Amazon Glossary of Abbreviations, Acronyms & Terms (A-Z)

Amazon has become synonymous with e-commerce and is undoubtedly the king at the moment.

Unfortunately, with thousands of selling partners, an ever-growing catalog of products, and an expansive reach around the globe, selling on Amazon can be a challenge.

If you’ve ever tried searching Google, scouring through Amazon forums, or watching hours of videos on YouTube you’ve probably figured out by now that Amazon has its own language filled with terms, acronyms, and abbreviations.

What is an ASIN? What’s Brand Registry? What’s the SPN? What’s the difference between Seller Central and Vendor Central? Are FBM and MFN the same? There’s even an acronym called CRAP!

Guess what? All of those answers and more are available below. We’ve reviewed other websites, blogs, and Amazon forums to compile a comprehensive list of over 400 acronyms, terms, abbreviations, and more.

Whether you’re a seasoned seller or new to selling on Amazon, we hope this list will help navigate Amazon a little easier.

We know there are more acronyms, abbreviations, and terms we missed. We will try to keep this list up to date, so if you have any terms that we missed, please let us know in the comments.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy reference guide to all the Amazon abbreviations and acronyms but without all of the other terms and definitions, check out our new simplified “List of Amazon Acronyms and Abbreviations“. This list is perfect for those just searching for the terms.

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7-Day Deal — A promotion type for sellers on Amazon. The time-bound offer is featured on Amazon’s Best Deals page.

