What changed about Amazon OTDR enforcement?

Previously, if your account OTDR fell below 90%, Amazon deactivated all your FBM listings. Now, only the individual listings with the worst delivery performance get deactivated. Your other listings keep selling.

When does the new OTDR enforcement take effect?

The listing-level enforcement model goes live on February 28, 2026 for the US marketplace.

How can I protect my FBM listings?

Enable Shipping Settings Automation (SSA), set accurate handling times, and use Buy Shipping to purchase labels. These signals help Amazon track delivery performance accurately at the listing level.

Did the OTDR threshold change?

No. The 90% On-Time Delivery Rate threshold remains the same. Only the enforcement mechanism changed from account-wide to listing-level.

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Important

Operations

Amazon Narrows OTDR Enforcement

Antoine

February 25, 2026

4 min

Summarize with AI

CEO at Nova Analytics

Antoine founded Nova Analytics to empower Amazon sellers with enterprise-grade analytics. He specializes in data architecture and building scalable solutions for e-commerce businesses.

Quick Summary

•Feb 28, 2026: OTDR enforcement shifts from account-level to listing-level deactivation
•Only your worst-performing FBM listings get deactivated, not your entire catalog
•90% OTDR threshold unchanged. Use SSA, accurate handling times, and Buy Shipping for protection
•UK marketplace rolling out tiered enforcement model that could expand globally

Nova surfaces every Amazon fee, refund, and margin shift in your live P&L, across 23 marketplaces. Check the SKU-level breakdown

What's Happening

Amazon is changing how it enforces On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR) for Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) sellers. Starting February 28, 2026, only your worst-performing listings face deactivation when delivery performance drops below 90%. Previously, Amazon would deactivate all your FBM listings if your overall account OTDR fell below the threshold. The pattern with these announcements: cockpit views show the impact before sellers get the email from Amazon.

This is a significant improvement. Under the old system, one problematic shipping route could take down your entire FBM catalog. Now, Amazon isolates the problem. If 3 out of your 200 listings consistently ship late, only those 3 get deactivated. The other 197 keep selling.

The 90% OTDR target hasn't changed. What's changed is the consequence of missing it. Amazon's also rolling out a tiered enforcement model in the UK that could expand to other marketplaces later in 2026.

OTDR Threshold

90%

On-time delivery target unchanged

Enforcement Scope

Listing

Only worst performers deactivated

Effective Date

Feb 28

2026, US marketplace

Key Dates & Deadlines

Feb 28, 2026

New Enforcement Goes Live

Amazon switches OTDR enforcement from account-level to listing-level deactivation

Before Feb 28

Old System

All FBM listings deactivated when account OTDR dropped below 90%

Ongoing

90% OTDR Target

On-Time Delivery Rate threshold remains at 90% for all sellers

Old System vs. New System

Aspect	Before Feb 28	After Feb 28
Enforcement level	Account-wide	Individual listing
OTDR below 90%	All FBM listings deactivated	Only worst-performing listings deactivated
Impact on good listings	Deactivated alongside bad ones	Protected, keep selling
Recovery	Fix account OTDR, appeal for all	Fix individual listing delivery, reactivate

Impact on FBM Sellers

Reduced Business Risk

This is genuinely good news for FBM sellers. One bad carrier route or seasonal shipping delay no longer threatens your entire catalog. Your top-performing listings stay active even when some underperform.

Protection Requirements Still Apply

To maximize protection, Amazon recommends using Shipping Settings Automation (SSA), setting accurate handling times (AHT), and purchasing shipping labels through Buy Shipping. These signals help Amazon track delivery performance more accurately at the listing level.

Chronic Late Listings Still at Risk

If specific listings consistently miss delivery windows, they'll be deactivated. This targets sellers who ship certain products from distant warehouses or use unreliable carriers for specific routes. Fix the root cause or lose the listing.

What You Should Do Now

1.
Audit Listing-Level Delivery Performance
Pull your FBM shipping reports and identify which listings have OTDR below 90%. These are the ones at risk of deactivation under the new system.
2.
Enable Shipping Settings Automation
SSA automatically adjusts delivery promises based on your actual shipping speed. This prevents over-promising and reduces late deliveries that trigger deactivation.
3.
Use Buy Shipping for Tracking Accuracy
Amazon tracks delivery performance more accurately when you use their shipping labels. This ensures on-time deliveries get properly credited to your OTDR.
4.
Set Realistic Handling Times
Review your Accurate Handling Time (AHT) settings. If you're promising 1-day handling but consistently need 2 days, update your settings to avoid unnecessary late marks.

How Nova Helps

Track Performance by Listing

Nova's Day-to-Day Performance dashboard helps you spot listings with declining metrics before they hit deactivation thresholds. Catch problems early instead of reacting to enforcement.

Use Winners & Losers to identify which FBM listings are underperforming and need operational attention.

Sources

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Verified Sources

All information verified from official Amazon sources and trusted industry analysts as of publication date.

Deep Dive: Related Guides

For more comprehensive analysis on these topics:

→ Amazon Seller Central Guide 2026: Master Your Dashboard

Amazon Seller Central explained: every dashboard tab, all 18 reports decoded, and the data gaps Nova fills for FBA and FBM operators in 2026.

Quick Summary

What's Happening

OTDR Threshold

Enforcement Scope

Effective Date

Key Dates & Deadlines

Old System vs. New System

Impact on FBM Sellers

Reduced Business Risk

Protection Requirements Still Apply

Chronic Late Listings Still at Risk

What You Should Do Now

How Nova Helps

Track Performance by Listing

Sources

Ready to Transform Your Amazon Business?

Verified Sources

Deep Dive: Related Guides

Ask Claude about your Amazon data

Ask Claude about your Amazon data

What's Happening

OTDR Threshold

Enforcement Scope

Effective Date

Key Dates & Deadlines

Old System vs. New System

Impact on FBM Sellers

Reduced Business Risk

Protection Requirements Still Apply

Chronic Late Listings Still at Risk

What You Should Do Now

How Nova Helps

Track Performance by Listing

Sources

Ready to Transform Your Amazon Business?

Frequently Asked Questions

What changed about Amazon OTDR enforcement?

When does the new OTDR enforcement take effect?

How can I protect my FBM listings?

Did the OTDR threshold change?

Frequently Asked Questions

What changed about Amazon OTDR enforcement?

When does the new OTDR enforcement take effect?

How can I protect my FBM listings?

Did the OTDR threshold change?