Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) FAQ

What details should I provide when I am confirming shipments for seller-fulfilled orders?

To confirm shipment, go to Manage Orders and click Confirm shipment adjacent to your order. On Order details page, go to Confirm dispatch section. During this process for every seller-fulfilled order, you must provide:

1. The carrier name
2. The delivery service (optional but recommended)
3. The tracking ID or unique parcel ID for shipments delivered with a tracked delivery service

If your carrier is not available in the drop-down options:

1. Select "Other" in the drop-down under Carrier. Enter your carrier name in the field.
2. Select "Other" in the drop-down under Delivery Service. Enter your delivery service in the field.
3. Enter the tracking or parcel ID if available under Tracking ID.

Enter the above information as soon as you hand over your package to the carrier, as it takes up to 72 hrs for the valid tracking rate (VTR) report and metric to reflect the tracking information changes. If you provide tracking or parcel IDs post-delivery, the shipment will be counted as a VTR defect.

For more information, go to Tracking FAQ.

Are partially-tracked delivery methods accepted as valid tracking IDs to calculate valid tracking rate for domestic shipments?

If the delivery method receives at least one scan it will be considered valid for the purposes of measuring valid tracking rate.

What happens if my carrier fails to scan my packages?

Speak to your carrier: Try and find a resolution with them. You must also review your labels to ensure that you are using the right delivery method and that labels are being printed correctly.

Check your tracking or parcel ID: Always make sure that you or your integrator provides the correct name of your carrier, the delivery service used and the tracking or parcel ID. You may receive a valid tracking rate warning as a result of low scan rate. However, we will validate unscanned tracking or parcel IDs with the integrated carrier before suspending your offers in the affected category. Your offers will not be suspended if you have provided valid IDs, including for all parcels that have not been scanned by the carrier. This includes delivery confirmation only delivery methods. Postage stamps and other untracked services are exempted when measuring your valid tracking rate. For more information about the list of exempted shipments for VTR calculation, go to Valid Tracking Rate (VTR).

Buy Shipping: Consider using Buy Shipping, which allows you to buy shipping labels through the Seller Central interface. With Buy Shipping, the carrier, delivery method and tracking ID are automatically provided by the carrier to us, and all tracking IDs received by us through Buy Shipping are considered valid. You can access Amazon-negotiated rates or, for Royal Mail, you can link your accounts to benefit from your own rates. For more details on how to use Buy Shipping, go to Use Buy Shipping services.

Can I confirm seller-fulfilled shipments without adding the carrier name and delivery service?

No, you will not be able to confirm shipments without adding an acceptable carrier name. For more details on acceptable carrier names and how to provide a carrier name during the confirm shipment process, go to Tracking FAQ.

Delay in confirming shipments can affect your late dispatch rate (LDR) or late shipment rate (LSR) which may lead to account suspension. For more information, go to Late shipment rate. Also, we will automatically cancel shipments when seven days have passed since the expected dispatch availability date if you have not yet confirmed the shipment. For more information, go to Order cancellations.

What is the policy for cross-border shipments?

If you’re a Germany based seller delivering to customers in the EU, you’re exempt from providing tracking information unless you use a tracked delivery method. When you select your carrier and delivery method, you’ll be prompted to provide the tracking ID if the delivery method is tracked. For more information about the list of exempted shipments for VTR calculation, go to Valid Tracking Rate (VTR).

Why are there price thresholds in Germany, France, and Spain different for VTR calculation?

Shipments valued below €10 in France, €15 in Spain, and €20 in Germany (shipping included) are excluded from the VTR calculation. To set those different price thresholds, we took into account local specificities including cost of tracked or partially tracked shipped methods by country. There are no thresholds in the United Kingdom and Italy.

Are domestic shipments above €20 in Germany shipped using an untracked ship method included in the VTR calculation for Germany?

Yes, they are included if they are shipped with an integrated carrier. We recommend that you use a tracked ship method for those shipments to reach the 95% VTR.

What should I do if I do not use an integrated carrier or use self-delivery?

If your preferred carrier name doesn’t appear in drop-down under Confirm dispatch section, select Carrier name as "Other" and enter the name of your non-integrated carrier and delivery service. The Delivery Service will automatically populate as "Other". You can enter a valid delivery service. Provide the tracking information if available so that the customers can track their shipments through the carrier website. Shipments sent through non-integrated carriers will not be considered while calculating valid tracking rate performance. For more details on acceptable carrier names and how to provide a carrier name during confirm shipment process, go to Tracking FAQ. If you deliver shipments through your own logistics, select "Self Delivery" as Carrier and Delivery Service when you confirm shipment.

