Amazon have identified that the VTR calculation was not correctly recognising that Royal Mail 1st class and Royal Mail 2nd class ship methods require a barcode ID. They made these updates on 20th July, so if you were selecting these ship methods and not providing the barcode IDs as outlined in all policy communications, you may have seen your VTR decrease. Amazon have apologised for the VTR Royal Mail confusion.
1 Which Royal Mail Ship Methods are included in VTR calculations?
Amazon require parcel IDs or tracking IDs for all Royal Mail ship methods, including delivery confirmation ship methods, such as Royal Mail 24®/48® and Royal Mail 1st and 2nd class small and medium parcel. If you are using a Royal Mail product that does not have a 2D barcode, please ensure you contact your Royal Mail account manager, or contact Royal Mail here, to set up these services before the 8th of August 2021. It may take up to 10 days to have these services set up. If you are not eligible for Royal Mail 24®/48 and ship only ship letter sized products (100 g, 24 x 16.5 x 0.5 cm), then you should select Stamps/Franking from the dropdown.
2 How do I obtain parcel ID if I use Royal Mail 24®/48® or 1st or 2nd Class?
If you use Royal Mail 24®/48® or 1st or 2nd Class small or medium parcel to deliver your packages, then you must provide the unique parcel ID, located above the 2D barcode on the label. This will allow Amazon to provide customers with a delivery scan event. If you are using a Royal Mail 24®/48® or 1st or 2nd Class product that does not have a barcode, you should ensure you contact your Royal Mail account manager, or contact Royal Mail here, to set up these services. You will not be able to dispatch confirm an order using a Royal Mail 24®/48® delivery method unless you provide the parcel ID.
3 Are scan events provided for Royal Mail 24®, Royal 48®, Royal Mail 1st Class, and Royal Mail 2nd Class?
Yes. If you are using a Royal Mail 24®, Royal Mail 48®, 1st Class or 2nd Class product that offers a delivery confirmation, Amazon will receive this once the product is scanned on delivery. This will provide visibility to sellers, customers and Amazon of delivery. If you are using one of these products without a barcode, you should ensure you contact your Royal Mail account manager, or contact Royal Mail directly, to set up these services. You will not be able to confirm delivery of an order using a Royal Mail 24®, Royal Mail 48®, 1st Class or 2nd Class delivery method unless you provide the parcel ID.
4 What happens if my delivery service provider fails to scan my packages?
Amazon recommend the following if your Amazon VTR Royal Mail scans aren’t being captured:
- Speak to your Delivery Service Provider
Try and find a resolution with them. You should also review your labels to ensure you are using the right delivery method and that labels are being printed correctly.
- Check your tracking/parcel ID
Always make sure you or your integrator provides the correct name of your delivery service provider, the delivery service used, and the tracking or parcel ID. You may receive a VTR warning as a result of low scan rate. However, we will validate ‘unscanned’ tracking or parcel IDs with the integrated delivery service provider prior to 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 (e.g. RM 24 / 48 or 1st Class 2nd Class).
- Buy Shipping
Consider using Buy Shipping, which allows you to buy shipping labels through the Seller Central interface. With Buy Shipping, the delivery service provider, delivery method and tracking ID are automatically provided by the delivery services provider to Amazon, and all tracking IDs received by Amazon through Buy Shipping are considered valid. In the UK, DPD, Hermes, Amazon Shipping and Royal Mail delivery methods are available through Buy Shipping. You can access Amazon-negotiated rate cards or, for Royal Mail, you can link your accounts to benefit from your own rates. For more details on how to use Buy Shipping, see the Use Buy Shipping services Help page.
8 Responses
Amazon hasn’t apologised to me.
They have advised me that I fall well below the 95% VTR and I may be suspended if I continue.
I contacted my Royal MAil account manager who quoted that Amazon didn’t and shouldn’t take RM24/48 services into account as there is no barcode scan, except on delivery, when RM can be bothered.
I got the usual Amazon bot that responded to my message. The one that uses AI and can’t work out what language I am speaking or what the hell I am talking about.
After me replying giving it 1 star out of 5 I got a more coherent reply and I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I’m in the same situation – VTR below 95%.
I don’t understand the last part “Buy Shipping” solution – so if I’ll buy RM 24/48 through Amazon – it won’t count against me if RM won’t scan it on delivery?!?! It’s still exactly the same service…
Buy Shipping from Amazon is bugged, or at least it was. I sent 3 items using Amazon shipping and all of them showed up on the VTR report as invalid.
This is stupid, if you buy postage over the counter large letters do NOT have a bar code ID only small packets. So effectively I have to cheat the system and mark it sent with stamps / franked, buy shipping through amazon or pay extra for a fully tracked service which more often than not is not even wanted by the customer as they won’t be home to sign for it. More bull…. that isn’t needed by Amazon.
For me, I think this is the important bit here:
“Your offers will not be suspended if you have provided valid IDs, including for all parcels that have not been scanned by the carrier.”
Click and drop should be OK to use without any risk of getting suspended. Easier still if Amazon is integrated with it. Amazon can just check all the details and see they’re correct. Doesn’t matter if postie scans or not.
This is really frustrating. I mostly deal with large appliances/white goods & use special van service to deliver these goods. I used to add ”special transport” using other carrier still it’s showing invalid. When i spoke / chat with around 5 seller support agents they keep sending me links to read which has no instructions how to avoid this shit. I’m selling on Amazon for last 11 years & they are sending me warnings to deactivate the categories & today they sent me warning for my account bcz of this VTR. CLAP
Gav, I’m holding them to that and if they back down on it, I’m walking away.
Joe B,
If it came down to it, I’d walk away too.