A+ Content / A+ Page — A detail page where the product description has enhanced content and branding. This includes graphics and images embedded into the page. A+ Content is used to boost customer confidence by providing additional information about the product. Learn more about using A+ Content to increase sales.
A-to-z Guarantee — The A-to-z Guarantee protects buyers when they buy items sold and fulfilled by a third-party seller. It covers both the timely delivery and condition of your items. If you’re not happy with either and can’t resolve the issue directly with the seller, you can make a claim directly to Amazon, and our Amazon will decide if you’re eligible for a refund.
A-to-z Guarantee Claims — One of the biggest fears of many Amazon sellers. This is one of the most serious topics, widely discussed in the forums and open to way too many interpretations. This is Amazon’s guide on How to Respond to an A-to-z Guarantee Claims and How to Prevent an A-to-z Guarantee Claims.
A9 Algorithm — A proprietary search algorithm developed by Amazon to power product search and advertising within the Amazon marketplace. It takes into account a variety of factors such as relevance, sales velocity, customer ratings, and pricing to determine product ranking and visibility within search results.
A/B Testing — A process of comparing two versions of a product listing or advertisement to determine which one performs better in terms of driving sales or engagement. Amazon sellers and vendors use A/B testing to optimize their product listings and marketing strategies to improve their overall conversion rates and revenue.
Account Health — Overview of your seller account’s adherence to the performance targets and policies required to sell on Amazon. Learn more here with the Account Health FAQ.
Account Health Rating (AHR) – The Account Health Rating indicates your selling account’s risk of deactivation due to non-compliance with certain Amazon selling policies.
Account Level Reserve — Money held from recent purchases to protect sellers and customers. Income from purchases is held in Account Level Reserve for a period after the delivery date in case a customer wishes to process a return. Under normal conditions, money is released from the Account Level Reserve after seven days.
Account Management Central (AMC) — A platform on Amazon that allows advertising agencies to manage multiple Amazon Advertising accounts in one central location, streamlining campaign management and reporting.
Ad Group – The individual advertisements and advertising strategies included in a single advertising campaign.
Add Products via Upload (APvU) — A feature in Amazon’s seller tools that allows sellers to add multiple products to their inventory at once by uploading a file in a specific format.
Add to Cart (ATC) — A feature on Amazon and websites that allow customers to add items to their shopping cart for future purchase.
Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This is an electronic packing list that vendors send to Amazon ahead of any deliveries. An ASN can be created in the Vendor Central Portal or by EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).
Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS) — A key metric used by Amazon sellers to measure the performance of their advertising campaigns. It is calculated as the total advertising cost divided by the total sales generated from the advertising campaign (Total Spend/Ad Sales = ACoS).
Affiliates — A program by which referrals earn associates money for driving traffic and sales to Amazon through their marketing. Affiliates operate on many different sites, including individual blogs, forums, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. See Amazon Affiliate Program.
Allocated (AL) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — When products are only recorded manually, the code is located in Amazon’s Brand Analytics and table of costs.
Amazon (AMZ, AMZN, AZ) — One of the world’s largest and most influential e-commerce and technology companies. AMZN is also Amazon’s stock abbreviation.
Amazon Ads Advanced – A partner is a qualified partner who has met specific metrics in one of two areas. The first is by meeting certain metrics for Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform), which allows you to programmatically buy ads.
Amazon Ads Verified – A partner who advertisers (and the partner’s employees have linked to) and has an Amazon-approved partner directory listing. Registered partners on the Partner Network have the opportunity to demonstrate expertise with Amazon Ads products, earning validation checkmarks.
Amazon Advertising — Previously known as Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), is a self-service advertising platform offered by Amazon that enables sellers and vendors to create and manage pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns to promote their products on Amazon. Through Amazon Advertising, sellers and vendors can target specific keywords, products, or customer groups, and pay only when someone clicks on their ad.
Amazon Advertising Platform (AAP) — Now known as Amazon DSP, the program advertisers use to buy and create display and video ads.
Amazon Affiliate Program – The Amazon Affiliate program is a free program for website owners and bloggers to earn referral fees by advertising products from Amazon.com on their sites through the use of links. When customers click the link and make a purchase, the referral fee is earned.
Amazon Associate (AA) — Typically referring to a Fulfillment Center position.
Amazon Carton Content Code (AMZNCC) — An external container ID used to label cartons that are sent to Amazon, and is generated through Vendor Central.
Amazon Core — Typically refers to the main Amazon retail platform where customers can purchase products directly from Amazon or from third-party sellers. See Amazon Marketplace.
Amazon Creative Services (ACS) — Amazon Creative Services, available in the advertising console for sellers and vendors, allows you to discover, compare, and book services directly with trusted service providers for policy-compliant and impactful creative assets.
Amazon Fresh — A grocery delivery and pickup service offered by Amazon, allowing customers to order groceries and household essentials online and have them delivered or ready for pickup at a designated Amazon Fresh location.
Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) — A global ocean freight service offered by Amazon that enables direct shipping of cargo from China to Amazon fulfillment centers in the US, UK, and Europe. Amazon Global Logistics offers door-to-door freight transportation services with reduced landed costs, competitive rates, and a pricing structure that covers every step of the supply chain journey.
Amazon Global Selling (AGS) — Sell worldwide with Amazon Global Selling. Learn how to expand globally, grow and diversify your sales using the power of Amazon’s global brand
Amazon Go — A chain of convenience stores that uses a combination of computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning to allow customers to shop without the need for checkout. Customers simply scan their Amazon Go app upon entering the store, take the items they want, and walk out. Their Amazon account is then charged for the items they took, and they receive a receipt via the app.
Amazon Launchpad — Launchpad is a program by Amazon that helps startups and emerging brands launch, market, and distribute their products to millions of Amazon customers.
Amazon Live — A live-streaming platform offered by Amazon for brands and sellers to showcase their products and interact with customers in real-time. The platform allows for demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and influencer collaborations to enhance product visibility and boost sales.
Amazon Logistics (AMZL) — Also known as Amazon Shipping or Amazon Delivery. It refers to any product deliveries made through Amazon’s own logistical arrangements and delivery service.
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) — A suite of tools and services offered by Amazon to help businesses and advertisers manage their advertising campaigns on Amazon’s platform.
Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) — This is now known as Amazon Ads.
Amazon Marketing Stream — A new API product that delivers Amazon Ads campaign metrics and information to advertisers’ or integrators’ AWS accounts via a push-based model. Amazon Marketing Stream will deliver hourly performance metrics, with details such as targeting expression performance by placement and budget consumption messages in near real-time.
Amazon Marketplace — The main e-commerce retail platform that allows third-party sellers to offer their products alongside Amazon’s own offerings.
Amazon Media Group (AMG) — This was the advertising division that helps brands to promote their products and services across Amazon’s platforms, including the Amazon website, Amazon devices, and Amazon-owned properties. AMG was rolled under Amazon Advertising.
Amazon Prime — A paid subscription service for free, fast delivery on millions of items. Amazon Prime includes a range of services and streaming entertainment options such as Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Pantry, Twitch, and more.
Amazon Referral Fee — Also known as Amazon Commission, refers to the percentage of a product’s sale price that Amazon charges a seller for using its platform. The referral fees vary by category, and it is deducted from the total amount paid by the buyer, including shipping and handling fees.
Amazon Retail Analytics (ARA) — A selection of reports for vendors sometimes referred to as ARA Basic. These are available to all vendors and look at topics like sales and inventory.
Amazon Retail Analytics Premium (ARAP) — An add-on option with more detailed and varied reports that look at a vendor’s traffic and customer behavior for vendors. Learn about the Benefits of Amazon Retail Analytics Premium.
Amazon Robotics (AR) — Sophisticated machinery and software that are designed to optimize efficiency in an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
Amazon Robotics Sortable (ARS) — A type of Fulfillment Center where Amazon employees often work alongside robots in picking, packing, and shipping small- to medium-sized customer orders.
Amazon Robotics Semi-Automatic Workstation (ARSAW) — The technology used in Amazon fulfillment centers helps automate the process of sorting customer orders with the assistance of robots and complex conveyor belt systems.
Amazon Seller Central – Amazon Seller Central is the web interface used by brands and merchants to market and sell their products directly to Amazon’s customers. You’re considered a marketplace or third-party seller if you have a Seller Central account. Also referred to as SC or Seller Central.
Amazon Seller University (ASU) — Established for new sellers, Amazon Seller University educates the fundamentals of selling on Amazon with a library of articles and videos.
Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement (ASBSA) — A contract that outlines the terms and conditions for businesses that use Amazon’s services to sell their products or services on the Amazon platform. It covers topics such as fees, payment, content, warranties, liability, and dispute resolution.
Amazon Standard Info Number (ASIN) — Each Amazon product will have a unique 10-character alphanumeric unique identifier that is used specifically for and within Amazon. ASINs can be further broken down into parent and child ASINs for products that have one overall item or style (the parent) with multiple choices when it comes to color, size, pack size, etc. (the child ASINs).
Amazon Vendor Negotiations (AVN) — Refers to the process of negotiations between Amazon and its vendors, who are typically manufacturers or distributors of products sold on the Amazon platform.
Amazon Vendor Service (AVS) — A paid program that provides vendors with a dedicated contact to assist with operational matters such as ordering and catalog management. It was formerly known as Strategic Vendor Service (SVS).
Amazon Vine — An Amazon program in which vendors or sellers can enroll their products to obtain verified, legitimate reviews. Amazon Vine invites Amazon’s most trusted reviewers to post product reviews about new and pre-release items to help other customers make informed purchase decisions.
Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) — Amazon Warehousing & Distribution addresses critical supply chain challenges and helps sellers grow and manage their business while significantly cutting costs. It is a third-party logistics (3PL) solution that provides low-cost, long-term upstream bulk inventory storage in Amazon’s Distribution Centers and seamless replenishment to Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers and other sales and distribution channels.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) — AWS is a cloud platform offered by Amazon. Millions of customers from the largest enterprises to leading government agencies use Amazon Web Services to power cloud computing.
Amazon’s Choice — A label assigned by Amazon to certain products that have good ratings, high sales, and are in stock, to help customers quickly find highly rated and well-priced products.
Andon or Andon Cord — An Amazon support agent can immediately pull a product from buyable status if they notice a significant issue, especially related to safety and quality. The term refers to a process implemented at Toyota factories in Japan. A physical cord was pulled allowing an immediate stop to production and a warning to management when a problem was noticed.
Anything In The Buy Box (AITBB) — Refers to the products that are currently listed in the Buy Box on Amazon. Anything In The Buy Box can include products sold by Amazon as well as those sold by third-party sellers.
Application Program Interface (API) — It is a set of protocols, routines, and tools used by software applications to interact and exchange data with each other. APIs enable different software systems to communicate and share information, allowing developers to integrate third-party functionality into their applications.
Arbitrage — The act of buying a product from one store (online or physical) to sell in another market (Amazon) at a higher price.
Area Manager (AM) — Typically referring to a position within an Amazon Fulfillment Center, where the individual is responsible for managing a specific area within the center, including achieving budgetary goals, developing people, and ensuring operational objectives are met.
Associate Safety Committee (ASC) — For Fulfillment Center employees, Associate Safety Committee members work like safety specialists monitoring activity in their fulfillment centers.
Associates or Associates Program — This term refers to the Amazon referral program and is now called Amazon Affiliates.
At Time Of Posting (ATOP) — More commonly seen on social media postings, this refers to the retail price of an item at the time the post was created. This is commonly seen on Amazon-related groups and forums on places like Facebook.
Automatically Targeted Sponsored Product Ads — A type of advertising on Amazon where the platform automatically selects keywords based on the product information to target the ads to relevant customer searches.
Average Review Rating — The average rating given to a product by customers who have purchased and reviewed it on Amazon. The rating is usually displayed in the form of stars and is a quick way for potential buyers to gauge the overall satisfaction level of other customers with the product.
Average Sales Rank — A metric used to measure the popularity of a product on Amazon’s marketplace, based on the number of sales it makes compared to other products in its category.
Average Selling Price (ASP) — Calculated by taking the total sales and dividing it by the number of products sold.

