31 Oct 2025
Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) programme is becoming one of the most sought-after fulfilment options for growing brands. It combines the power of the Prime badge with the flexibility of managing your own fulfilment - allowing sellers to compete at the highest level without giving up control to Amazon’s FBA network.
If you’re wondering what it takes to qualify and whether your business could benefit, here’s a full breakdown of how it works and why more brands are turning to experienced 3PL partners to make it possible.
What is Seller Fulfilled Prime?
Seller Fulfilled Prime allows approved sellers to display the Prime badge on their Amazon listings while fulfilling orders from their own warehouse or a trusted 3PL partner. It means your orders are picked, packed and dispatched directly by you (or your 3PL) - but must still meet Amazon’s strict delivery promises, such as next-day delivery and near-perfect accuracy.
In short: you keep control of your brand, packaging and stock, but still access the visibility and conversion boost that comes with being a Prime seller.
SFP vs. FBA: What’s the Difference?
For many growing brands, SFP offers the best of both worlds - Prime visibility and the ability to deliver a branded, consistent customer experience.
Feature | FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) | SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime) |
|---|---|---|
Inventory Storage | In Amazon's warehouses | In your own facility or 3PL |
Brand Control | Amazon packaging, Amazon experience | Your own packaging and inserts |
Customer Delivery | Managed entirely by Amazon | You (or your 3PL) handle dispatch |
Returns Management | Handled by Amazon | You (or your 3PL) manage returns |
Fees | Storage + fulfilment fees per unit | Carrier + fulfilment costs (no FBA storage) |
Flexibility | Limitesd | High - control pricing, branding and operations |
What Are the Criteria to Qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime?
Amazon has rigorous requirements for SFP sellers, including a trial period where you must meet every target before being accepted. These include:
• Fast shipping: Offer next-day delivery on all Prime orders.
• 6-day-a-week dispatching: You must dispatch orders on either Saturday or Sunday.
• Carrier performance: Use Amazon-approved couriers that meet tracking and on-time delivery standards.
• Order accuracy: Maintain a cancellation rate below 0.5%.
• On-time dispatch: At least 99% of orders dispatched on schedule.
• Customer service standards: Maintain high feedback and low defect rates.
• Buy Shipping: Use Amazon’s Buy Shipping services to ensure tracking is integrated and verified.
Why Partnering with a 3PL Helps
Running SFP in-house can be demanding. You need reliable carrier integrations, cut-off management and same-day dispatch capability every day - plus the reporting and control to maintain those metrics.
A 3PL with the right technology and performance standards can make this much easier. At Hutch, for example, we’re already fulfilling SFP orders for existing brands - meeting Amazon’s delivery requirements while maintaining full visibility in our dashboard.
We help brands through the testing phase, align courier options with Amazon’s requirements and make sure everything from pick speed to label compliance meets Prime standards - so you can focus on growing your listings, not managing daily cut-offs.
Is Seller Fulfilled Prime Right for Your Brand?
SFP isn’t for everyone - it requires operational consistency and daily precision - but for brands ready to scale on Amazon, it offers a powerful way to retain control, protect your brand identity and increase sales through Prime visibility.
If you’d like to learn more about whether SFP could work for your business, or to understand what’s involved in getting started, our team is always happy to chat. (No hard sell - just real insights from experience.)
Published by Hutch Logistics
Helping growing Ecommerce brands deliver world-class fulfilment experiences.
