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- •June 29, 2026: every seller-fulfilled SKU that uses handling time must have accurate SKU-level settings
- •Two compliance paths: enable Automated Handling Time, or maintain manual SKU-specific handling time
- •Sellers who do neither will have an automated handling time assigned based on each SKU's recent confirmed history
- •Custom, handmade, and Heavy and bulky LTL shipments are excluded from the requirement
- •Action: audit p95 handling time per segment, fix default settings, set a Late Shipment Rate alert from go-live
Nova surfaces every Amazon fee, refund, and margin shift in your live P&L, across 23 marketplaces. Check the SKU-level breakdown
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic
June 29, 2026. From that date, every seller-fulfilled SKU that uses handling time must have an accurate SKU-level setting, either through Automated Handling Time or through manual SKU-specific configuration.
Amazon will assign an automated handling time based on each SKU's recent confirmed handling history. That can work for SKUs with consistent same-day shipping, but it can also set a promised delivery date that is tighter than your real capacity during peak season or supplier delays.
Per Amazon's notice, the requirement does not apply to custom, handmade, or Heavy and bulky less-than-truckload shipments.
Automated is the right call for high-velocity SKUs with stable same-day or next-day shipping history. Manual SKU-specific is safer for fragile, bundled, kitted, inspected, or third-party-warehoused SKUs where recent history may not reflect normal operations.
Amazon raised SFP delivery speed thresholds on May 25, 2026 with new national one-day and two-day coverage targets effective July 6. The handling-time rule lands six days earlier and is the upstream lever: tighter handling time means tighter promised delivery dates, which then have to clear the new SFP speed bar.
Verified Sources
All information verified from official Amazon sources and trusted industry analysts as of publication date.
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