Back-To-School (BTS) — A term commonly used by merchants to refer to a specific period of time, usually around the beginning of the academic year, during which they promote and increase sales of products and services related to schooling such as school supplies and equipment for extracurricular activities.
Bar Raiser — At Amazon, a Bar Raiser is an impartial third-party interviewer who participates in the hiring process. Their involvement ensures the best long-term hiring decisions are made, and that the company is continually serving, surprising, and innovating for its customers.
Barcode — A method of representing data visually by varying the widths and spacing of parallel lines. Barcodes link manufacturers with products. The barcode of a product is expected to always be in the same location. If two items have the same barcodes, they must be the same product. A single barcode can be used an unlimited number of times for the same product, but it can only be used for that product. Amazon verifies the validity of Universal Product Codes (UPC) through the Global Standards 1 (GS1) database. It is Amazon’s express recommendation that UPCs are obtained directly from GS1.
Basic Replenishment (BR) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This means the product will only be reordered manually, as found in Amazon’s Brand Analytics and table of costs.
Best Deal (BD) — A time-bound promotional offer type for vendors on Amazon that typically runs for several days or weeks.
Best Seller Rank (BSR) — A metric used by Amazon to rank products within their respective categories based on their sales performance. The lower the ranking number, the higher the product’s sales performance within that category. If there are no sales (ie, the product is new), the rank will be “None.”
Bid — The maximum amount a seller is willing to pay to earn one click on an advertisement when setting up an advertising campaign.
Blue Badge — An Amazon full-time employee (as opposed to a temporary or contract worker.)
Books, Media, Video, DVDs (BMVD) — Categories of products sold on Amazon’s marketplace. These categories include books, eBooks, audiobooks, music, movies, TV shows, video games, and related products.
Born To Run (BTR) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This refers to an Amazon Vendor Central Program that gives sellers the chance to launch new products on Amazon at a faster rate.
Boxes on Demand (BOD) — A technology used in the packaging and shipping industry that creates custom-sized boxes based on the dimensions of the products being shipped. This system allows companies to reduce the amount of excess packaging material and reduce shipping costs by using just the right amount of material required to protect the product.
Brand Analytics (BA) — Amazon’s Brand Analytics is a feature that contains valuable insights to empower Brand Owners to make informed, strategic decisions about their product portfolio and marketing/advertising activities. Brands must be enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry to get access.
Brand HQ — The system that sellers on the Amazon Brand Incubator and Amazon Exclusives program can access. Within Brand HQ, sellers can connect with other brands via a forum, expand their knowledge with Amazon’s eLearning courses and have the option to participate in “office hours” and ask an Amazon Associate those pressing questions. Brands can also submit Best Deals and merchandising opportunities such as category page placements.
Brand Registry (BR) — Amazon Brand Registry unlocks a suite of tools designed to help you build and protect your brand, creating a better experience for customers. Once approved for Brand Registry you get access to A+ Content, Sponsored Brands, Amazon Stores, and Amazon Brand Analytics. Learn why brands should take advantage of Amazon’s Brand Registry program.
Brand Store — Amazon Brand Stores are created using a free, self-service tool to create a customized brand experience within Amazon. These can be customized and feature logos, products, and a curated experience that best represents a particular brand. Learn how to develop a robust Brand Store experience on Amazon.
Brand Voice — Refers to the tone, personality, and style that a brand uses in its communications, including its marketing messages, social media posts, and customer service interactions. It is the way a brand speaks to and connects with its audience, and it helps to establish a consistent brand identity and messaging.
Brick & Mortar (BM) — This refers to the traditional way of shopping at a store that has a physical location. The exact opposite of an online retail store.
Browse Node — Numerical codes to identify Amazon product categories. Nodes may be top-level and have many subcategories under them. Sub-cats are known to change. Amazon uses thousands of these per locale, and they are unique to local (ie, UK and US numbers are not the same).
Build International Listing (BIL) — A tool that allows you to create listings to sell in multiple countries.
Bundle — A group of complementary products sold as one ASIN unit.
Business Industrial & Scientific Supplies (BISS) — A specific selling category on Amazon, which is restricted to most sellers.
Business Services Agreement / Business Solutions Agreement (BSA) — A contractual agreement between Amazon and its sellers. It outlines the terms and conditions for using Amazon’s services, including fees, payment terms, and policies related to product listings, sales, and fulfillment.
Business to Business (B2B) — E-commerce between two businesses, rather than a business and consumer.
Business to Customer (B2C) — E-commerce between a business and a customer.
Buy Box (BB) — An abbreviation of the Amazon Buy Box is the button customers use to purchase a product on an Amazon detail page. The phrase “winning the Buy Box” refers to the merchant (whether Amazon or third-party) that a customer buys from when added to the cart. Buy Boxes are won through complex algorithms related to stock, ratings, customer service rankings, etc. Learn what winning the Buy Box means for sellers.
Buy On the Lookout (BOLO) — A term that can be interpreted in various ways, but in the context of e-commerce and retail, it commonly refers to individuals searching for particular discounts and promotions.
Buy One Get One (BOGO) — It is a marketing strategy used by companies to promote their products or services by offering customers the opportunity to purchase one item and receive a second item for free or at a reduced price.
Buy with Prime (BwP) — A feature that allows Amazon Prime members in the US to shop directly from participating online stores with the same benefits they receive on Amazon.com, such as fast and free shipping, easy returns, and a seamless checkout experience. With Buy with Prime, customers can identify eligible products by the Prime logo and delivery promise and can check out by signing into their Amazon account, which prepopulates payment and shipping information.

