Amazon Performance Metrics Explained: Every Account Health Metric, the Threshold Amazon Sets and How to Bring Each One Back
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Thresholds are checked quarterly and can change without notice. Amazon performance metrics, also called seller metrics, are the numbers Amazon tracks on the Account Health page to decide whether a seller is meeting its standards. They fall into three groups: customer service performance, policy compliance, and shipping performance. This guide defines every metric Amazon tracks, states its current threshold, and covers how to bring each one back if it slips.
The Account Health page and the Account Health Rating
Account Health, found in Seller Central's Performance section, is where every metric in this guide lives side by side, along with any policy warnings. Amazon rolls the metrics and the policy record up into a single Account Health Rating (AHR) score out of 1,000: 200 to 1,000 is Healthy, 100 to 199 is At Risk, and below 100 is Critical, where the account is at risk of deactivation.
A metric "at risk" (trending toward a threshold) is different from an actual policy violation (a specific rule breach, like a Communication Guidelines violation). The Account Health page shows both, and it is worth checking at least weekly, more often if anything is trending the wrong way.
Metrics at a glance
Metric | What it measures | Window | Threshold | On breach |
| Order Defect Rate (ODR) | Negative feedback, granted A-to-z claims, chargebacks | 60 days | Under 1% | Buy Box loss, warning, suspension risk |
| Late Shipment Rate (LSR) | Orders shipped after the expected ship date, FBM only | 10 and 30 days | Under 4% | Warning, listing or account risk |
| Pre-fulfilment Cancellation Rate | Orders a seller cancels before shipping, FBM only | 7 days | Under 2.5% | Warning, account risk |
| Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) | Orders with a valid, on-time tracking number, FBM only | 30 days | 95% or above | Warning, account risk |
| Invoice Defect Rate (IDR) | Amazon Business orders invoiced late or incorrectly | 7 days; 1 business day to invoice | Under 5% | Warning, suspension risk |
| Contact Response Time | Buyer messages answered within 24 hours | Rolling | See the 24-hour rule guide | Warning, account risk |
Order Defect Rate
ODR is the percentage of orders with at least one of three defects: negative feedback, an A-to-z claim granted against the seller, or a chargeback claim. Amazon expects ODR under 1%, calculated over a rolling 60-day window. On a small account the maths is unforgiving: at 100 orders in the window, one granted claim is a 1% ODR on its own.
To bring it down, address the cause behind each component separately. For feedback, our guide to Amazon feedback removal covers the removals Amazon accepts, and the Amazon seller feedback guide covers earning more positive feedback. For claims, our guide to Amazon A-to-z claims covers response, appeal and prevention. Chargebacks are largely a fraud-and-payments issue rather than a support one, and are harder to prevent directly.
Late shipment rate, pre-fulfilment cancellation rate and valid tracking rate
Late Shipment Rate is the share of FBM orders shipped after the promised ship date. Amazon expects it under 4%. The fix is operational: build in buffer before your stated handling time, and flag inventory issues before they turn into a missed ship date.
Pre-fulfilment Cancellation Rate is the share of orders a seller cancels before shipping, most often for an inventory or pricing error. Amazon expects it under 2.5%. Keeping inventory counts accurate and synced in real time is the main lever.
Valid Tracking Rate is the share of FBM orders with a valid, on-time tracking number uploaded. Amazon expects it at 95% or above. The fix: upload tracking as soon as a shipment leaves, and use a carrier integration that posts tracking automatically rather than relying on manual entry.
All three are FBM-specific. FBA orders do not count against a seller for these, since Amazon controls fulfilment.
Invoice defect rate
Invoice Defect Rate applies to Amazon Business orders, purchases made by business buyers who need a VAT invoice or receipt. Amazon requires a valid invoice within one business day of dispatch (and a credit note within one business day of a return), and expects the defect rate under 5%.
Amazon's VAT Calculation Service can generate and upload invoices automatically once connected, removing the manual step entirely. It is available on the UK, German, French, Italian and Spanish marketplaces, which is where this metric matters most; a US-only seller with no Amazon Business orders will rarely see it move.
Contact response time and the customer service metrics
Amazon expects a response to every buyer message within 24 hours, including weekends, tracked as a rolling compliance percentage with a separate late response rate alongside it. Our guide to the Amazon 24-hour response rule covers this metric in full.
Two further customer service measures sit on the same page. Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate tracks how many buyers say their issue was not resolved after a seller replied; a fast but useless reply protects response time and hurts this one. Return Dissatisfaction Rate tracks how well a seller handles the return process itself, separate from whether the item should have been returned at all.
Policy compliance: the other side of Account Health
Product policy violations cover listing accuracy, prohibited or restricted items, and intellectual property complaints. Listing policy covers how a product is categorised, titled and described. Communication Guidelines violations cover what a seller may say to a buyer and when; our guide to the Amazon Communication Guidelines covers the messaging side in full. This guide is about the metrics, not the policy detail.
A monthly metrics routine
Check ODR, LSR and VTR at least monthly, weekly if any is trending toward its threshold. Set an internal target tighter than Amazon's, aiming for meaningfully under each threshold rather than treating the line itself as the goal.
Assign an owner per metric: ODR and response time usually sit with support, LSR and VTR with fulfilment or operations, invoice defect rate with finance or whoever handles Amazon Business orders. A metric with no owner is the one that slips first.
Watching the support-side metrics from the helpdesk
Response time per message with a visible SLA timer catches a slipping compliance percentage before it shows up on Amazon's own lagging dashboard. Negative feedback and A-to-z claims arriving as tickets tied to the order means both ODR components most connected to support are visible in real time, not just after Amazon's reporting window closes.
A report showing all three support-related components (feedback, claims, response time) against their thresholds in one view catches a pattern early, before it becomes an account health warning, and automatic tagging and routing keeps the messages that carry the most metric risk from sitting unseen in a general queue. Our Amazon helpdesk software page has the full setup across marketplaces.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Amazon order defect rate?
Under 1%. Amazon calculates it from negative feedback, granted A-to-z claims and chargebacks combined over 60 days, and exceeding it puts Buy Box eligibility and account standing at risk.
What is Amazon's Account Health Rating?
A single score out of 1,000 that Amazon calculates from your metrics and policy record. 200 to 1,000 is Healthy, 100 to 199 is At Risk, and below 100 is Critical.
What happens if my late shipment rate goes over 4%?
You risk a warning and, if it persists, further account health consequences. Late Shipment Rate applies to FBM orders only.
What is the invoice defect rate on Amazon?
The share of Amazon Business orders not invoiced correctly within one business day of dispatch. Amazon expects it under 5%, and it applies specifically to orders requiring a VAT invoice or receipt.
How often should I check my Amazon performance metrics?
At least monthly, weekly if anything is trending toward its threshold. A helpdesk that surfaces the support-related metrics (feedback, claims, response time) in real time catches problems well before Amazon's own dashboard would.
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