Amazon One-Day Shipping: What Do Sellers Need to Know

Do you remember when we used to wait two weeks or more for our packages? Me neither. I subscribed to Amazon Prime and got used to receiving my orders within two to three days.

But Amazon has decided to make us wait even less. They created Amazon Same-Day Delivery, which sounds crazy. How do they achieve this? Maybe Jeff Bezos is a secret Gandalf who will ride his eagles to death to deliver our Christmas orders on time?

The most important question, however, is whether you, as an Amazon seller, should participate in the One-Day Shipping program. Is the reward worth the cost, stress, and complexity of delivering a product so fast? Read our insights to find out!

Don’t Wait — Get Results

Amazon One-Day Shipping: What’s All the Hype About?

Amazon One-Day Shipping delivers on its name — customers order today, and their items arrive tomorrow. If you place your order early enough, it may even arrive the same day.

Amazon's same-day delivery network has begun to threaten offline retail giants. It can reach about 72% of the U.S. population, including those who would rather not leave their cozy homes to go shopping. Why bother when they can sit in their comfortable chairs, sip champagne, and talk about Selena Gomez's wedding? 

How It Started and Where It's Going

When Amazon first tried one-day delivery in 2009, the big question was: how to deliver orders that quickly without going broke in two weeks?

They started small — just seven cities — and charged for speed ($6 for Amazon Prime members, $15 for everyone else). By 2014, customers were hooked — they ordered 10 times more one-day items than the year before. It was a success, so Amazon powered up the free version by 2015 — and the rest is logistics history.

Now, Amazon keeps pushing the limits of “fast.” They’ve tested Prime Now (delivery in as little as an hour) in New York and Miami, and even Prime Air — a drone delivery dream promising packages in 30 minutes or less.

It’s not all airborne just yet (the FAA has to sign off first), but the message is clear: Amazon won’t stop until people can receive their packages immediately. 

How Does Amazon Same-Day Delivery Work?

Think about what has to happen in a workday: someone orders a phone charger, a computer finds it in a warehouse the size of 20 football fields, a worker packs it, a truck picks it up — and it’s on your doorstep before the sun goes down. Sounds impossible, right? But that’s Amazon’s everyday magic.

By 2025, Amazon built 350+ fulfillment centres worldwide. They’re huge — like, “you-could-get-lost-for-days” huge. In Phoenix, one center covers 1.2 million square feet and employs over 1,500 people. 

Most are placed right next to major cities, so deliveries travel short distances — that’s the secret behind “same-day delivery.” 

Should You Apply for Amazon One-Day Shipping?

If you can keep your stock organized like Monica Geller’s apartment (and you’re a little bit of a control freak too), applying for Amazon One-Day Shipping can deliver major upside: 

Boost in Sales & Conversion Rates

In many categories, speed is becoming a competitive differentiator. If your competitors are not offering free one-day delivery but you are, you stand out. If a customer has two similar choices but one promises overnight delivery, guess which gets clicked?

They see your product as more reliable and appealing. That means there's less chance they'll skip it in favor of a slower, cheaper alternative.

Plus, many shoppers actually filter results by delivery speed — and if your item doesn’t cut, it might not even show up in their Google search.

Increased Visibility on Amazon Marketplace

When your listing qualifies for fast delivery, it’s not just customers who notice — Amazon’s algorithm does too. Products that ship faster often climb higher in search results, making them easier to find and harder to ignore. 

Amazon loves reliability and speed, so fast-shipping items often get higher chances to win the Buy Box — that big “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons at the top of the page. 

When multiple sellers offer the same item, only one gets their offer featured in that box. Everyone else is listed lower on the page under “Other Sellers on Amazon.”

Winning it means your product is the default choice when a shopper clicks to buy. And since the vast majority of Amazon purchases go through the Buy Box, it’s a serious sales booster.

We don't want to brag, but we know a lot about boosting sales on Amazon. For instance, we helped a cosmetics store increase its sales by 45% in the healthcare category. Read our case study to learn more!

The Catch: Potential Drawbacks You Should Know

One-day delivery sounds like a dream for sellers — happy customers, instant sales, and a chance to look like a retail superhero. However, like most dreams, it doesn't come true for everyone. 

There are a few important realities to consider.

1. Limited eligibility = limited exposure. Tens of millions of items are eligible for one-day delivery. That’s a lot, but just a fraction of the 2.5 billion product units on Amazon. It's better to have lighter, easier-to-ship items. If your product isn't one of the lucky ones, you can't offer it, so you won't see a sales boost. 

2. Pressure on inventory and logistics. Offering one-day delivery means tighter timelines for shipping, inventory management, and fulfillment. Running out of stock, mislabeling, or delayed shipments can hurt your seller rating.

3. Increased costs. Sellers should either pay the fee for Fulfillment by Amazon or pay premium prices to delivery services to meet tight windows. Additionally, packing and dispatching orders quickly often requires more staff, longer hours, or automation tools. If your margins are already slim, these extra costs may eat into your profits.

4. Customer expectations. Any hiccup — a delay, a stockout, a late courier — can result in negative reviews and damage your reputation.