Campaign — A series of organized advertising messages intended to promote a product or service. Advertising campaigns are used in Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and
Sponsored Display ads.
Canada (CA) — Abbreviation for the Canadian marketplace.
Cancellation Rate (CR) – The percentage of orders canceled by a seller before they were shipped to customers. Also known as a Pre-Fulfillment Cancellation Rate. For Amazon sellers, it’s important to maintain a good shipping performance which includes keeping the rate below 2.5%.
Can’t Realize a Profit (CRaP) — If based on Amazon algorithms, a product is deemed CRaP, it means there is a reason it won’t realize a profit: Shipping costs, too much inventory, pricing issues, etc. can result in this designation. In other words, try to avoid selling CRaP on Amazon!
Category — The broad grouping of products that are available for sale on the platform. Each product on Amazon is assigned to a specific category, such as electronics, home and garden, or clothing and accessories, to help customers easily find and navigate the products they are interested in purchasing.
Category Page — A landing page for a specific group of products within the Amazon website. Examples: Books, Electronics, or Toys & Games.
Category, Type, Item (CTI) — It is a term used in e-commerce and refers to the specific product category, type, and item number assigned to a particular product.
Change Management (CM) — A systematic approach to managing and implementing organizational changes effectively. It involves planning, communicating, and implementing changes in a way that minimizes resistance, maximizes adoption, and ensures that the changes align with the organization’s goals and strategies.
Change Management Bar Raiser (CMBR) — A Change Management Bar Raiser is a neutral third-party interviewer who takes part in the recruitment process. Their participation guarantees that the most suitable long-term hiring decisions are made and that the company is consistently serving, delighting, and innovating for its customers.
Chargeback — A situation in which a customer asks their bank to dispute a charge for an order placed. These have a negative impact on sellers as orders that involve chargebacks count toward the Order Defect Rate.
Child ASIN — A buyable variant of a Parent ASIN, when the customer must select an option such as size or color to purchase. All Child ASINs should be on one detail page, under the Parent ASIN.
Child Listing — Refers to a product that is a variation of a parent product, such as different colors or sizes of the same item. The Child Listing (aka. Child ASIN) is linked to the Parent Listing (aka. Parent ASIN), allowing customers to easily navigate between variations of the product.
Child Product –Many products have one main item with options for size, color, flavor, pack sizes, and more. Often the main product is a parent product with the variants being child products.
Chime — A communication service offered by Amazon that provides online meetings, video conferencing, chat, and screen-sharing capabilities. It is designed for use in remote work and collaboration scenarios and integrates with other Amazon Web Services.
Click Through Rate (CTR) — A metric that measures the number of clicks per impression of an advertisement. The calculation for this is # of clicks / # impressions = CTR.
Climate Pledge Friendly — An Amazon program launched in 2020 to make it easier for customers to shop eco-friendly, sustainable products on its sites.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) — This refers to the percentage growth required for an investment to increase from its initial value to its final value, assuming that the annual profits were continually invested back into the investment over its duration.
Compound Weekly Growth Rate (CWGR) — The weekly growth of your investments over a specific period of time. It’s a measurement of how much you have earned on your investments every week during a given interval.
Concessions — Amounts Amazon has refunded to customers related to your products or orders.
Consumer Order Workflow (COW) — Consumer Order Workflow encompasses the entire process that occurs when a customer adds a product to their shopping cart and proceeds to checkout. It involves all the steps from the moment a buyer initiates an order until the order is fulfilled and delivered to the customer.
Contacts Per Unit (CPU) — This is a customer service performance metric that measures the number of customer inquiries related to orders that Amazon handles on behalf of a seller per self-fulfilled shipped unit. It is calculated by dividing the total number of order-related customer inquiries that Amazon handles by the number of self-fulfilled units shipped. The CPU metric is used by Amazon to assess the quality of a seller’s customer service and can help sellers identify areas for improvement.
Continuous Deployment (CD) — A software development methodology where code modifications are automatically deployed to the production environment without requiring manual approval.
Contra COGs — COGs include all backends, such as Vine, ARA Premium, etc.
Contribution Profit (CP) — A metric used to calculate the profitability of individual shipments that are dispatched from Amazon. It takes into account all the costs associated with producing, storing, and shipping a product, and then subtracts these expenses from the revenue generated by the sale to arrive at the net profit contribution of the shipment.
Conversion — A conversion is when a user takes a desired action. In e-commerce, a conversion typically means that a sale or transaction has occurred. Within the context of advertising campaigns, a customer clicking a seller’s advertisement can also be considered a conversion.
Conversion Rate — A metric that measures the percentage of visitors to a website or product listing who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGs) — The value of goods sold during a certain period of time.
Cost Per Click (CPC) — A payment model that relates to paid advertising. This is the amount Amazon charges the seller or vendors when a customer clicks on their ad. Using a CPC model the advertisements are displayed for free, however, the seller is charged each time a customer clicks the advertisement. The calculation is total ad cost/clicks.
Cost Per Head (CPH) — A pricing metric that calculates the cost of a particular product or service per person or per individual. It is also commonly referred to as “price per person” and is often used in event planning or catering industries to determine the cost of food, beverages, or other services on a per-person basis.
Cost Per Shipment (CPS) — is a metric that calculates the cost of shipping a product from the seller to the customer. It takes into account all the expenses associated with the transportation of goods, such as shipping fees, handling charges, and packaging costs. CPS is the total cost incurred for each shipment, regardless of the number of items included in the shipment. It is also sometimes referred to as the “amount spent per shipment”.
Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM) — A common metric used in digital advertising to measure the cost of displaying an advertisement one thousand times on a website or other digital platform.
Cost Price Increase (CPI) — Refers to an increase in the cost price of a product or service.
Cost Support Agreement (CSA) — A contract between Amazon and a vendor in which Amazon agrees to assist in funding some of the vendor’s promotional costs.
Counterfeit Complaint Rate (CCR) — Refers to the frequency at which sellers receive complaints from customers regarding the authenticity of their products, specifically that they are counterfeit or fake.
Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) — Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit works with brands, law enforcement, and customers across the globe to stop bad actors and hold them accountable.
Coupon — A promotional deal on Amazon where a vendor or seller offers an amount or percentage off for a limited time.
Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) — The acronym comes from the world of computer programming. It refers to the four functions that are considered necessary to implement a data storage application: create, read, update, and delete.
Creative Asset Library — A feature offered by Amazon Advertising that provides a central location for advertisers to store, manage, and organize their creative assets such as images, videos, and logos. It simplifies the process of creating and managing ad campaigns by allowing advertisers to easily select and use their assets across different ad formats and placements.
Critical Pull Time (CPT) — The time in which an order is in danger of not shipping in time for customer delivery cut-offs.
Customer Experience (CX) — Also referred to as User Experience. The overall experience of a person using a product, website, or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or intuitive it is to use or interact with.
Customer Service (CS) — The support a company provides to address customer inquiries, complaints, and requests, aimed at maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Customer Service Performance — A measure of how well sellers are meeting the needs of customers. Includes Order Defect Rate and contributes to Account Health.
Customer Success Manager (CSM) — A representative who works with sellers to help them achieve their goals and grow their business on Amazon. In the context of Amazon’s Strategic Account Services Core program for sellers, a Customer Success Manager is a dedicated account manager who provides personalized support and guidance to help sellers optimize their business on Amazon.

