Have you received a notice warning that your selling privileges may be suspended because of the Valid Tracking Rate requirement? Is your Valid Tracking Rate stuck below 95%, or are packages showing "No valid tracking" (有効な追跡情報なし) even though you entered a tracking number? This article is for seller-fulfilled (self-shipping) sellers in that situation. We walk through, in order, how the metric works, how to pinpoint the cause from the report, how to check your carrier, tracking numbers and shipment confirmations, and how to appeal if a category is suspended.
What the Valid Tracking Rate is: how it's calculated and the 95% threshold
The Valid Tracking Rate is the percentage of packages with a shipment confirmation for seller-fulfilled orders that have a valid tracking number (お問い合わせ伝票番号). In Japanese Seller Central Help, its official name is 追跡可能率 (VTR), while Amazon's announcements and on-screen instructions also call it 有効追跡率; in English it is the Valid Tracking Rate. Both Japanese names refer to the same metric, and this article uses "Valid Tracking Rate" throughout.
This article is based on Seller Central Help for Japan and Amazon's announcements as of September 2026. Policies and screens can change, so please also check what you see on your actual screens.
The formula, and what happens below 95%
The formula is "shipments with a valid tracking number ÷ total shipments with a shipment confirmation," measured over 30-day periods. In the example given in Help, if 190 of 200 confirmed packages have a valid tracking number, the rate is 95%.
The metric is calculated by product category. If a category falls below 95% in any 30-day period, your eligibility to sell with seller fulfillment in that category may be suspended. The fewer shipments a category has, the more easily a handful of invalid packages can push it below the threshold: with 30 eligible packages, just 2 invalid ones bring the rate down to about 93.3%, which is below the threshold.
Which packages count and which don't
| Package conditions (sellers in Japan) | Treatment | How to think about the shipping method |
|---|---|---|
| Order value per package of ¥1,000 or more (excluding consumption tax, including shipping) | Included in the calculation | Use a trackable service from one of the three domestic carriers (see below) and select the carrier from the drop-down menu |
| Order value per package under ¥1,000 | Excluded | Not counted in the metric, but there are still benefits to choosing a trackable method |
| Domestic shipments of large items using one of the designated carriers listed in Help (such as Seino Transportation or Fukuyama Transporting) | Excluded | Check whether the carrier you use is on the list in Help |
| Digital goods with no physical delivery | Excluded | ― |
| FBA orders | The metric itself applies only to seller-fulfilled orders | ― |
A "package" is the shipment unit you enter on the Confirm Shipment (出荷通知を送信) page, and each package has one tracking number. Help does not specify size or other criteria for "large items," so if you are unsure, check with Technical Support. If all of your seller-fulfilled shipments over the 30 days are excluded, the metric is shown as "N/A."
When tracking is judged "valid"
Amazon uses the tracking information in your shipment confirmation to query the carrier about delivery status, and for sellers in Japan, a package counts as valid if the carrier has recorded at least one physical scan. Conversely, even if the package can be tracked on the carrier's website, it is invalid if the carrier has not provided valid scan information to Amazon.
Expedited shipping programs have a separate 94% threshold
Eligibility for expedited shipping programs (お急ぎ便関連プログラム) includes conditions such as a Valid Tracking Rate of 94% or higher on program-eligible orders over 30 days. If you fall below it, your eligibility is revoked and you cannot use the programs for at least 7 days (it is restored automatically once the metric improves).
How to check your numbers and the report
STEP1. Open "Shipping Performance"
Check your Valid Tracking Rate under Shipping Performance (出荷パフォーマンス) on the Performance (パフォーマンス) > Account Health (アカウント健全性) page. This section covers seller-fulfilled orders only. For how to read the page as a whole, see how to check your Account Health score.
STEP2. Download the Valid Tracking Rate report
Go to View details (詳細を表示) > Valid Tracking Rate (追跡可能率) > Download report (レポートをダウンロード). The report lets you see every package you confirmed and the valid packages by category. Follow the names as they appear on your screen.
STEP3. Pull out the invalid packages
The report has columns such as the tracking number, "Is it trackable?" (追跡可能ですか？), Criteria 1–4, and the package value (including shipping). Invalid packages are marked with an "X" in the "No valid tracking" column, so filter on that column and see which of Criteria 1–4 is "No" (いいえ).
The display has a time lag
Which 30-day period a package is counted in depends on its expected delivery date, not its ship date, and the screen shows the metric as of 10 days earlier. As a result, recent improvements or declines do not show up in the numbers right away. Corrections such as fixing a tracking number take 72 hours to be reflected, so note the date of each correction and wait for it to be reflected before checking the result.
Invalid packages you could not fix stay in the metric until their expected delivery date falls outside the 30-day calculation period. Counting the eligible packages and invalid packages per category in the report, and knowing how many more invalid packages would push each one below 95%, tells you which categories to review first.
