Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) measures how often you use valid tracking numbers on your orders. Amazon customers depend on tracking numbers to find out where their orders are and when they can expect to receive them. The Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) is a performance metric that reflects those expectations. Below are the requirements for Valid Tracking Rate:

1. You will need to provide the information mentioned below during Ship Confirm:
   
   1. The name of the carrier used for all merchant fulfilled orders; and
   2. The tracking ID for merchant fulfilled orders that are shipped with a tracked ship/delivery service method.
   3. Ensure that you enter the above information as soon as you hand over your package to the delivery service provider, as tracking information normally takes up to 72 hrs for the VTR report and metric to reflect the changes. Providing tracking numbers post-delivery will be counted as a VTR defect.
   Please refer to the Tracking FAQ help page here for more information.
2. You will be required to reach 95% Valid Tracking Rate (VTR):
   
   1. Domestic Shipments: From April 19, 2021, your domestic shipments through Amazon.it over a rolling 30-day period (i.e. if you ship from an address in Italy to a delivery address in Italy). We will measure the VTR for merchant fulfilled shipments on category level. VTR will be measured for all domestic shipments shipped through integrated carriers excluding shipments that are shipped with an untracked ship method. However, please be aware that for calculating VTR, we can only exclude shipments from untracked ship methods if you provide the name of an untracked ship method that is identical to one in the Delivery service drop-down menu of the Confirm shipment page (you can also refer to the carrier and ship method list here).
   2. Shipments out of China directly to customers: From August 09, 2021, you are required to use a shipping service provider that is ship track integrated with Amazon for all items purchased on Amazon.it that are shipped to customers directly from China; and
      • For all shipments with a value below 5 EUR, including shipping charges, use a tracked ship method that provides at least one carrier scan;
      • For all packages with a value of equal to or above 5 EUR, including shipping charges, use a fully tracked ship method that provides at least two scans (including a delivery scan/attempt).

      We require a Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) of 95% or more over a rolling 30-day period measured on all your merchant fulfilled packages shipped from China. We will measure the VTR for merchant fulfilled shipments at a category level and per Amazon store (e.g. Amazon.it). We may suspend Merchant Fulfilled orders in a category in that you do not reach a VTR of 95%. This will not affect the MFN offers in other categories nor your FBA offers. If any of your listings get suspended, you can submit a Plan of Action and apply for reinstatement by emailing op-pso-vtr-appeals@amazon.it. If your appeal is approved, your merchant-fulfilled listings in the affected category will be restored.

      Some correct carrier names for the CN out carries are (case-sensitivity applies) 4PX, China Post, DHL eCommerce, JCEX, SFC, SF Express, Yanwen, Yun Express, WanbExpress, Chukou1, FedEx, UPS, TNT,DHL, CNE, UBI Equick, Sunyou, YDH.

VTR only applies to seller fulfilled orders.

Calculating VTR

To calculate this metric, we take the number of packages you ship with a valid tracking number and divide it by the total number of packages you have shipped and confirmed. VTR is expressed as a percentage. For example, if you confirmed shipment for 200 packages, and 190 of those packages had a valid tracking number, your Valid Tracking Rate would be 95% (190 ÷ 200 = .95 or 95%)

We use promised delivery date to determine which orders are included in the performance metric. Your Valid Tracking Rate has a two-week latency period, which allows the data enough time to be statistically relevant.

The following items are not included in the VTR calculation:

• Domestic packages shipped by carrier/shipping service provider not integrated with Amazon.
• Domestic packages shipped with untracked delivery services/ship methods
• Digital products, e.g. audio book
• Cross border shipments in EU, e.g. shipments that are ordered on Amazon.it and are shipped from an EU country other than Italy
• International shipments (excluding shipments that are shipped from China): International packages that are ordered on Amazon.it but shipped from outside Italy or China

You can monitor your category level VTR in this dashboard here.

