Amazon Order Defect Rate: What It Is and How to Keep It Below 1%

Order Defect Rate (ODR) is one of Amazon's most critical performance metrics. It must stay below 1% to maintain selling privileges. ODR measures the percentage of orders in a rolling 60-day window that resulted in a defect. Three things count as defects: negative feedback (1-2 star seller feedback), A-to-Z Guarantee claims (whether you win or lose the claim), and credit card chargebacks. How ODR is calculated: total orders with at least one defect divided by total orders in the 60-day window. Example: if you have 500 orders and 6 defects (of any type), your ODR is 1.2% and you are at risk. Important note: an order counts as defective once, even if it has multiple defect types. What causes defects: late shipments leading to negative feedback; items significantly not as described; items never received; damaged items on arrival; counterfeit or incorrect items shipped; and unauthorized charges. Prevention strategies: use FBA to shift fulfillment responsibility to Amazon; respond to every buyer message within 24 hours; proactively contact buyers when orders are delayed; ensure your listings accurately describe the product; quality-check outgoing shipments for FBM orders. Recovering from high ODR: if ODR spikes above 1%, Amazon may send a warning or suspend your account. Contact buyers with open A-to-Z claims to resolve them directly (Amazon may close the claim in your favor if the buyer confirms resolution). Dispute inaccurate feedback (especially FBA-related feedback about delivery delays).