Daily Budget — The maximum amount of money that a seller is willing to spend on advertising each day on Amazon’s advertising platform. The Daily Budget is set at the campaign level and can be adjusted at any time.
Damaged (DMG) — Refers to goods or products that have been physically damaged during transport or handling.
Deal Of The Day (DOTD) — A marketing promotion offered by Amazon, where a single product or bundle is offered at a discounted price for a limited period of 24 hours. The Deal Of The Day promotion is typically featured on Amazon’s Gold Box or Deals page and can be a highly effective way for sellers to boost sales, clear inventory, or introduce new products to the market.
Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) — A quality control metric that measures the number of defects in a process per million opportunities for defects to occur, indicating the error rate of a process.
Delivered Not Received (DNR) — It is a term used in shipping and logistics to describe a situation where the order tracking system shows that a shipment has been delivered to the customer, but the customer claims that they have not received it.
Delivery Estimate Accuracy (DEA) — In the context of Amazon Fulfillment Centers, DEA refers to the accuracy of delivery estimates provided to customers when they place an order. It is a measure of how well Amazon predicts the delivery time for a particular order based on factors such as inventory availability, shipping location, and carrier performance.
Delivery Service Provider (DSP) — A third-party service provider that is contracted to deliver goods to customers on behalf of a company.
Demand Side Platform (DSP) — Amazon Demand Side Platform or Amazon DSP is a demand-side platform that allows you to programmatically buy ads to reach new and existing audiences on and off Amazon. (Previously known as Amazon Advertising Platform.)
Detail Page (DP) — Also known as the Product Detail Page, it is a page on Amazon that contains all the information about a product that a customer sees. This includes product images, product details, descriptions, prices, sellers, and shipping options.
Detail Page View Rate (DPVR) — A metric used in Amazon Advertising that measures the effectiveness of product ads in generating detail page views for the advertised product. Detail Page View Rate is calculated by dividing the total number of promoted product detail page views by the number of ad impressions and presenting it as a rate.
Detail Page Views (DPV) — It is a metric that measures the number of times a single product detail page has been viewed by customers. Detail Page Views are an essential metric for Amazon, as it provides insights into the popularity and visibility of individual products.
Direct Fulfillment (DF) — A fulfillment method in which the seller ships the products directly to the customers instead of sending the items to an Amazon fulfillment center for storage and shipping. See Fulfillment by Merchant.
Direct Import (DI) — The process of importing products directly from manufacturers or suppliers overseas without the use of intermediaries such as wholesalers or distributors.
Display Ads — Graphical ads that appear on Amazon-owned and operated sites such as Amazon.com, IMDb, and others. They allow advertisers to reach potential customers in a visually engaging way and can be targeted based on a variety of factors.
Dog Page — Product Page showing a lovable dog, when the page does not exist (Also known as a 404 Error).
Drip Campaign — A marketing technique that involves sending a series of messages or content to potential customers or clients over a period of time.
Dropship (NS) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This means the products are not in the Amazon warehouse and are fulfilled by a third-party supplier, and the code is found in Brand Analytics and the table of costs.
Dropship or Drop Shipping — Dropshipping is a fulfillment method for retailers. When a store or merchant doesn’t physically have or ship the item. If the item is purchased by a customer, the retailer orders it from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. This can save on costs associated with storage and fulfillment.
Duty Tax — Also known as customs duty or import tax, is a tax levied by a government on products imported from another country. Amazon may collect and remit duty tax on behalf of sellers and buyers, depending on the product and the countries involved in the transaction.
Dynamic Bidding – A bidding approach for advertising campaigns that allows a seller’s bid to increase in real-time if the bid is more likely to convert to a sale, or decrease in real-time if it’s less likely to convert to a sale. For example, you can set rules-based bidding for Sponsored Product ads.
Dynamic E-commerce Ads (DEA) — A component of Amazon DSP, these ads will have e-commerce features built within the display ad, such as retail price and review ratings.

Early Reviewer Program — An Amazon program that incentivizes customers who have purchased a product to leave an honest review. This program has been shut down.
Echo — A line of smart speakers developed by Amazon, featuring the voice-controlled personal assistant Alexa. Echo devices allow users to play music, control smart home devices, and access a wide range of other services using voice commands.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) — A method for companies and businesses to send digital information to one another digitally.
End of Day (EOD) — This usually refers to the close of that particular business day.
English as a Second Language (ESL) — It refers to the learning of English by individuals who speak a different native language.
Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) — A detail page where the product description has enhanced content and branding, which includes graphics and images embedded into the page. EBC content used to be specifically for sellers. As of 2020, EBC is obsolete and has been replaced by A+ Content.
Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) — Refers to the projected date when a customer is expected to receive their order based on various factors like shipping method, transit time, and carrier performance.
European Article Number (EAN) — A 13-digit number system for identifying retail products in Europe.
European Fulfillment Network (EFN) — Allows sellers with an Amazon Europe Marketplaces account who are also registered with Amazon to store their inventory in their European fulfillment center, and fulfill orders coming from other European marketplaces from the same local inventory pool.
Executive Customer Relations (ECR) — A department within Amazon that handles the most complex and escalated customer contacts received by the company. They are responsible for resolving customer complaints and issues that have not been successfully resolved through other customer service channels.
Existing Customers — Audiences who have purchased or re-purchased your brand or items on Amazon.
Expected Ship Date (EXSD) — The estimated date when an item will leave the fulfillment center and be shipped to the customer. This is typically based on factors such as inventory availability, processing time, and delivery deadlines, and is closely tied to the critical pull time for the order.

Facebook (FB) — An acronym used to refer to Facebook, which is a social networking website that allows users to connect, share content, and communicate with others.
Feature Offer Eligibility — Refers to the criteria a product needs to meet to be eligible for a featured offer on Amazon, such as the Buy Box or a specific promotion. These criteria can include factors such as price, availability, and seller performance metrics. See Buy Box (BB).
Feature Offer Eligible — Refers to a product that meets the criteria to be featured in a deal or promotion on Amazon’s website or app.
Featured Offer — The price that shows up first when a customer views a product listing. The Featured Offer has better customer visibility, otherwise, a customer needs to go to the Other Sellers on Amazon list to see other prices available. This is also known as the Buy Box winner. See Buy Box.
File Feed — A data file that contains product or inventory information, which can be uploaded to Amazon’s system to update or create product listings. It is commonly used by Amazon sellers to manage large volumes of data efficiently.
First-Party (1P) — Refers to their direct relationship with manufacturers and distributors who sell products to Amazon through Vendor Central. In this model, Amazon acts as a retailer and purchases products from the vendor, which are then sold directly to customers on the Amazon website. See First-Party Seller.
First-Party Seller (1PS) — A First-Party Seller (1P) relationship means Amazon acts as the retailer, and you operate as a wholesale supplier to Amazon. Using Vendor Central Amazon sends you a purchase order (PO) and you fulfill the PO and ship the product back to Amazon. To sell in a 1P capacity, you need to be invited by Amazon directly.
First Pass Yield (FPY) — A measure of quality in a process that reflects the percentage of product made correctly without needing any rework or corrective activity.
First Quarter (Q1) — Refers to the first quarter of a company’s fiscal year, which covers the months of January, February, and March.
Fixed Bid — A standard bidding approach that allows a seller to indicate an exact bid for all conversion opportunities regardless of the conversion likelihood. See also bid.
Flagged Post — An entry in the Seller Forums that is being reported. When a post is flagged a box opens, the seller must indicate why a post is being flagged.
Flat File (FF) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This is actually a code used across both Amazon Vendor Central and Amazon Seller Central and refers to bulk upload templates.
Forward-Looking Order Workflow (FLOW) — A program in which Amazon creates purchase orders with a shipping window for a future week, typically for best-selling products, to help ensure a steady supply of inventory.
Fourth Quarter (Q4) — Refers to the fourth quarter of a company’s fiscal year, which covers the months of October, November, and December. This is a critical time for companies in the retail sector, as it contains Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of the holiday shopping season.
Free on Board (FOB) — A term commonly used in the context of Amazon vendors who engage in the Direct Import model with Amazon. Under this model, vendors are responsible for all costs associated with the shipment until the goods are loaded onto the vessel at the designated port.
Friends of Library (FOL) — A non-profit organization that supports public libraries and their activities.
Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP) — An Amazon program that eliminates excessive packing and over-boxing. An Amazon sustainability initiative.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) — When Amazon is responsible for storing your products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Fulfillment by Amazon means Amazon will pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products.
Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) — This refers to the seller storing and shipping the products directly to the customer, as opposed to Amazon doing it. Sometimes known as Merchant Fulfilled (MF), Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN), or Fulfillment by Seller (FBS).
Fulfillment by Seller (FBS) — See Fulfillment by Merchant and Merchant Fulfilled Network.
Fulfillment Center (FC) — An warehouse facility used by Amazon to store, process, and fulfill customer orders.
Fulfillment Fee — A fee charged by Amazon to sellers for the storage, picking, packing, and shipping of their products from Amazon’s fulfillment centers to customers.
Fulfillment Method — The process from the time an order is received to when it’s delivered. Sellers on Amazon typically have two options for fulfillment: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM).
Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) — An Amazon product identifier for products that are fulfilled by Amazon.
Full Container Load (FCL) — Used in logistics to describe a shipment that takes up an entire shipping container, whether it’s a standard 20-foot container or a larger 40-foot container.
Full Truck Load (FTL) — A shipping term used to describe a shipment that requires a full truck or trailer to transport. Full Truck Load shipments typically occupy the entire space of the truck, and the cost of shipping is calculated based on the weight and distance of the shipment.