Amazon Integrated Carriers

Sellers are encouraged to use carriers from the following lists to ship their packages as these carriers provide real-time tracking status to Amazon. This helps reduce buyer contacts and improve seller feedback ratings. We currently support tracking information as verified by the following integrated carriers (case-sensitivity applies): For Domestic shipments: BRT, DHL, Energo, GLS, Nexive, Poste Italiane, SDA, TNT, UPS

For China-out shipments: 4PX, China Post, DHL eCommerce, JCEX, SFC, SF Express, Yanwen, Yun Express, WanbExpress, Chukou1, Fedex, UPS, TNT, DHL, CNE, UBI, Equick, Sunyou, YDH

Viewing VTR Metric & Report

• To view your VTR metric:
  • From the Performance menu, select Account Health.
  • Locate Shipping Performance section and click view details.
  • You can see your VALID VTR Metric here. Note that only orders included in your current VTR defect report are counting against your metric. If the report contains no orders, it means that all your orders have a valid tracking.
• To download the VTR defect report:
  • Click Download Report in the Shipping Performance section.
  • Filter by carrier and/or product category.

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

Editing Tracking Information

Before the delivery date, you can edit order tracking information.

• Go to Orders, and then Manage Orders.
• Check 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.

Best Practices to Successfully Upload Tracking Information

• Tracking number – Verify:
  • You entered the tracking number correctly and on time (before delivery).
  • You did not leave the tracking information blank.
  • You did not enter special characters (such as punctuation), which our system can't recognize in the tracking information.
• Carrier Name and Delivery Service – Verify:
  • You selected a carrier and delivery service, if applicable, from the drop-down menu in the Manage Orders page.
  • Confirm multiple order dispatches with feeds
  • You entered 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.
    • If you confirmed your shipment in the Manage Orders page, check that you have selected a carrier and shipping service from the drop-down menu in the page.
      Note: Only manually add a carrier name in the free-form text field “Other” when the carrier you are using is not present in the drop down.
  • The carrier name you entered is associated with the tracking number you entered
    • For example, if you use to ship a package, but enter as the carrier name, the tracking will be marked as invalid.
• Shipment confirmation and Update:
  • Make sure to confirm/update the tracking information before the order is delivered.
    • If the tracking information is confirmed/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 count toward your Valid Tracking Rate metric.

FAQs

Are partially tracked ship methods accepted as valid tracking IDs to calculate VTR for Domestic shipments?

If the ship method receives at least one scan it will be considered valid for the purpose of measuring VTR.

Can I confirm merchant fulfilled orders without inputting a tracking ID?

You can ship confirm orders without tracking ID for untracked ship methods. Tracking IDs are required for all orders shipped with a tracked ship method.

What are the benefits of providing tracking information?

Providing valid tracking numbers can have a number of benefits:

• Fewer buyer contacts: Reduce the amount of time you spend answering shipping-related questions.
• Decreased order defects
• Protection from A-to-z Guarantee claims: Without tracking, you may not be able to defend any "Order not received" A-to-z Guarantee claims.
• 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 shipment costs: If a package is lost in transit, you can use tracking to find out where it was lost and then determine responsibility.

Can I confirm merchant fulfilled orders without inputting carrier name?

No, you will not be able to ship confirm orders without inputting a valid carrier name. Delay in ship confirming orders can impact your Late Shipment Rate (LSR) which may lead to account suspension (find more details here). Also, Amazon will automatically cancel orders when seven days have passed since the expected shipping availability date if you have not yet shipped and confirmed the shipment (find more details here).

If my Shipments do not reach a 95% VTR, when will I be suspended?

You are expected to meet a 95% VTR from April 19, meaning we will review the first 30 days’ delivery performance on May 19, 2021. From May 19, you may receive an email notification if your VTR does not meet 95% at the category level in the last 30 days. The impacted selection may be suspended in the category level if 95% in the last 30 days is not met. To reinstate suspended selection, you will need to submit a plan of action, which will need to be approved.

What is the policy for cross-border shipments?