I am unable to confirm shipment even after entering a correct tracking ID. What should I do?

If you use an integrated carrier, ensure that you enter the tracking ID correctly and confirm the shipment according to the guidelines. For additional details, go to Tracking FAQ.

If you are unable to confirm shipment despite entering a correct tracking ID, ensure that you have selected the correct delivery service against your carrier. If the issue persists, select "Other" as Delivery Service and leave the text field blank to confirm the shipment. If you are confirming the shipment through bulk feed, APIs, or integrators, leave the delivery method blank. In both the cases, contact Selling Partner Support for further assistance.

I am unable to confirm shipment even after entering a carrier name. What should I do?

• If you are confirming shipment through Seller Central, select the carrier name from the drop-down list under Carrier. If your preferred carrier name is not listed, select "Other" and enter the carrier name in the text field.
• If you are confirming shipment using bulk feed, enter the "carrier-code" against each line item. If you mention "Other" in the "carrier-code" field, enter relevant value in the "carrier-name" field. Ensure that the "carrier-code" you provide matches the list of carriers available in the drop-down under Confirm dispatch section on Order details page. For more information, go to Confirm multiple deliveries with feeds.
• If you are using integrators, configure your integrators to provide us with the carrier name. If you have not already configured your integrator to provide these fields, we recommend that you contact your integrator to understand how to share carrier name while confirming shipment. Ensure that the "carrier-code" you provide matches the list of carriers available in the Seller Central drop-down. For more information on how to use an integrator and how to provide this information, go to Shipment request details.
• If you are using Buy Shipping, there is no action required. We automatically collect data on the carrier and delivery method used through this system.

Which carriers provide tracking information to Amazon?

You can choose the carrier from the drop-down under Confirm dispatch section on Order details page among other non-integrated carriers. You can navigate to the Confirm dispatch section by going to Orders > Manage Orders > Confirm shipment adjacent to your order.

Go to Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) for a complete list of integrated carriers.

Can I confirm seller-fulfilled shipments without adding a tracking ID?

• If you use an untracked delivery service, you can confirm shipments without a tracking ID.
• If you use a tracked delivery method, tracking IDs are required for all shipments.

How can I edit my tracking information

You can edit order tracking information before the delivery date by following these steps:

• Go to Orders > Manage Orders.
• Check whether Order ID is selected for Search. Enter the order ID and click Search.
• Once you find the correct order, click Edit shipment and provide the revised tracking information.
• Re-confirm the shipment.

Allow 72 hours for the report and metric to reflect the changes.

What are the best practices to successfully upload tracking information?

Verify tracking number:

• Enter the tracking number correctly and on time (before delivery).
• Do not leave the tracking information blank.
• Do not enter special characters such as punctuation, which our system cannot recognizse in the tracking information.

Verify carrier name:

• Select the correct carrier and delivery service, if applicable, from the drop-down when you confirm shipment on Seller Central.
  Note: Select "Other" under Carrier drop-down and enter a carrier name in the text field only when the carrier you are using is not listed in the drop-down.
• While confirming multiple shipments with feeds, enter the correct carrier name.
• If the carrier name is misspelled, entered in a different language, or contains any extra words, the tracking will be marked as invalid.

The carrier name you enter is associated with the tracking number you enter.

Confirm and update shipment:

• Confirm or update the tracking information before the order is delivered.
• If the tracking information is confirmed or updated after the order is delivered, that means the buyer was not able to track the order. This is not useful to the buyer, and the order will not be calculated under your valid tracking rate.

What are the benefits of providing tracking information?

• Fewer buyer contacts: Approximately 40% of buyer contacts relate to delivery status. The "where’s my stuff" contact rate is 35 times greater for untracked deliveries than it is for tracked deliveries. If you provide tracking numbers, you can help reduce the amount of time you spend answering delivery-related questions.
• Decreased order defects: The order defect rate for untracked orders is 1.7 times greater than the rate for tracked orders.
• Protection from A-to-z guarantee claims: Without tracking, you will automatically lose any "Order not received" A-to-z guarantee claims. Tracking helps you represent yourself against these claims and may prevent loss.
• Improved seller feedback ratings: Buyers tell us that being able to track their packages is one of the main reasons to leave positive feedback.
• Reduced lost order costs: Tracking can significantly reduce the costs associated with a lost order. If a package is lost in transit, you can use tracking to find out where it was lost and then determine responsibility.
• Improved conversion: When you use tracking on 98% of your orders and your on-time delivery rate is 97%, you become eligible to reduce handling and transit promise times. This is proven to increase conversion and revenue.
• Reduced lost shipment costs: If a package is lost in transit, you can use tracking to find out where it was lost and then determine responsibility.