Would you like to know if this is a good fit for your business? If you need help with your Amazon marketing strategy, just give us a call! 

How to Qualify for Amazon One-Day Shipping

Becoming part of the one-day shipping program is similar to applying to the NASA space program. Do you think it’s hard to pass a centrifuge test? Try passing Amazon’s performance standards.

So, how would your company do it? First, make sure your products are Amazon Prime-eligible. Then, do a few more things.

1. Keep an Eye on Your Performance

Amazon constantly monitors if your seller metrics are alright — and your last 30 days matter most. You can do a self-check-up: sign in to Seller Central and find the Premium Shipping Eligibility dashboard. 

Your performance needs to hit a few key marks for Premium Delivery orders:

• 100% valid tracking rate

• 97% on-time delivery

• <0.5% seller-initiated cancellation rate

If your performance slips below the minimum threshold, you’ll temporarily lose One-Day eligibility. Once you improve your stats, it can come right back.

2. Stock Items Across the Country

Shipping same day only works when your products aren’t halfway across the country. If you use Seller Fulfilled Prime, you should store your inventory in several warehouses. But keeping up with Amazon’s speed is hard when you’re handling shipping yourself.

3. Let Amazon Handle It with FBA

If you don’t have nationwide warehouses yet, use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Let Amazon store, pack, and ship your products to customers using their speed magic, which we don’t understand yet. Maybe it’s a teleportation? Who knows. 

FBA comes with extra costs, which can vary by category and region:

• Picking, packing, and shipping your orders: small items around $3.50–$4.75 per unit, large items around $5–$8+ per unit

• Storage fees: up to $6.90 per unit after 365 days

• Returns, labeling, and removal fees

Would you like to learn more about Amazon FBA costs and hidden fees? We wrote a detailed article with all the numbers. 

But it also means Amazon takes care of delays, damages, and customer service, freeing you up to focus on growth.

If you already use FBA, your products can qualify for One-Day delivery — but it’s not automatic. Amazon’s system chooses which items get the fast-shipping status based on inventory location, Prime status, and sales performance.

Best Practices for Same-Day Delivery

So, if you’re a qualified spaceman now and you’re ready to board the spaceship, how can you be sure that you’ll survive? The only answer is to prepare yourself and work hard. Here's a little guide to One-Day Delivery:

1. Be careful with your money. You need to control every cent and create your marketing strategy wisely. Although one-day shipping can boost conversions, it will only be profitable if you’re not losing money on every box. Calculate your margins carefully, especially for heavy or low-priced items, to ensure that the extra speed is worthwhile.

2. Don’t let stockouts happen. Running out can tank your Buy Box chances and your performance metrics. Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory tool or your own inventory system to keep an eye on fast-moving items. 

3. Automate what you can. Use automation to handle inventory updates, shipping label creation, and order confirmations. Useful tools: Amazon Selling Partner API, ShipStation, or SoStocked.

Oops! Common Mistakes Sellers Make

You will certainly make mistakes; that's how business works. But you need to know which fundamental pitfalls to avoid so you don't get ruined in a few weeks. 

Mistake 1: Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Don’t turn on One-Day Shipping until your operations can actually handle it. For example, don’t promote on Amazon Haul if you don’t have the capacity to deliver orders on time yet.  If you don’t have inventory positioned close enough to customers — or you rely on a single warehouse — you’ll end up with late deliveries and bad metrics.

Fix: Start small. Enable One-Day only for your best-selling SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and closest regions.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Inventory Distribution

If all your 500 units are sitting in one warehouse in California, they don’t help you to deliver fast to a person in Boston. Amazon’s algorithm favors listings with nationwide stock coverage, so if your products are always “too far away,” they simply won’t get qualified for the One-Day.

Fix: Use FBA or a 3PL partner that spreads your inventory across key zones.

Mistake 3: Neglecting Metrics

Amazon is like a strict trainer — it constantly monitors your performance: on-time delivery, cancellation, and order defect rates. If these dips occur, your One-Day status can be lost.

Fix: Check the Premium Shipping Eligibility dashboard weekly — and act fast if performance drops.

FAQ

Does One-Day Shipping mean the next day?

Yes. Amazon’s One-Day Shipping means your order is delivered the same day or the next day after it ships. However, cut-off times and product availability can affect exact delivery timing.

Can you do One-Day Shipping on Amazon?

Yes, but only if your listings are eligible for Amazon’s One-Day Delivery. This usually requires using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or meeting certain seller performance standards and inventory requirements.

Does Amazon pay for shipping for sellers?

It depends. If you use FBA, Amazon covers the shipping costs to the customer from its fulfillment centers. For sellers fulfilling orders themselves (FBM), shipping is usually the seller’s responsibility, though you can include costs in your pricing or offer free shipping promotions.

How can I make my listings eligible for One-Day Shipping?

To qualify, you should:

• Use FBA or Seller Fulfilled Prime.

• Keep inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers close to your customers.

• Maintain strong seller performance metrics, like fast handling times and low cancellation rates.

• Ensure your products are in stock and properly labeled.