A small Amazon update that eases a long-standing visibility and delivery dilemma for FBM sellers…
For Fulfilment by Merchant (FBM) sellers, taking time off has traditionally come with a hidden cost – as switching on Vacation Mode made listings temporarily undiscoverable, disrupted sales momentum and often took time to recover from once normal service resumed.
But Amazon’s newly introduced Seller-Set Holidays feature changes that dynamic, bringing a genuinely practical improvement for FBM sellers who want to protect their performance and operational reality while enjoying their break.
So what’s changed exactly?
With this new update, FBM sellers can now set specific holiday dates directly within their Shipping Settings – and during these seller-defined holidays:
- Products will still be visible and buyable.
- Amazon will automatically adjust delivery promises based on closure dates.
- And that means customers will see more accurate delivery dates, and FBM Sellers can rest safe in the knowledge that they’re not returning to an uphill battle to rebuild their pre-break position.
No more Accuracy vs Visibility
For us, the most important benefit from this update is that it quietly removes one of FBM’s most frustrating trade-offs.
Before the update, FBM sellers had two poor choices; to stay visible and risk late shipments and customer dissatisfaction or to go into Vacation Mode and sacrifice sales, ranking and momentum.
Seller-Set Holidays means FBM sellers can set realistic expectations – which, after all, is what Amazon really wants – without any penalty in terms of discoverability.
It’s a meaningful change in a retail environment where delivery accuracy, customer trust and operational discipline are under the spotlight more and more.
Also – more transparency on delivery performance
And it doesn’t end there because Amazon has also introduced enhanced delivery-date transparency for FBM sellers.
How does this work?
Well, new columns have been added to FBM order reports showing:
- Handling time.
- Transit time.
- And how delivery dates are calculated per order.
And FBM Sellers can also now:
- View handling times at SKU level.
Download handling time reports via the Product-Level Shipping Preferences dashboard.
This makes it so much easier to identify where delivery promises are slipping, and to pinpoint whether any issues sit with internal handling, carrier performance or shipping settings.
What brands should do now
Like all things Amazon, this welcome update will deliver the most value if FBM Sellers use it intentionally, so now’s the time to:
- Review and update your handling times by SKU.
- Put processes in place to make sure you use Seller-Set Holidays proactively.
- Align internal operations and customer service teams to any amended delivery promises.
- Use the new reporting to identify recurring delivery risks.
- And treat delivery accuracy as a commercial KPI as well as an operational one.
The Bottom Line
Used well, this feature promises to keep FBM sellers visible, credible and compliant while they’re away, without the disruption that’s affected performance in the past.
And in an Amazon environment that increasingly rewards accuracy, reliability and discipline, this is a step toward more grown-up FBM management – removing a quiet structural risk that’s cost sellers sales, rank and customer trust for years.
But the positive momentum needn’t end here! If you’d like our expert eyes on your FBM setup, delivery settings or operational risk ahead of peak periods, we’d love to help.
To learn what we can do to boost your FBM brand to all-new heights in 2026, speak to the team today.