manage Inventory”, click the upper right button “Preferences” and adjust the settings options according to your preferences to check the “buy button” ratio. As shown in the image, the inventory can clearly show whether your product has received a buy button.

2. Adjust delivery time, extend transit time (transit time), manage self-delivery time recently, and reduce order defect rates.

Due to the recent decline in international flights, the self-delivery transit time of various large and small package carriers has been extended to varying degrees. If using self-delivery, sellers are advised to adjust the delivery time according to their own circumstances.

Total delivery time [1] = lead time [2] + transit time (also known as delivery time) [3] + any holidays

[1] Total Delivery Time: The full term Total Delivery Time refers to the time between the time the buyer places an order and the date the order is delivered, that is, the estimated delivery time.
[2] Preparation time: The full term Handling Time refers to the estimated time required from the time the buyer places an order until the seller hands over the ordered item to the logistics carrier.
[3] Transit time (also known as delivery time): The full term Transit Time refers to the estimated time required for the seller to hand over the order to the logistics carrier to deliver the order to the buyer.

* Note:
▼ You can extend the transit time by going to “Seller Central > Delivery Settings > Transit Time (Transit Time)”. The maximum length can be set to 42 days in Europe, 28 days in the US, and 20 days in Japan. ▼ Attention European sellers!The maximum transit time for major European sites is slightly different (for example: 14-35 days in the UK, Italy has been upgraded to 14-42 days) and needs to be set separately.

After the shipping time is adjusted, each order will show that a corresponding delivery time is required when the customer places the order.

Once you've made the above checks and adjustments, you're ready to self-ship. In order to ensure a good customer experience, you must choose a reliable logistics service provider. If you don't have a partner logistics service provider, you can choose a third-party service provider that suits your circumstances through Amazon's “Service Provider Network”. (Go to gs.amazon.cn and go to “Business Counselors” > “Third Party Service Providers” to view. )

Alternatively, you can use Amazon's “Buy and Ship” service to self-ship through Amazon's partnered logistics carriers:

If your shipment is in China, you can ship it directly from China and deliver it to overseas consumers through Amazon's “Buy and Ship” service.
China Post and Yanwen Logistics have joined Amazon's “Purchase and Delivery” service. Amazon sellers in the US and European sites can directly use China Post and Yanwen Logistics through “Purchase and Delivery” on the seller platform to ship and deliver from China to overseas consumers. At the same time, in order to help maintain your seller performance, orders purchased and shipped enjoy multiple policy protections. The system will also recommend logistics products that meet the delivery time requirements for you to choose according to the delivery time you set.

* Please note:
Shipping costs directly from China using China Post and Yanwen Logistics are paid offline to the logistics carrier, and Amazon does not charge any fees.

If your shipment has already been transferred to an overseas warehouse, while waiting to be shipped to the Amazon fulfillment center, you can also use an overseas logistics delivery carrier in Amazon's “Buy and Ship” service to ship from the overseas warehouse to the consumer to continue selling the product.

Amazon's “Purchase and Delivery” service also provides local domestic purchase and delivery services in the US, UK, and Germany. The advantages of purchasing and delivery mentioned in the previous article also apply, namely negative buyer feedback policies, Amazon Marketplace Transaction Guarantee Claims (A to Z), and valid tracking rate compliance. Currently, the US, UK, and Germany have the following local “purchase and delivery” logistics carriers:

* Please note:
Using the local “Buy Delivery” service in the above countries, the cost of logistics delivery and related services is calculated by the logistics carrier and directly deducted from your seller account (that is, the account where sales expenses are deducted). For details on delivery costs, please click 👉 here

Additionally, eligible European sellers can consider joining Seller Self-Fulfilled Prime to enhance the benefits of self-delivery.

The Seller-Fulfilled Prime Program delivers products directly to buyers by providing free two-day and free standard shipping services to buyers locally in the destination country through a third-party logistics carrier. After joining the Seller-Fulfilled Prime Program, your products can also display the Prime logo to increase visibility. In addition, you can also enjoy the same 7×24 customer service as FBA to help handle issues such as returns, etc., thereby increasing the competitive advantage of your self-delivered products. There are no additional fees to sign up for the Seller-Fulfilled Prime Program, but there are certain conditions. We recommend that you log in to Seller Central Europe and search for “Seller-Fulfilled Prime” on the help page for details.

If you can continue to create shipments to Amazon fulfillment centers, given the current pressure of first-haul shipping, you can also select a third-party service provider suitable for your situation through the “Service Provider Network” mentioned above. Additionally, you may consider using Amazon Cross Border Logistics Services (AGL). AGL provides first-haul logistics transportation for FBA sellers in Europe and the US by sea and air, with stable timeliness and space guarantee. In addition to providing lock-up services for sellers, the one-stop seller platform provides intelligent online operation and payment and full door-to-door cargo tracking.

If you are an FBA seller shipping goods to Europe and the US and want to activate AGL service on Seller Central, you can directly scan the code and fill in the information to activate.

*Please note: The information you need to fill in is quite long. Once the information is ready, please make sure to fill in the correct contact email address and mobile phone number. This will be an important basis for us to open it for you. Click 👉 here to fill in the information.

When you activate AGL, you can check whether to “ship this item through Amazon” on Seller Central when you refill/ship it. As shown below, you can only ship through AGL after opening the service. Sellers can choose when they refill/ship. Whichever AGL service is checked, it can only be shipped through AGL.

In addition, sellers with low inventory or already out of stock may consider temporarily adjusting store operation strategies, keeping a close eye on account health, and smoothly transitioning during this special period. For example, you can consider adjusting the status of your store to a “vacation mode”, and adjust marketing strategies such as advertising and event reporting as appropriate, etc.

Everything has two sides. The same is the impact of the pandemic on cross-border e-commerce. For example, according to eMarketer survey data, 74.6% of responses indicated that if the epidemic worsens in the US, they may avoid shopping malls. As more people cut back on unnecessary outings, this means demand for online shopping is likely to increase. In addition, changes in work and lifestyle, such as telecommuting, will also lead to an increase in demand for corresponding categories.

The global development of the epidemic has brought about various uncertainties, affecting the cross-border e-commerce and logistics industry. We recommend that sellers work with us to closely monitor the development of the global epidemic, make emergency plans, and adjust their logistics plans flexibly at any time. Finally, thank all sellers for their understanding and support during this special period. Everyone is welcome to leave a message and tell us about your recent questions and help needs. We will do our best to help you and spend this period with all sellers.