Working back to the cause from the report's four criteria
The report evaluates four criteria for each package, and "Is it trackable?" is "Yes" only when all four are "Yes." Mapping the causes of invalid tracking listed in Amazon's official FAQ to each criterion gives the following breakdown (this mapping is our own, not an official table from Amazon, so use it together with your actual report).
| Criterion | Possible causes when it is "No" | What to review |
|---|---|---|
| Criterion 1: Is it an Amazon-designated carrier (selected from the drop-down menu)? | You used an unsupported carrier that also doesn't meet the exemption criteria. Selecting "Other" and typing the name in manually may also not be treated as valid | Switch to a carrier that supports tracking and select it from the drop-down menu |
| Criterion 2: Was a tracking number provided? | The confirmation was sent with the number field left blank. The number was entered with special characters such as hyphens, or with full-width characters (column F of the report may show "InvalidId") | Wait until you have the number, then enter it in half-width alphanumeric characters without hyphens |
| Criterion 3: Was the shipment confirmation sent before delivery? | The tracking number was uploaded after the package was delivered | Make it standard practice to send the shipment confirmation right after pickup |
| Criterion 4: Did the carrier provide tracking scans to Amazon? | The wrong carrier was selected (for example, the package went by Sagawa Express but Yamato Transport was selected). The confirmation was sent more than 4 hours after pickup. An integration problem on the carrier's side | Check that the carrier and number match, and send the confirmation within 4 hours. If the package can be tracked on the carrier's site but is still invalid, ask the carrier to resolve its integration with Amazon |
If canceled orders remain in the report
This usually happens because the shipment confirmation was sent before the package was handed over. The buyer is charged when the shipment is confirmed, so the order is not treated as canceled, and canceling it requires a refund.
Checking your shipping methods: the three domestic carriers and the ¥1,000 line
According to the list in Help, the domestic carriers for which Amazon supports tracking information are Yamato Transport, Sagawa Express and Japan Post. Help explicitly states that you should use the carrier's standard shipping methods and shipping labels, not methods or labels intended for other e-commerce platforms.
Since January 19, 2022, for trackable services from carriers that Amazon can track, you cannot send a shipment confirmation without a valid tracking number. Help lists the following domestic services for which an incorrect number blocks submission.
| Carrier | Services listed |
|---|---|
| Japan Post | Click Post, Letter Pack, Yu-Pack, Yu-Packet |
| Yamato Transport | Nekopos, TA-Q-BIN, TA-Q-BIN Compact, Yamato Bin |
| Sagawa Express | Hikyaku Express, Hikyaku Large Size Express |
This table shows the services exactly as listed in Help. Yamato Bin was discontinued in October 2021, and large packages are now handled by TA-Q-BIN (sizes 180 and 200). Some listings have not been updated, so check the names of the services you actually use against the carrier's own information.
If you use a shipping method not in the table, or leave the shipping method blank, you will see a warning but can still submit. Being able to submit does not mean the tracking was judged valid.
Services without tracking, and services that need care
- Yu-Mail: According to Japan Post, it can be tracked only when you add an option such as Tokutei Kiroku (recorded delivery). Amazon has not officially stated whether it is judged valid in that case.
- Nekopos / Kuroneko Yu-Packet: In June 2023, Yamato Transport announced a partnership with Japan Post and said it would phase out Nekopos, but in January 2025 it announced that Nekopos would continue, and its business website still presents it as a service whose delivery status can be checked by tracking number. Kuroneko Yu-Packet, on the other hand, is a separate service in which packages accepted by Yamato Transport are delivered through Japan Post's network, and its delivery status is to be checked through Japan Post's mail tracking service (郵便追跡サービス). Confirm which of the two you are shipping with, and check with the carrier about service availability.
For services like these, where one company accepts the package and another delivers it, Amazon's Help does not state which carrier you should select in the shipment confirmation. If you use one, the safe approach is to try it on a small number of shipments first, wait for the results to show up in the report and check how they were judged, and, if any come up invalid, confirm with Technical Support.
The ¥1,000 threshold, and why it's worth tracking excluded packages
Because the amount is judged including shipping, some packages count even if the item price is under ¥1,000, once shipping and any other items in the same package are added. Amazon cites benefits of tracking information such as these: without tracking, you cannot dispute A-to-z Guarantee claims (Amazonマーケットプレイス保証申請) filed on the grounds of non-delivery, and untracked shipments have a 1.7 times higher Order Defect Rate (this is Amazon's own explanation, not a guarantee of results). See also how to review your Order Defect Rate.
