What is Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP)?
Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) lets third-party sellers display the Prime badge on listings they ship from their own warehouse or 3PL. You get the Prime conversion boost without FBA storage fees, but you must maintain strict performance metrics and meet the program's delivery speed thresholds. SFP eliminates FBA's per-unit fulfillment, monthly storage, and inbound placement fees — you pay your own shipping and warehouse costs instead, and operate under weekly performance reviews.
Listings that gain Prime eligibility through SFP for the first time typically see a significant sales uplift (third-party reporting suggests 50%+ in the first months) and conversion rate increases over standard FBM listings. The Prime badge is the entire value proposition, and Amazon will pull it the moment your metrics slip.
Three tiers: Pre-qualification, Trial, and Maintain enrollment
SFP has three distinct stages. Each has its own performance bar and its own failure mode.
- Pre-qualification — measured over a rolling 90-day window. The minimum bar to apply.
- Trial — a 30-day active evaluation period after pre-qualification. The Prime badge does not display during the trial.
- Maintain enrollment — weekly performance cycle. This is the ongoing bar to keep the Prime badge on your listings.
Pre-qualification requirements
| Metric | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Seller-fulfilled packages (last 90 days) | ≥ 100 |
| Cancellation rate (90-day rolling) | < 2.5% |
| Valid tracking rate (90-day rolling) | > 95% |
| Late shipment rate (90-day rolling) | < 4% |
| Selling account | Professional |
| Default shipping address | US domestic |
Pre-qualification is a gate, not a guarantee. Amazon looks at the past 90 days of self-fulfilled orders to confirm you can run a real fulfillment operation. If your cancellation rate is at 2.4%, you are technically eligible — but the actual trial will require 0.5%, and one bad day of cancellations will put you at 5x the trial threshold.
30-day trial requirements
| Metric | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Prime trial orders shipped | ≥ 100 (over the 30 days) |
| Cancellation rate | < 0.5% |
| Valid tracking rate | ≥ 99% |
| On-time delivery rate (OTDR) | ≥ 93.5% |
| Handling time | 0-day (ship before 2:00 PM weekdays, 10:30 AM Saturdays) |
| Trial attempts per calendar year | ≤ 3 (effective June 29, 2025) |
Amazon notifies you two days before trial graduation. The trial is blocked during the 30 days before Prime Day and the Black Friday through Christmas window. OTDR dropped from 97% to 93.5% in June 2025 — a seller-friendly change because the old bar was punishing during peak season. Late deliveries from carrier or weather disruptions on Amazon Buy Shipping (OTDR Protected) labels do not count against your OTDR.
Maintain enrollment requirements (post-trial)
| Metric | Threshold | Recommended buffer |
|---|---|---|
| On-time delivery rate (weekly) | ≥ 93.5% | ≥ 95% |
| Valid tracking rate | ≥ 99% | ≥ 99.5% |
| Cancellation rate | < 0.5% | < 0.3% |
| Monthly Prime volume | ≥ 100 packages, spread across weeks | — |
Sellers get up to three trial attempts per calendar year. Failed trials count toward this limit, and you must re-qualify before each attempt. A three-strike system (introduced June 2025) replaces immediate suspensions: first miss on a metric gives a warning email, second disables Prime offers, third revokes enrollment. Four consecutive clean weeks clear a strike; strikes are tracked per metric, not cumulatively.
July 6, 2026 delivery speed changes
Amazon announced on May 26, 2026 that SFP delivery speed thresholds will be raised across all three size tiers starting July 6, 2026. A new zip-code-level delivery promise tool launches in September 2026. Weekends are excluded from speed metric evaluation until October 17, 2026.
Standard-size items
| Speed | Current | July 6, 2026+ |
|---|---|---|
| One-day | ≥ 30% of Prime page views | ≥ 40% |
| Two-day | ≥ 70% | ≥ 75% |
| Five-day | ≥ 90% | ≥ 90% (unchanged) |
Oversize items
| Speed | Current | July 6, 2026+ |
|---|---|---|
| One-day | ≥ 10% | ≥ 15% |
| Five-day | — | ≥ 80% (new threshold) |
Extra-large items (longest side 96+ in OR 50+ lb OR large TV)
| Speed | Current | July 6, 2026+ |
|---|---|---|
| Two-day | — | ≥ 25% |
| Five-day | — | ≥ 60% (new threshold) |
Sellers who already meet the updated thresholds do not need to take action. All other SFP eligibility requirements (93.5% OTDR, 99% valid tracking, weekend pickup, etc.) are unchanged. The new pressure is purely on delivery speed.
Operational requirements
- Saturday delivery required (six-day operations, Monday through Saturday).
- Zero-day handling time: ship before 2:00 PM weekdays, 10:30 AM on Saturdays.
- Free one-day, two-day, and standard shipping for Prime customers.
- Free nationwide standard shipping for all customers.
