The Maze: Amazon is tightening the rules for sellers that ship Amazon orders themselves in Europe. In Germany, Fulfilled by Merchant sellers are expected to keep an On-Time Delivery Rate of at least 90%. In the UK, Amazon is also tightening delivery promises and handling-time settings. Translation: sellers can keep the shipping wheel, but Amazon is narrowing the road.
The first pressure point is delivery reliability. Fulfilled by Merchant, or FBM, is the Amazon lane where the seller stores, packs, and ships the order instead of using Fulfillment by Amazon. That autonomy now comes with a harder performance bar. Germany is the clearest case: FBM sellers must maintain a 90% on-time delivery rate, and affected listings may be deactivated from September 1, 2026 if they miss the policy requirements. For Amazon Business orders in Germany, the threshold extends to delivery during business hours: the 90% bar starts September 30, and business-customer listings can be deactivated from October 30 if sellers fall short.
The UK version adds a second lever: handling time. Amazon already had a 90% on-time delivery requirement for UK consumer deliveries, but it is now set to enforce the standard more rigorously from September. It is also cutting seller slack in how delivery promises are shown. From July 15, UK accounts with a default handling time of two days will be switched to one day. From September 1, if a seller keeps SKU-level handling times at least one day longer than actual performance for 30 days, Amazon can enable Automated Handling Time and shorten those promises automatically. That is not a small admin tweak. It moves delivery-promise control from seller preference toward Amazon's performance data.
The policy makes FBM less independent without banning it. Amazon still needs FBM because not every seller, product, or inventory setup fits neatly inside FBA. Oversized goods, low-volume items, local carrier relationships, cross-border stock, and margin-sensitive products can all make seller-fulfilled shipping useful. But Amazon also owns the customer promise on the marketplace. If a shopper sees Amazon as the storefront, Amazon takes the blame when a merchant's delivery estimate is padded, missed, or useless for a business buyer waiting during office hours.
The commercial nudge is clear: improve your own operation or rent more of Amazon's. The lead change lands in Germany and the UK, Amazon's two largest European ecommerce markets, with France, Spain, and Italy also flagged as markets where FBM requirements have been updated. Amazon has already tried incentives through FBM Ship+, which offered cashback support for faster seller shipping in those five markets. Now the stick is sharper. Sellers that want the traffic can keep FBM, but they need carrier performance, dispatch discipline, and delivery data that look more like Amazon's own network.
Why it matters: Marketplace control is not only about commissions and ads. It is also about who sets the operating standard. Amazon is making seller-fulfilled orders compete on Amazon-grade promises while leaving the delivery cost and execution burden with merchants. That can lift conversion for reliable sellers. It can also push weaker operators toward FBA, fewer FBM listings, or a hard look at whether Amazon demand is still worth the operational tax.
Sources: Ecommerce News Europe | ChannelX | EcommerceBytes