If you use Buy Shipping (マーケットプレイス配送サービス)
When you buy shipping labels this way, tracking information is uploaded automatically and no separate shipment confirmation is needed. However, the order becomes "Shipped" at the time of purchase, so hand the package over to the carrier right away. If you don't, it may be treated as misuse of advance shipment confirmations (出荷通知事前送信の乱用, PCSA).
Checking the timing of your shipment confirmations
Your Valid Tracking Rate also depends on "when" you send the shipment confirmation.
| Point in time | What to do / deadline | Impact if you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Packing and creating the label | Don't send the shipment confirmation yet | Sending it before handover may be treated as PCSA |
| Pickup (for mailbox drop-off, the collection time) | Send within 4 hours of this point. If the date changes in the meantime, send it on the day of pickup | After more than 4 hours, the systems may not sync and the package may become untrackable |
| After the shipment confirmation | Correct any errors within 24 hours if possible. Wait at least 5 minutes after the initial entry before updating | Updates take about 72 hours to be reflected, and the later you are, the more likely the correction will come after delivery |
| Expected delivery date | Tracking numbers can be corrected up to this date | After this date, they can't be changed and are counted as invalid |
| After delivery | Avoid entering or correcting the number for the first time at this point | It has a negative impact on the metric and causes "No valid tracking" |
Note also that if no shipment confirmation is sent within 7 business days of the expected ship date, the order is canceled automatically, and the buyer is not charged even if the package has already shipped.
Don't confirm shipments early to protect your Late Shipment Rate
The Late Shipment Rate is the percentage of orders whose shipment confirmation was sent after the expected ship date. Sending only the shipment confirmation before handing the package over, just to meet the deadline, counts as PCSA. Help lists this as an example of what not to do and says it may lead to enforcement action as a violation of the Seller Code of Conduct (行動規範ポリシー). While Help explains that an occasional mistaken confirmation alone will not trigger action, if it shows up as a pattern across your shipments you will be warned by email, and if it continues after that, your seller-fulfilled sales may be restricted. If there's a reason you can't ship on time, review your fulfillment setup itself, referring to ways to improve your Late Shipment Rate and what to review when shipment confirmations don't match actual dispatch.
A shipment confirmation checklist to prevent input errors
A shipment confirmation requires the ship date, the shipping method (including carrier information), a valid tracking number, and the ship-from address (the address you actually shipped from).
Manual entry (Manage Orders (注文管理) > Confirm Shipment)
- Enter the tracking number in half-width alphanumeric characters, without hyphens
- Select the carrier you actually used from the drop-down menu
- Also enter the shipping service (not required, but strongly recommended)
- When splitting one order into several packages, use Add another package (梱包情報を追加) to enter a number for each package
Bulk upload file (Professional sellers only)
- When editing the template in Excel, format all columns as text, and use the yyyy-mm-dd format for ship-date
- Set carrier-code to the code for the carrier you actually used (for example, YAMATO, SAGAWA, Japan Post). If it's Other, also fill in carrier-name
- When updating existing data, blank fields don't overwrite anything, while "NULL" deletes the value
- Save as tab-delimited text, upload it, and check the processing report for errors
Third-party shipping management tools and APIs
- Is the tool set up to pass detailed carrier information to Amazon?
- Do the carrier code mappings match the carrier you actually use, and are shipments being synced as "Other"?
- Is the tool set to send shipment confirmations automatically before pickup?
What the shipment confirmation error messages mean
| Error | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 正しいお問い合わせ伝票番号を入力してください (Please enter a correct tracking number) | The number doesn't match the number format of the carrier you selected |
| エラー： お問い合わせ伝票番号がすでに使用されています。 (Error: The tracking number has already been used.) | The number was already used in the shipment confirmation for another package (duplicate) |
| エラー： 有効なお問い合わせ伝票番号を入力してください (Error: Please enter a valid tracking number) | The number doesn't match any carrier |
Some mistakes, such as mixing up the carrier and the tracking number, go through without any error. Check the report for invalid packages at least once a week.
What to do if you receive a warning or a category is suspended
STEP1. Check what the notice says and which category it affects
You can view notices from the menu (the three-line icon at the top left of the screen) > Performance > Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知). Judging from notices that sellers have quoted on the Seller Forums, it seems a warning saying suspension "may" occur is sometimes sent before a suspension. However, you won't necessarily receive the same notice, and Amazon has not officially stated how long it takes before suspension or whether there is any grace period. Start acting as soon as you receive a notice.
STEP2. Pinpoint the cause from the report and fix what you can
Use the four criteria to identify the cause. For orders with an incorrect number, as long as the expected delivery date hasn't passed, you can search for the order in Manage Orders, enter the correct information under Edit shipment (出荷情報を編集), and resubmit (the final button is labeled inconsistently, as either 出荷通知を再送信 or 発送の再確認).