Gated Category — A product category on Amazon that requires approval before a seller can list and sell products in that category. Amazon may require sellers to meet specific performance criteria, pay additional fees, or undergo additional qualification processes before granting approval for gated categories.
Gateway Placement — Refers to a type of ad placement within a specific category’s landing page, and is exclusively available through Amazon Advertising.
General Ledger (GL) — A financial accounting record that provides a complete summary of all financial transactions of a business, including revenues, expenses, and other financial events.
GL String — Amazon’s codification system for allocating costs to the correct Profit & Loss Statement.
Glance Views — Similar to Detailed Page Views. The number of times a detail page has been viewed.
Global Location Number (GLN) —A unique identification code assigned to physical locations and legal entities involved in the supply chain.
Global Promotions Sales – The total sales amount from deals and coupons across all stores.
Global SKU — A SKU that is part of a shared inventory pool and is available to be sold and shipped in multiple marketplaces.
Global Standards 1 (GS1)— A non-profit that develops global standards for business including barcodes. Amazon uses GS1’s database to check UPC barcodes.
Global Standards 1 Database (GS1 DB) — An external database of registered Global Trade Identification Numbers (GTIN) that Amazon uses to verify that a GTIN is authentic.
Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) — A unique identifier assigned to products to enable their identification and tracking throughout the global supply chain. GTINs can include various types of numbers, such as Universal Product Codes (UPCs), International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), or European Article Numbers (EANs), and they are used by retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to manage inventory, track sales, and improve supply chain efficiency.
Goldbox — Amazon’s landing page, containing Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals, and a selection of categories’ best promotions and savings. Also known as Today’s Deals.
Greenlight — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — Greenlight is the code that signifies availability, meaning the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) is currently available from the supplier and is found in the case.

Handling Time — The amount of time a seller needs between receiving an order and shipping the product to customers. Typically applies for seller-fulfilled products.
Hard To Find (HTF) — A term used to describe items that are difficult to locate or purchase. Hard To Find items are often associated with BOLO (Be On the Look Out) posts, which alert others in the reseller community to the potential value of a particular product or product line.
Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) — These items may be flammable, dangerous, corrosive, pressurized, etc. They require special precautions and regulations when transporting or storing.
Headline Search Ads (HSA) — Advertisements that are located on top of a search results page. These have been renamed to Sponsored Brands.
Health & Beauty Aids (HBA) — A category of consumer products that include personal care and hygiene items like skin care products, cosmetics, hair care products, oral care products, and personal grooming products. These types of products are designed to improve personal appearance, hygiene, and health.
Hijacking — When a seller jumps on a brand’s listing to sell a counterfeit product at a lower price. This causes the legitimate brand to lose the Buy Box and can result in a number of issues for the brand.

Impressions — A measure of views or ad views. Determined by the number of single times a page is located and loaded.
In Season (IS) (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — The code is located in the Brand Analytics and a table of costs for products or articles sold during specific seasons.
In Stock (IS) (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — If required, Amazon automatically reordered a product in stock; the code is found in the Vendor Catalog.
Inbound (IB) — A term used to describe the process of receiving goods or materials from external sources into a facility or operation.
Inbound Andon Tracker (IAT) — A tool used by Amazon support agents to track and manage Andon Cord tickets related to inbound shipments. See Andon Cords.
Individual Seller — A selling account on Amazon where an individual seller pays a per-item fee. Access to a wide range of tools, discounts, and reports are not available as an individual seller. You also cannot exceed selling 40 units per month.
Individual Selling Plan – One of two selling plans Amazon offers to enable sellers to access Seller Central. The Individual selling plan offers limited features for a fee of $0.99 per unit, plus additional referral, FBA, and other fees. The Professional selling plan is $39.99 a month, plus referral and other fees, but has more benefits for sellers.
Intellectual Property (IP) — Trademarks, copyrights, and patents. These allow a rights owner to control how their materials are used, sold, or distributed.
International Standard Book Number (ISBN) — A 13-digit identity number is assigned to individual books by standard book numbering agencies. Until 2006, ISBNs were 10 digits. An ISBN, SKU, and ASIN may all be used in listings on Amazon.
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) — An online database of information related to films, television programs, home videos, video games, and streaming content. IMDb is owned by Amazon and is one of the company’s subsidiaries.
Internet Movie Database TV (IMDb TV) — A free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Amazon that offers movies and TV shows. It’s available in the United States and features a range of content from major studios and independent creators.
Inventory — The goods and materials that a business holds for the purpose of selling or using in its operations, and in the context of Amazon, it specifically refers to the products that a seller has in stock and available for sale on the Amazon platform.
Inventory Control Quality Assurance (ICQA) — A department within Amazon’s fulfillment centers responsible for maintaining accurate inventory records and ensuring that all stowed items are properly accounted for.
Inventory Health — Refers to the overall status of a seller’s inventory, including factors such as the quantity of stock available, the age of the inventory, and the rate of sales. It helps sellers make informed decisions about restocking, pricing, and promotions to optimize their inventory management.
Inventory Performance Index (IPI) — The IPI is a metric to gauge your inventory performance over time that measures how efficient and productive you are in managing your inventory in FBA. The score will affect the amount of inventory that Amazon will allow you to send to their fulfillment centers.
Inventory Placement Service (IPS) – This is a service for sellers that use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to send their inventory to a single designated fulfillment center. Inventory Placement Service simplifies this process by allowing sellers to send all their inventory to a single designated Amazon fulfillment center. Amazon then distributes the inventory across its network of fulfillment centers, simplifying logistics for sellers at an additional cost. Introducing Amazon’s Inventory Placement Service (IPS) For Streamlined Fulfillment.
Inventory Record Defect Ratio (IRDR) — A metric used to measure the accuracy of inventory records in Amazon’s fulfillment centers. The Inventory Record Defect Ratio is calculated by comparing the virtual inventory count in a bin with the physical inventory count obtained during a random inventory check. This is an important metric for ensuring inventory accuracy and preventing stock-related issues that can impact customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
IP Accelerator — Amazon’s IP Accelerator program helps businesses more quickly obtain intellectual property rights and brand protection in Amazon’s stores.
Issue Assistance Team (IAT) — An internal team at Amazon that provides support to sellers experiencing issues with their accounts or listings. The team works closely with sellers to investigate and resolve issues related to policy violations, listing suspensions, and intellectual property claims to ensure a safe and trusted marketplace for buyers and sellers on Amazon’s platform. Visit “Strategic Account Services Core” further below on this page.
Item Data Quality (IDQ) — Refers to the condition of an item’s information, for example, if the product has bullet points and images.
Item Not Received (INR) — A term used to describe a situation where a customer claims that they have not received an item that they ordered.
Item Package Quantity (IPQ) — A term used to describe the number of units of a product that are included in a single package or container.