For example, if you are a UK based seller shipping to customers in the EU, you are not required to provide tracking information unless you are using a tracked ship method. When you select your carrier and ship method, you’ll be prompted to provide the tracking ID if the ship method is tracked.

BRT is providing tracking IDs the day after. How can I ship confirm my orders?

We successfully integrated the ‘Customer Parcel ID’ (15 digits) on Amazon. The tracking ID that BRT provides on the same day (after the label creation) allows you to input that tracking ID instead of the ‘Shipment reference’ (12 digits) to ship confirm orders, and the customer will be able to see the status of the order. If you already have an automatic process in place and confirm shipment with a BRT tracking ID, and you see your tracking rate is >95%, we suggest you to keep using the current ‘Shipment reference’.

What should I do if I do not use an integrated shipping service provider or use self-delivery?

Use shipping service provider name as ‘Other’ and provide us the name of your non-integrated shipping service provider and ship method. Also provide us with the tracking information if available so that customers can still track their orders through the shipping service provider website.Shipments sent through non-integrated shipping service providers will not be considered while calculating VTR performance. If you deliver shipments through your own logistics, please select ‘Self Delivery’ as the carrier name from the seller central drop down on the shipment confirm page.

I am unable to ship confirm a shipment despite entering a correct tracking ID.

If you use an integrated delivery service provider, please ensure that you enter the tracking number correctly, and that you confirm the order according to the guidelines. For additional details, go to Tracking FAQ. If you are unable to ship-confirm despite entering a correct tracking number, please ensure you selected the correct Delivery Service/ship method against your selected carrier.

If the issue persists, please select ‘Other’ as delivery service/ship method and leave the ‘Delivery Service’ text box as blank to ship confirm the shipment and contact Selling Partner Support for help. If you are ship confirming through bulk feed or APIs or integrators, please leave the ship-method as blank to ship confirm the shipment and contact Selling Partner Support for help.

I am unable to ship confirm a shipment despite entering a carrier name.

If you are unable to ship confirm due to an error in Carrier Name input, please provide us with a Carrier Name/code as below-

a) When using Seller Central, please select the carrier name from the drop-down list. If your preferred carrier name is not listed, please use ‘Other’ and enter the carrier name manually in the text box.

b) When using bulk feed, please enter the ‘carrier code’ against each line item. If you mention ‘Other’ in the ‘carrier code’ field, please provide an input for the ‘carrier name’ field. Please ensure that the ‘carrier code’ you provide matches the list of carriers available in the Seller Central drop-down. A detailed instruction on how to use bulk feed can be found here: https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/G641.

c) When using integrators, please configure your integrators to provide us with the carrier name. If you have not already configured your integrator to provide these fields, we recommend you reach out to your integrator to understand how to share carrier name while confirming orders. Please ensure that the ‘carrier code’ you provide matches the list of carriers available in the Seller Central drop-down. If you use an integrator and want to learn about how to provide this information, see the Delivery Request Details page: https://docs.developer.amazonservices.com/en_US/merch_fulfill/MerchFulfill_Datatypes.html#ShipmentRequestDetails

d) When using Buy Shipping, there is no action required. We automatically collect data on the carrier and delivery method used through this system.

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

If you do not provide 95% VTR as required by the policy, all Merchant Fulfilled Network offers in the impacted category may be suspended. This will not affect the MFN offers in other categories or your FBA offers. If any of your listings get suspended, you can submit a Plan of Action and apply for reinstatement by emailing op-pso-vtr-appeals@amazon.com. If your appeal is approved, your merchant-fulfilled listings in the affected category will be restored.

My shipping service provider does not provide tracking IDs, What should I do?

In case you are using a tracked ship method, we recommend you contact your shipping service provider and provide us the tracking IDs. If you are using an untracked ship method, you are not required to provide us a tracking ID for domestic and cross-border deliveries.

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

Below are some of the carrier and ship method combinations that provide a full track service for CN-out shipments

Carrier Name	Ship 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

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) FAQs

For more information, go to Valid Tracking Rate FAQ.

Tracking number FAQ

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