As part of our strategy to maintain buyer confidence in Amazon.com, we are implementing Holiday Selling Guidelines for the Toys & Games store.

Effective September 16, 2009, we will stop accepting new sellers in the Toys & Games store. Effective November 16, 2009, existing sellers who do not meet the following performance criteria will not be able to sell in the Toys & Games store from November 16, 2009, through the first week in January 2010:

• Seller account must be transitioned to Charge When Ship (Learn more about Charge When Ship: Seller Help > Selling at Amazon.com > Charge When Ship Overview)


• Seller's first sale on Amazon.com must be prior to 09/16/2009 (sale does not need to be Toy-specific)


• Seller must have processed and shipped at least 25 orders (do not need to be Toy-specific) during the 60 consecutive days preceding 11/1/2009


• No greater than 1% short term defect rate as of 11/1/2009


• No greater than 2.5% pre-fulfillment cancel rate for the trailing 30 days preceding 11/1/2009


• No greater than 5% late shipment rate for the trailing 30 days preceding 11/1/2009

You can monitor your Customer Metrics in your Seller Account and take corrective action if necessary to improve your performance. We will provide final notification if you are eligible to sell in the Toys & Games store by the middle of November.

Starting on November 16, 2009, we will be monitoring the performance and listings of all sellers who are approved to sell in Toys & Games during the holiday season. Amazon Services reserves the right to cancel listings, suspend accounts and prohibit the selling of specific products during the holiday season to maintain a seller platform that is safe for buyers.

Here are some steps you can take to remain eligible to sell in this category throughout the holiday season:

• Monitor your Customer Metrics and take corrective action if necessary


• Check your orders frequently using the Manage Your Orders feature in your Seller Account


• Keep your inventory accurate; don't show more stock for sale than you actually have available


• Update your product quantities regularly to reflect what you have on hand


• Make sure your shipping lead times are accurate and take into account the time it takes for you to package and transfer the package to your transport service


• Confirm shipment or cancel orders in a timely manner


• Ensure your seller policies are up-to-date


• If you work with outside drop-shippers, solidify their SLA commitments to your company for providing prompt and timely shipping confirmation

Learn more in Seller Help: Selling at Amazon > A-to-z Guarantee Claims and Chargebacks > Seller Protection & Best Practices
If you have questions about our Holiday Selling Guidelines, please review the FAQ below.

These Holiday Selling Guidelines are only applicable to the Toys & Games store. Sellers can continue to sell eligible non-toy or -game products in other categories (Note that selling in certain categories requires prior approval. Learn more in Seller Help: Selling at Amazon > Category and Product Restrictions)

We are interested in your opinions, and encourage you to submit feedback to us at holiday-toys-selling@amazon.com.

Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there Holiday Selling Guidelines for the Toys & Games store?
Customers have high expectations for purchases during the holiday season. We want to ensure that our sellers in Toys & Games can provide a high-quality customer experience and that all orders are fulfilled and delivered in a manner that meets or exceeds our customers' expectations.

When will you allow all sellers to list in the Toys & Games store again?

Sellers will be able to list in this category again January 8, 2010.

How do I know if I'm approved to sell in the Toys & Games store?
Sellers will be notified in early to mid November if they are eligible to sell in Toys & Games. Effective September 16, 2009, no new sellers will be approved to sell in the Toys & Games store for the remainder of the year.
How do I know if my seller account is Charge When Ship?

You can tell if your account has been transitioned to Charge When Ship in several ways:

1. We'll send you an automated e-mail confirming it.

2. On the Manage Orders page you will see a Cancel button for new orders (in addition to the "Print packing slip" button).

3. At the top of the Manage Orders and Manage Payments pages there will be a large yellow box indicating the account now has Charge When Ship functionality. (However, note that since these boxes can be closed by clicking "Don't show this again," if one of your account users closes the box, it will no longer appear.)

Learn more in Seller Help: Selling at Amazon > Confirming Shipment > Charge When Ship FAQ

How can I strengthen my performance ratings and feedback?
Learn more in Seller Help: Selling at Amazon.com > Feedback & Performance

What is an order defect?
An order is defined as having a defect if we have received a negative feedback, an A-to-z Guarantee claim or a service credit card chargeback on that order.

What is order defect rate (ODR)?

The order defect rate is defined as the number of orders with a defect divided by the number of orders in the time period of interest. It is represented as a percentage.

Over what time period is the order defect rate computed?
The defect rate can be computed over any historical order period. In this particular case, we are evaluating the Short Term order period as of 11/1/2009; in other words, the period from 60 days from 11/1/2009 with a 15-day time lag for computing these rates because many defects are reported after orders are placed or received.