Amazon Sets a 90% Threshold for Business Deliveries
Amazon is adding another performance requirement for sellers who fulfill orders themselves.
Beginning September 30, 2026, sellers must maintain a Business Hour Delivery Rate, or BHDR, of 90% or higher for seller-fulfilled shipments sent to Amazon Business customers in the US.
The metric tracks the percentage of applicable orders delivered during the customer’s stated operating hours. Amazon measures performance over a rolling 14-day period, making recent carrier results especially important.
Amazon says the requirement is intended to reduce unattended packages, failed delivery attempts, and deliveries made after a business has closed. Sellers can review their current rate through the Eligibilities section of the Account Health dashboard.
October 30 Is the Real Enforcement Deadline
Sellers below the 90% threshold on September 30 will not immediately lose all FBM eligibility. Amazon says it will first notify affected accounts and provide recommendations for improving performance.
If the rate remains below 90% on October 30, however, seller-fulfilled offers may be deactivated for Amazon Business customers.
The enforcement scope matters. Amazon’s announcement does not say that affected listings will be removed from the entire marketplace. Regular retail offer eligibility will remain intact, and FBA offers will not be affected by the business-hour requirement.
The commercial impact could still be meaningful for brands that depend on Amazon Business for office supplies, industrial products, professional-use beauty items, bulk consumables, or other B2B orders. Losing visibility to business buyers could reduce sales from high-volume and repeat-purchase accounts.
For more context on this customer segment, see beBOLD Digital’s guide to B2B selling on Amazon.
Carrier Performance Becomes an Amazon Business Risk
Source: Adobe Stock
The difficult part for FBM sellers is that final delivery timing is often controlled by the carrier rather than the merchant.
A shipment can leave the warehouse on time and still miss the customer’s operating hours because of route scheduling, an early business closure, or a late delivery attempt. On accounts with limited Amazon Business order volume, even a small number of misses can move the rolling rate quickly.
Amazon recommends using reliable carriers and maintaining accurate handling and transit-time settings. Sellers should also review performance by carrier, service level, destination, and warehouse before the requirement becomes enforceable.
Amazon specifically recommends enabling three tools together:
- Automated Handling Time
- Shipping Settings Automation
- Amazon Buy Shipping
According to Amazon, shipments fulfilled using all three tools are guaranteed to meet the Business Hour Delivery Rate requirement.
Sellers should begin monitoring BHDR now, investigate individual misses, and test carrier or service-level changes before the September 30 measurement date. Waiting for the first warning leaves only one month before potential Amazon Business deactivation.
beBOLD Digital’s Take
This is not simply another shipping metric. It turns carrier selection and delivery configuration into a requirement for maintaining access to Amazon Business demand.
FBM sellers should treat September as a testing period: review Account Health, identify weak delivery lanes, validate shipping settings, and decide whether selected products would be more reliable through FBA.
For help managing fulfillment settings, account health, and wider marketplace operations, explore beBOLD Digital’s Amazon account management services and contact our team for a consultation.
Sources
Amazon Seller Forums, “New Business Hour Delivery Requirement for Seller-Fulfilled Shipments”
EcomCrew, “Amazon Is Putting New Pressure on Sellers to Win B2B Customers”
Nova Analytics, “Amazon 90% Business Hour Delivery Rate Hits FBM Sellers Sept 30”
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