STEP3. Change your shipping methods and operations
Fixing past shipments alone means the same thing will happen again in the next 30 days. Depending on the cause, review your shipping services, your entry procedures and tool settings, and who sends shipment confirmations and when, and keep a dated record of the changes.
STEP4. Appeal a suspended category
According to Amazon's announcement, from June 30, 2025, appeals of category suspensions based on the Valid Tracking Rate changed from submitting a plan of action (パフォーマンス改善計画) to answering a few simple multiple-choice questions. The path is Performance > Account Health > Shipping Performance > Valid Tracking Rate (有効追跡率) > Submit an appeal (申し立てを送信する). If the appeal is approved, seller fulfillment in that category is reinstated; if it is rejected, you will receive an email explaining how to submit additional information (evidence) or what you need to do to be reinstated. The approval criteria are not public, so fix the cause and change your operations before you answer. Choose the options that match what you have actually done, and do not answer as though you have already implemented measures you haven't.
If you are asked for a written explanation after a rejection, follow Amazon's appeal guidelines and state the root cause and the actions you took, with the dates you took them, concisely and factually, avoiding emotional language (how to structure a plan of action may also help).
As for where the button is, Help says it is next to the relevant category, while a reply from Amazon staff on the Seller Forums says it is at the far right of the top of the dashboard. If you can't find it, check the instructions in your Performance Notifications and get in touch via [Contact Us] (［お問い合わせ］) on the dashboard. The same reply also says that if you delay responding for a certain period, this action may no longer be available. See also what to check when you can't find the submit button and what to check when seller fulfillment has been deactivated.
What not to do
- Sending the shipment confirmation before pickup: Even if it's meant to protect your Late Shipment Rate, it can be a violation as PCSA.
- Entering a number that doesn't match the actual package: Entering another package's number or an unused number to raise the rate means presenting Amazon and the buyer with shipping information that differs from reality, which only makes the problem worse. Enter only the number the carrier assigned to that package.
- Opening another account to keep selling: Amazon's Help on prohibited seller activities does not allow operating more than one selling account unless you have a legitimate business need and all of your accounts are in good standing. Creating a new account to get around a suspension violates Amazon's policies and may also affect your existing account.
- Ignoring notices: The appeal action may no longer be available.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Most of my items are under ¥1,000. Is it okay to ship without tracking?
A. If the order value per package is under ¥1,000 (excluding tax, including shipping), it's excluded from the calculation, but disadvantages outside the metric remain, such as not being able to dispute guarantee claims filed on the grounds of non-delivery when there's no tracking. Compare trackable services such as Click Post as well before you decide.
Q. What about orders delivered by hand or with our own vehicles?
A. If the carrier isn't in the drop-down menu, select "Other" and enter the carrier name. For packages of ¥1,000 or more (excluding tax, including shipping), this doesn't meet Criterion 1 (Amazon-designated carrier), so the tracking may not be treated as valid. Check whether any of the exclusion conditions apply, and if you're unsure, check with Technical Support.
Q. I corrected the tracking number, but the number hasn't changed.
A. That's because corrections take 72 hours to be reflected, and the screen shows the metric as of 10 days earlier. Packages you couldn't fix before the expected delivery date passed stay in the metric until they fall outside the calculation period.
Q. If a category is suspended, can I keep selling through FBA?
A. According to the official Help, what is suspended is your eligibility to sell with seller fulfillment in that category. The effect on FBA is not stated explicitly, so check the actual scope in your notice and on the Account Health page.
Summary
The Valid Tracking Rate is a metric calculated by product category over 30-day periods, and falling below 95% may lead to suspension of your eligibility to sell with seller fulfillment.
- Pull the invalid packages out of the report and sort them by cause using the four criteria (designated carrier, tracking number provided, shipment confirmation before delivery, carrier scans)
- Ship packages of ¥1,000 or more (excluding tax, including shipping) with a trackable service from one of the three domestic carriers, and select the carrier from the drop-down menu
- Send the shipment confirmation after handing over the package, within 4 hours of pickup. Confirming early can count as PCSA
- Correct numbers by the expected delivery date. Corrections are reflected after 72 hours, and the screen shows the metric as of 10 days earlier
- If a category is suspended, fix the cause and your operations, then appeal from Valid Tracking Rate
The key is to confirm the cause in the report and fix your shipping methods, data entry and timing as a system. If you're unsure what a notice means or how to appeal, check the instructions in your Performance Notifications and reach out early via [Contact Us] on the Account Health page.
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Further reading
Addressing Amazon's pre-fulfillment cancellation rate: inventory and order-processing checks Read article → 
Improving Amazon's Late Shipment Rate: identifying delays and reviewing dispatch procedures Read article → 
When Amazon shipment confirmations do not match dispatch: reviewing orders and procedures Read article →