My carrier does not provide tracking IDs. What should I do?

If you use a tracked delivery method, we recommend that you contact your carrier and provide us with the tracking IDs.

If you use an untracked delivery method, you’re not required to provide us with a tracking ID for domestic and cross-border deliveries. However, it is ideal to provide a tracking ID for good customer experience.

How does Amazon know a package has valid tracking information?

Tracking numbers are considered valid if one of the following applies:

• You bought the label through Buy Shipping where the tracking number is provided by the delivery service provider to us.
• Your tracking number provides at least one physical carrier scan recorded to us.

Where can I find my VTR and download VTR report?

To view your VTR and download VTR report:

1. Go to Performance > Account Health > Delivery Performance.
2. On Delivery Performance tab, click Valid Tracking Rate. All details related to your VTR are mentioned in this section.
3. To download your VTR report, click Download Report. You can filter by carrier or product category or both.

Allow 72 hours for the report and metric to reflect any updates.

Will my account be suspended if the VTR drops below 95% in one category?

No, your account will not be suspended but offers for seller-fulfilled listings in the target category may be suspended if you do not have 95% VTR where required as per policy. You can continue to sell FBA products. If any of your listings gets suspended, you can submit a plan of action and apply for reinstatement. If your appeal is approved, your seller-fulfilled listings in the affected category will be restored.

My package has tracking but is showing up in my Valid Tracking Report as lacking valid tracking information. What should I do?

A package that does not include verified tracking information will have value as "No" in the "Has Valid Tracking Number" column of your VTR report. If you have uploaded a tracking number but it is marked as unconfirmed, this might be because of the following:

• The tracking ID you provided is incorrect.
• Your tracking number is correct, but it is not associated with the carrier you specified. For example, if you use "DHL" to ship a package but enter "FedEx" as the carrier name, the tracking information will be marked as unconfirmed.
• You used an non-integrated carrier that is not listed in the Carrier drop-down list in Confirm dispatch section on Order details page. As a result, we cannot verify the tracking status and therefore the shipment does not count toward your VTR. For more information about the list of exempted shipments for VTR calculation, go to Valid Tracking Rate (VTR).
• The tracking number was uploaded after the order was delivered. This means it was not useful to the customer and does not count towards your VTR.

Ensure that you have entered the carrier and tracking ID for your package correctly. You can change, re-enter and update the tracking information under Manage Orders until the order is delivered. Your metrics will reflect this change within 72 hours.

If you have a package marked as "No" in the "Has Valid Tracking Number" column and you have verified that the tracking ID for the Amazon-supported carrier is correct, try submitting the tracking ID again. If this does not solve your issue, contact Selling Partner Support for additional investigation.

What does "InvalidId" mean in column F of my Valid Tracking Rate report?

When our system cannot process the tracking information you entered for a package, "InvalidId" will display in column F for that package. For example, if your order ID was 001-12345-67890 and we were not able to process the tracking information you entered for that package, column F will display 001-12345-67890-InvalidId.

This can happen if:

• You left the tracking information blank.
• You entered special characters such as hyphen or punctuation that our system cannot recognize in the tracking information.

Why are canceled shipments showing up in my report?

If canceled shipments are showing up in your report, it is because you confirmed shipment before you delivered the package to the carrier. A shipment is not considered canceled when you have confirmed shipment because the buyer's credit card is charged. To cancel this kind of shipment, you have to provide refund to the buyer. To prevent this, we recommend that you confirm shipment only after the carrier has received the package.

How do I maintain a 95% VTR if I do not get scan events when I use tracked letters on Deutsche Post?

We recommend you use WarenPost or any other fully tracked ship methods that carriers are offering to ensure customers get tracking events.

How do I maintain a 95% VTR if I do not get scan events when using Hermes?

