How to start shipping

Good to know: Most businesses complete their first collection within four to six weeks of registering. If you already have an integration set up and your packages are straightforward, you can often move faster.

There is no minimum contract period. You’re not locked in for a fixed term.

The main requirement is that you maintain an average daily volume of 40 or more packages with Amazon Shipping. If your volume falls significantly below this for a sustained period, we may review your service arrangement. In some cases, this could mean adjusting your rates or, if volume remains very low, providing seven days’ notice before ending service.

Amazon Shipping is designed for businesses that ship regularly. To use our service,you’ll need to ship an average of 40 or more packages per day with Amazon Shipping.

Average daily volume (ADV) is the average number of packages you ship with Amazon Shipping per collection day. It’s calculated by dividing your total Amazon Shipping package volume by the number of days we collect from you.

Important: Your average daily volume is based on the volume you ship with us so If you’re also using Royal Mail or another carrier for some orders, those packages don’t count towards your ADV calculations.

Shipping volumes fluctuate and we account for that. Your ADV is calculated over a rolling period to smooth out short-term variation. If your volume drops significantly for a sustained period, we’ll be in touch to discuss your situation before taking any action.

If your current daily volume is below 40 packages with Amazon Shipping, you’re not yet eligible. As your business grows to that level, you’re welcome to register.

Once you’ve completed setup and your first collection is scheduled, most businesses move their full volume across within the first week or two.

Your first shipments are an opportunity to confirm everything is working as expected:

• Labels printing correctly and scanning at collection
• Tracking updating in Shipper Central or your platform
• Your warehouse team comfortable with the collection process
• Delivery speeds and notifications meeting your customers’ expectations

For most businesses, this all comes together within the first couple of collections. If anything isn’t right, contact our support team straight away.

No, though most businesses find it straightforward to make the switch in one go. If you’d prefer to start with a portion of your volume and build from there, that’s also fine. The important thing is getting your setup working correctly from day one.

There is no minimum contract period and no lock-in. This means you can sign up, run your first shipments, and decide for yourself whether the service is the right fit without committing to a long-term arrangement first. If Amazon Shipping works well, increase your volume. If it doesn’t, you can stop without any penalties.

Your pricing is based on your average daily volume over the previous three months. As your volume with us increases, you’ll automatically move into higher tiers with lower rates.

Good to know: A standard parcel shipped on Next-Day Delivery costs £5.84 per package at 40–49 packages per day, and £3.51 at 150–199 packages per day, a reduction of around 40%. You can see our full rate structure here.

If you ship more than 200 packages per day on average, your pricing is agreed individually with our team based on your volume and requirements.

For businesses shipping up to 200 packages per day, Amazon Shipping uses volume-based pricing. Your rate is based on two things: the size and weight of your packages, and your average daily volume with Amazon Shipping. Each month, we calculate your average daily volume over the previous three months and place you in one of our standard volume tiers. If your volume goes up, your rates go down automatically with no action needed.

Where to find your rates: You can view the full rate card at shipping.amazon.co.uk/amazon-shipping-volume-tiers-and-rates. Once registered, your rates are also visible in your Shipper Central account.

To give you a sense of how pricing works, here are the published Next-Day Delivery rates:

Two-Day delivery options are available at lower rates. See the full rate card for details.

Note: All rates shown in this guide are exclusive of VAT. VAT will be added at the applicable rate when you are invoiced.

Most shipments are covered by your standard per-package rate. In certain situations, a surcharge or handling charge may apply. These generally fall into two categories.

Surcharges apply when a delivery requires extra effort due to the destination or the size of the package. The most common are:

• Delivery Area Surcharge (£2.00): for deliveries to remote or island postcodes, including the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man
• High Cube Surcharge (£2.00): for oversized or bulky packages that exceed our standard volume or girth thresholds
• Non-Conveyable Surcharge (£0.55): for packages that require manual handling, such as irregularly shaped items, heavy parcels over 15 kg, or items with external strapping
• Return to Origin: if a package can’t be delivered and is returned to your warehouse, a surcharge equal to the original outbound rate applies

During peak season (typically mid-November to early January), a flat per-package peak surcharge also applies. The exact amount and any related forecast requirements are communicated by email well in advance each year.

Handling charges apply when a package doesn’t meet our standard packaging, labelling, or declaration requirements. Unlike surcharges, these are entirely avoidable — see the packaging section of this guide for how to get it right first time.

• Overweight (£2.00): package exceeds 23 kg
• Oversize (£2.00): package exceeds the maximum dimensions for its size category
• Non-Compliant Packaging (£2.00): package doesn’t meet our packaging requirements (for illustration purposes, not fully sealed, missing labels, or bundled items)
• Misdeclaration (£0.50 + rate difference): the actual weight or dimensions are more than 8% above what was declared, and the difference moves the package into a higher rate tier

For the full list of surcharges and current rates, see the complete rate card here.