- Free returns on items under 50 lb.
- Amazon-approved carriers only (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, regional carriers like OnTrac and LaserShip).
- Amazon Buy Shipping is strongly encouraged for OTDR Protection — late deliveries from carrier or weather disruptions on these labels do not count against your OTDR.
Real-world example
Scenario: Standard-size seller, 120 self-fulfilled packages in the last 90 days, 1.5% cancellation, 97% tracking, 2% late, 94% OTDR, currently not enrolled, planning to apply.
Pre-qualification check: All four 90-day metrics pass (120 ≥ 100, 1.5% < 2.5%, 97% > 95%, 2% < 4%). Status: pre-qualification eligible.
Trial readiness score: 0.5% cancellation, 99% tracking, 93.5% OTDR are the trial thresholds. Current: cancellation OK with buffer, tracking is 2 points below trial threshold, OTDR is 0.5 points above trial threshold. Trial readiness score: ~60/100 (yellow).
Maintain enrollment risk: Medium. Tracking and OTDR are at or near the trial thresholds, leaving no buffer for graduation. Increasing tracking to 99.5%+ and OTDR to 95%+ before applying is recommended.
Delivery speed check (July 6, 2026+): Standard 35%/72%/92%. Required: 40%/75%/90%. Gap: 5% one-day, 3% two-day. Status: at risk for one-day, marginal for two-day.
What this checker includes
- Pre-qualification pass/fail (90-day metrics + account type + US domestic).
- Trial readiness score (composite of how far above the 30-day thresholds the seller's current metrics sit).
- Maintain-enrollment risk (Low / Medium / High) based on OTDR, cancellation, and tracking trajectory.
- Delivery speed gap analysis for current and July 6, 2026+ thresholds.
- Weekend operations flag (warning if Saturday delivery is not enabled).
- Buy Shipping (OTDR Protected) status flag.
- Recommended action: Ready to apply / Prepare before trial / At risk after July 6 / Not ready.
What this checker does not include
- Any SFP program fees, per-order charges, or shipping label costs (unconfirmed at the official level; varies by account).
- Live pulls from Seller Central (this is a planning tool, not an integration).
- FBA vs SFP cost comparison (use the Amazon Shipping Calculator for that).
- Multi-marketplace rules outside the US (SFP is currently a US-only program).
- Specific graduation freeze dates for 2026 (Prime Day and Black Friday windows vary; Amazon publishes the exact dates in Seller Central).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for Amazon SFP pre-qualification?
SFP pre-qualification is measured over a rolling 90-day window: at least 100 seller-fulfilled packages shipped, cancellation rate below 2.5%, valid tracking rate above 95%, and late shipment rate below 4%. You must also have a Professional selling account and a US domestic default shipping address.
What is the 30-day SFP trial requirement?
The 30-day SFP trial requires shipping at least 100 Prime trial orders while maintaining an on-time delivery rate of 93.5% or higher, a valid tracking rate of 99% or higher, and a seller-initiated cancellation rate below 0.5%. You also need zero-day handling time (ship before 2:00 PM weekdays, 10:30 AM Saturdays). Amazon may pause trial completions during Prime Day and Black Friday through Christmas freeze windows.
How many SFP trial attempts am I allowed per year?
As of June 29, 2025, sellers get up to three SFP trial attempts per calendar year. Failed trials count toward this limit, and you must re-qualify before each attempt. Fail all three and you are locked out until the next calendar year.
What is changing for SFP on July 6, 2026?
Effective July 6, 2026, Amazon is raising the minimum SFP delivery speed thresholds across all three size tiers. Standard-size items: 40% one-day (up from 30%), 75% two-day (up from 70%), 90% five-day (unchanged). Oversize: 15% one-day (up from 10%), 80% five-day (new). Extra-large: 25% two-day (up from 15%), 60% five-day (new). Weekends are excluded from speed metric evaluation until October 17, 2026. A new zip-code-level delivery promise tool launches in September 2026.
What is the difference between FBA and SFP?
FBA means Amazon stores and ships your inventory from its warehouses — you pay per-unit fulfillment plus monthly storage fees. SFP means you ship from your own warehouse or 3PL, and the Prime badge is displayed on your listings. SFP eliminates FBA fulfillment, storage, and placement fees, but you must maintain strict performance metrics (93.5% OTDR, 99% valid tracking, below 0.5% cancellation, monthly Prime volume).
Does this checker pull live data from Seller Central?
No. This is a planning tool, not an official Amazon eligibility decision. You input your own current metrics and the checker returns a pass/fail assessment against the published thresholds. Verify your current status and requirements in Seller Central before applying for or relying on SFP eligibility.
Does this checker estimate SFP program fees?
No. This checker does not estimate any Seller Fulfilled Prime program fees or shipping label costs. SFP program fees (if any apply to your account) are account-specific. Verify current account-specific fees in Seller Central.