Ensure that you provide us with a valid tracking ID from Hermes. A valid tracking ID from Hermes is one that is either 14-digits (12345678987654) or 20-digits long and starts with letter 'H' (for example, H1234567899876543219). Do not use the Auftragsnummer that is 11-digits long. If you are not obtaining the tracking IDs from Hermes, we recommend you reach out to the Hermes account manager directly. In case you use an integrator, ensure your integrator provides us with the correct tracking ID as mentioned earlier.

How do I provide scan events to customers if I do not get scan events from Österreichische Post?

Ensure that you have signed the ZUSATZVEREINBARUNG WEITERGABE STATUSDATEN with Österreichische Post to ensure that they are able to pass on the scan events to us. Österreichische Post will not pass us the scan events due to GDPR compliance. For more information on the process, contact your account manager or email at the following addresses as per the provinces listed:

• ploe.so.vertrieb.ost@post.at for the provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland
• ploe.bo.vertrieb.west@post.at - for the provinces of Salzburg, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg
• ploe.bo.vertrieb.mitte@post.at - for the provinces of Upper Austria, Styria
• ploe.bo.vertrieb.ost@post.at - for the provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland

Which are the full track delivery methods for CN-out shipments?

Some of the carrier and delivery method combinations that provide a full track service for CN-out shipments are as follows:

Carrier name	Delivery method name
4PX	4PX-Global Express
	4PX-PostLink priority Registered Mail-Li
	4PX-PostLink Standard Registered Mail-Li
	4PX-PostLink Standard2 Registered Mail-Li
	4PX-PostLink Economy Registered Mail-Li
	4PX-PostLink Economy SRM Registered Mail-Li
	4PX-PostLink priority Registered Mail-NOLi
	4PX-PostLink Standard Registered Mail-NOLi
	4PX-PostLink Economy Registered Mail-NOLi
	4PX-PostLink Economy2 Registered Mail-Li
China Post	China Post EMS
	China Post ePacket
	China Post Registered Airmail
	China Post e-Courier Packet
	China Post e-Courier Priority
Chukou1	CK1 Super Line (built-in battery)
	CK1 Super Line (general cargo)
	CK1 Standard Line (built-in battery)
	CK1 Standard Line (general cargo)
	CK1 Economy Line (built-in battery)
	CK1 Economy Line (general cargo)
	CK1 Special Line with Sea Freight Service
	CK1 Clothing Line
	CK1 Large Item Line
DHL	DHL Express
DHL eCommerce	PLG-Parcel International Direct Goods
	PLT-Parcel International Direct-Standard
	PPS-Packet Plus International
SF Express	E-Commerce Registered Parcel-Standard
	E-Commerce Registered Parcel-Economy
	E-Commerce Registered Parcel-Special Line
	E-Commerce Express Standard
	E-Commerce Express Priority
	E-Commerce Express CD
	E-Commerce Registered Parcel-LA
	E-Commerce Registered Parcel-LU Post
	Standard Express
	Economy Express
SFC	SFC Global Line-no battery
	SFC Global Line-with battery
WANB EXPRESS	WANB EXPRESS
	WANB Smart Track
	WANB Post – Smart
Yanwen	Yanwen Direct Line Express General
	Yanwen Direct Line Express Special
	Yanwen Air Track Packet General
	Yanwen Air Track Packet Special
	Yanwen Air Register Mail General
	Yanwen Air Register Mail Special
Yun Express	YunExpress Global Direct line (standard )-Tracked
	YunExpress Global Direct line with Battery-Tracked
	YunExpress Global Direct line non Battery-Tracked
	YunExpress JP Direct Line
	YunExpress DE SRM Direct Line
	YunExpress ME Direct Line
	YunExpress ME Direct Line-DDP
JCEX	Jia-Packet
	EUB
	Europe-DHL
	Europe-DPD
	Europe-UPS
	UPS Worldwide Saver
	UPS Worldwide Expedited
	FedEx IE
	FedEx IP
	TNT
	JP International Express
	US International Express
YDH	YDH Express Service
	YDH Standard Service
	YDH Economy Service
Sunyou	Sunyou Packet Registered
	Sunyou Packet Registered (General)
	Sunyou Packet Plus Registered
	Sunyou Express Registered
	Sunyou Express Registered(General)
CNE	AM-CNE Priority Express
	AM-CNE Standard Express
	AM-CNE Economy Express
	AM-CNE Promotion Express
	AM-CNE Global Tracked Packet

For more information about tracking numbers and tracking IDs, go to Tracking FAQ.