If your group fulfils Amazon.it orders from its own warehouse (FBM), Amazon now expects at least 90% of units to arrive by the promised date. The rule applies from 15 July 2026; from 1 September 2026 sellers below the threshold risk having non-compliant offers deactivated or losing the right to create new self-fulfilled offers. A second 90% threshold covers deliveries to Amazon Business customers within business hours: non-compliant B2B offers are deactivated from 30 October 2026.
Amazon announced these changes for the Italian store on 29 June 2026, together with a shorter default handling time and new customs obligations for shipments from outside the EU. For a group that serves Italy from a central European or non-EU warehouse, they change how the Italian store has to be run.
Based on Amazon’s Seller Central announcements for Amazon.it, checked in October 2026. Exact thresholds sit in the programme terms: always check the Account Health dashboard.
What is the on-time delivery rate on Amazon.it?
It is the share of merchant-fulfilled units delivered by the delivery date promised to the customer. The target is 90% or higher from 15 July 2026, measured in the Account Health dashboard.
What counts is the promise, not the dispatch. A parcel shipped on time but promised in two days and delivered in three is late. For cross-border fulfilment into Italy, realistic transit times matter as much as warehouse speed.
What happens below 90%?
From 1 September 2026 Amazon may deactivate non-compliant offers or remove the ability to create new merchant-fulfilled offers. You are notified first, with recommendations to recover. For a brand that runs Italy as one store among several, that is a catalogue-wide risk on a single market.
We read the Account Health dashboard with you and show which SKUs and carriers are pulling the rate down. The first 30-minute call is free.
What has changed for handling time?
From 15 July 2026 the account-level default handling time on Amazon.it can only be 0 or 1 day; accounts set at 2 days were moved to 1. Longer handling times are still allowed per SKU. From 1 September 2026, if a SKU’s handling time exceeds actual performance by a day or more for over 30 days, Amazon switches on automated handling time for it. Amazon’s reasoning: 90% of FBM orders in Italy already ship within one day.
What is the business-hours delivery rate?
It applies to merchant-fulfilled orders from Amazon Business customers at business addresses, and measures how many arrive while the business is open. The threshold is 90% from 30 September 2026; from 30 October non-compliant offers to Amazon Business customers are deactivated. Amazon provides a carrier report in Account Health and a list of the best-performing carriers for the European stores. If B2B is part of your plan, as we explain in Amazon Business in Europe, this metric needs an owner now.
Which orders are excluded from the calculation?
Orders handled with three Amazon tools together do not count towards either on-time delivery or business-hours delivery: automated handling time, shipping settings automation and Buy Shipping. In practice the carrier-delay risk moves largely to Amazon. For a group with its own carrier contracts this is a trade-off between rates and metric protection, and it is often the fastest way to stabilise an account that is drifting below the threshold.
Automated handling time, shipping settings automation and Buy Shipping have to be set up together and on the right part of the catalogue. We do it daily on the accounts we manage.
How does the valid tracking rate fit in?
It is a separate, older rule with a higher bar: at least 95% of shipments with valid tracking, per category. Since 15 January 2025 every carrier counts, and cross-border shipments between Italy and Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Austria or Sweden are included, except orders under €20 sent as letters. Tracking also feeds the decision on «item not received» A-to-z claims.
What changes for shipments from outside the EU?
Since 1 July 2026 shipments from non-EU countries to EU customers must follow the reformed EU customs rules. You need an approved carrier able to provide the right customs documentation, and for consignments of €150 or less imported under IOSS you must give the carrier Amazon’s IOSS number and the ASIN details of every product in the parcel.
Can you close for holidays without hiding the catalogue?
Yes. Since 1 January 2026 you can set closure days in the shipping settings: products stay visible and Amazon adjusts promised delivery dates automatically. Previously the only option was holiday mode, which made offers unavailable. With country-specific public holidays across Europe, this matters for a multi-store group.
Transit times, carriers, customs and closures across Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Poland and Turkey: we keep them under control every week.
Frequently asked questions
Is the threshold 90% or 95%?
Both, for different metrics: 90% for on-time delivery and business-hours delivery, 95% for valid tracking.
Does a carrier’s delay count against us?
Yes, if you shipped with your own carrier: the promise to the customer is what counts. Orders handled with automated handling time, shipping settings automation and Buy Shipping are excluded.
Do these rules apply to the other European stores?
The changes described here were announced for Amazon.it. Other stores have their own performance targets: check each store’s Account Health dashboard.
We monitor delivery metrics, carriers and handling times across Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Poland and Turkey as part of our Amazon account management. If your Italian store is drifting towards a threshold, that is where to start.
Suspensions, performance, compliance: talk it through with someone who does it daily. The 30-minute call is free.