Joint Business Plan (JPB) — A collaborative plan between Amazon and its vendors to align business objectives and goals, and drive growth and profitability.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) — A measurable value that determines how well your business or organization is performing against set objectives.
Keywords — Specific words or phrases that are used in search queries to help find relevant information or products. In the context of Amazon, keywords are important for optimizing product listings and advertising campaigns.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) — Self-publish eBooks and paperbacks for free with Kindle Direct Publishing, and reach millions of readers on Amazon.

Large Scale Product Launch (LSPL) — A strategic effort to launch a large number of new products on Amazon at the same time. This is often done in collaboration with Amazon’s Vendor Manager or Seller Support team to ensure a successful and efficient launch.
Late Shipment Rate (LSR) — The percentage of a seller’s orders not shipped on time. This refers to the date an order was shipped, not the date it was delivered. Maintaining good shipping performance includes keeping this rate under 4%.
Launchpad — See Amazon Launchpad.
Less Than Container Load (LCL) — Shipment measure that means less than 18 cubic meters.
Less Than Truckload (LTL) — Shipment measure for ground transport means more than 30 cartons in a combined load with other merchants.
Letter of Authorization (LOA) — A legal document that authorizes a designated person or entity to act on behalf of another person or entity in certain matters, such as managing an Amazon seller account or obtaining approval for restricted products or categories.
Lightning Deals (LD) — A promotion on Amazon offered in a limited quantity for a short period of time. Lightning Deals are available, one per customer, until either the deal’s promotion period expires or all the available inventory is claimed. Lightning Deals can be found throughout Amazon, and are available on Today’s Deals or Prime Day page
Limited Replenishment (LP) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This means the product will only be reordered if needed, found in Amazon’s Brand Analytics and costs table.
Listing — A product in the Amazon store, much like an item in a catalog. A listing offers a product for sale using a product detail page. See Detail Page
Listing Optimization — The process of improving an Amazon detail page and product information, including titles, product details, descriptions, and images.
Listing Quality — A measurement of how well a listing is performing. Tracks discoverability, the product detail page experience, and customer returns.
Live Deals — See Amazon Live.
Long-Tail Keywords — Specific and niche search phrases that are longer and more specific than general keywords, often used to target a specific audience and improve search engine optimization efforts.
Long-Term Storage Fee (LTSF) — Amazon’s chargeback for inventory that has been stored in a fulfillment center for more than 365 days. For more information visit Amazon MCF.
Lost Buy Box (LBB) — Refers to the situation where a seller’s product listing on Amazon no longer appears with the Buy Box button, usually because another seller has a better offer as determined by Amazon’s algorithm.
Lost Feature Offer (LFO) — A metric used in Amazon’s analytics dashboard to indicate when a seller’s product is no longer eligible to be featured in the Buy Box but is still available for sale to customers.

Manifested Not Received (MNR) — A term used to describe a situation where a package has been shipped and a tracking number has been generated, but the carrier has not yet confirmed receipt of the package.
Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) — Sometimes referred to as a “sticker price.” The purpose is to keep prices similar from store to store. But retailers may not price items using MSRP, and customers may end up paying higher or lower prices based on supply and demand.
Marketplace — What locale or domain you are selling in? Refers to a country (US, CA, UK, DE, etc.) or overall third-party merchants.
Marketplace Facilitator Tax (MFT) — A type of sales tax that is collected and remitted by online marketplaces like Amazon on behalf of third-party sellers who make sales through the platform.
Marketplace Product Guidance — A tool for sellers that analyzes the demand for existing inventory or new products in various stores. The guidance provides recommendations for cross-listing or new product development.
Marketplace Tax Collection (MTC) — Refers to the feature introduced by Amazon where the company collects and remits sales tax on behalf of third-party sellers on its platform, in states where such taxes are applicable.
Marketplace Web Services (MWS) — Marketplace Web Services, is an environment for sellers to add applications to their accounts. It is not available for individual seller accounts.
Match Type — Refers to the targeting setting for a keyword in Amazon Advertising. It determines how closely a customer’s search query must match the keyword in order for the ad to be eligible to be shown. There are three match types: broad, phrase, and exact.
Matching Compensation Plan (MCP) — A program in Amazon’s compensation structure that matches a portion of an employee’s salary and/or bonus to the company’s stock.
Merchant Fulfilled (MF) — Refers to shipping products directly to the end customer yourself, as opposed to Amazon doing it. See Fulfilled by Merchant and Merchant Fulfilled Network.
Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFS) — When the seller ships products to customers themselves, rather than using Fulfillment by Amazon. Same as Fulfilled by Merchant or FBM.
Merchant Fulfilled Shipping (MFS) — A shipping method where the seller ships products to customers themselves. Also called Fulfillment by Merchant or Merchant Fulfilled Network.
Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) — A special note on MAP by locale: In the US, if a retailer buys inventory from a manufacturer that has a MAP policy, they must NOT sell the product below that price. If they do, they risk no longer working with that manufacturer. However, this is not legal in Europe.
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) — The minimum amount Amazon must order.
Moderator (MOD) — A person responsible for managing and moderating online forums or communities.
Month Over Month (MOM) — A term used to describe changes in performance or metrics over a period of one month compared to the previous month.
Month To Date (MTD) — A term used to describe the period of time from the beginning of the current month up to the present day.
Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) — A logistics solution provided by Amazon that enables e-commerce businesses to use Amazon’s fulfillment network and expertise to process and deliver customer orders across various sales channels beyond Amazon.com.
Multi-Channel Fulfillment Order (MCF Order) — The Multi-Channel Fulfillment feature allows a seller to use FBA inventory to fulfill orders from any store in which they sell, including their own website. See also Fulfillment by Amazon.

Net Product Profit Margin (NET PPM)— Is calculated as (Average Selling Price – Average Cost per Unit + Contra-COGS) ÷ Average Selling Price. This metric is used to evaluate the profitability of a product after taking into account all costs associated with selling it, including any accruals and contra-COGS.
Net Receipts — Refer to the payment a vendor receives from Amazon after deductions, such as shipping fees, storage fees, discounts, and returns.
New Item Setup (NIS) — The initial creation of a product, from accepting terms and agreements to developing an ASIN and filling out detail page info.
New Product (NP) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This refers to a newly listed product and is located in Brand Analytics and table of costs.
New to Brand (NTB) — Launched in 2019, Amazon’s advertising metric determines whether an ad-attributed purchase was made by an existing customer or one buying a brand’s product on Amazon for the first time over the prior year. With NTB, advertisers receive campaign performance metrics such as total new-to-brand purchases and sales, new-to-brand purchase rate, and cost per new-to-brand customer.
Next-Day Delivery (NDD) — A shipping option that guarantees delivery of a package or item to the recipient on the next business day after it is shipped.
North American Fulfillment Network (NAFN) — Vendors in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico) may find their products shipped to any of these countries using Amazon’s fulfillment channels.
North America Unified Account (NA Unified Account) — North American Unified Account. Standard new seller account when registering on .com, .ca or .com.mx
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) — A legal contract that establishes a confidential relationship between two or more parties and outlines the terms and conditions for protecting confidential information shared between them.
Non-Replenishable (NR) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — A product that is not available, found in Brand Analytics and the table of costs.
Not Yet Published (NY) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — A new product that has yet to be released. The code is found in Case.

Obsolete (OB) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This refers to a product that will no longer be available and will not be ordered and located in Amazon’s Brand Analytics on Vendor Central.
Off-Season (OF) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — Seasonal articles or products sold out of season, located in the Brand Analytics and table of costs.
Offer Minimum Order Quantity (OMOQ) — Refers to the minimum number of units of a product that a vendor must offer in a single purchase order to be eligible for Amazon’s promotional offers.
Operations (Ops) — Refers to the processes, systems, and activities involved in producing and delivering goods or services.
Operations Manager (OM) — A position within Amazon that is responsible for overseeing and managing day-to-day operations in a Fulfillment Center or department of the company.
On-Road Dynamic Transfer (ORDT) — A process used by Amazon to transfer packages and items between delivery trucks while they are on the road. On-Road Dynamic Transfer is designed to optimize the delivery process by reducing the need for trucks to return to a warehouse or distribution center to pick up additional packages, which can save time and improve delivery efficiency.
One-Time Password (OTP) — A security mechanism used to authenticate a user for a single session or transaction. It is usually sent to the user’s mobile device or email and expires after a short period of time.
Online Arbitrage (OA) — Businesses that purchase products at lower prices to resell them online for a greater price to reap profits.
Order Defect Rate (ODR) — A measurement of how well a seller offers products that meet the needs and expectations of customers. The Account Health is affected by the percentage of orders that have received negative feedback, an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, or a service credit card chargeback. The Order Defect Rate allows Amazon to measure overall performance with a single metric. An important part of Account Health is keeping the Order Defect Rate under 1%.
Order Handling Capacity – The set number of orders a seller can process within a specified handling time. Order Handling Capacity applies to sellers using the Merchant Fulfilled Network to ship products.
Order Inventory Health (OIH) — This is a process that Amazon uses to monitor the profitability of the products it sells on its platform. Specifically, Amazon uses OIH to identify products that are considered “CRaP” (Can’t Realize a Profit), which are typically low-cost items that are expensive to store and ship.
Order Picker (OP) — A position within Amazon’s fulfillment centers that involves selecting and retrieving items from storage bins and shelves to fulfill customer orders.
Order To Cash (O2C) — A business process that involves receiving and processing customer orders, fulfilling those orders, invoicing the customer, and receiving payment for the products or services rendered. In Amazon, the Order To Cash process involves the entire cycle from order placement to payment receipt, and may include additional steps such as inventory management and shipping.
Ordered Revenue — A metric that reflects the value of orders placed by customers but have not yet been shipped by Amazon. The calculation is typically based on the average selling price at the time of the order and the volume of orders placed.
Ordered Volume — Refers to the total number of units ordered by customers on Amazon that have not yet shipped. It’s a measure of demand for a product.
Organization and Leadership Review (OLR) — A process used by Amazon to evaluate the performance and potential of its employees and identify opportunities for career growth and development. This review process is done at Amazon during Q1 and Q3.
Other Sellers — A section on an Amazon product detail page that displays offers from third-party sellers who are also selling the same product. The Other Sellers Box allows customers to compare prices, shipping options, and seller ratings for a particular product and choose the best option that meets their needs.
Out Of Print (OP) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — A product that is no longer produced, otherwise known as an EOL product (end-of-line). The code is found in Case.
Out Of Stock (OOS) — A term used to describe a situation where a product or item is no longer available for purchase or is temporarily unavailable.
Outbound (OB) — When referring to Fulfillment Center scheduling.
Over-The-Counter (OTC) — Refers to over-the-counter trading, which is a type of trading that takes place directly between two parties without the supervision of an exchange. In Over The Counter trading, the two parties negotiate the terms of the transaction and agree on a price, which may be based on various factors such as market conditions, supply and demand, and other factors.
Over The Top (OTT) — Over The Top advertising, Amazon OTT, or Amazon Streaming TV, is a platform for streaming video content delivered over the internet, and offers an opportunity for brands to reach new audiences at scale through OTT advertising. OTT ads are delivered to viewers within streaming video content.

Pan European Inbound Consolidation Service (PICS) — An Amazon program that allows vendors to consolidate multiple purchase orders into one shipment to an Amazon fulfillment center, simplifying the inbound logistics process.
Parent ASIN — An ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) of a product that has variations or multiple versions, such as different colors, sizes, or styles. The Parent ASIN is used to group together all of the different variations of the same product on Amazon’s platform. The variants are referred to as child ASINs.
Parent Product — See Variations or Parent ASIN.
Pay Per Click (PPC) — A type of advertising available on Amazon’s platform that allows sellers to promote their products using targeted ads that appear on search results and product pages. With Pay Per Click advertising, sellers only pay when a customer clicks on their ad, making it a cost-effective way to reach potential customers. The ads are mostly keyword-targeted, meaning that they will only appear to customers who are searching for specific products or keywords related to the seller’s products.
Pending Order — An order in which a product has been purchased but for which the customer’s payment has not yet been confirmed. Amazon will confirm payments, and while an order is still pending, it shouldn’t be shipped.
Perfect Inbound (PIB)— Refers to the process of receiving and processing inventory in Amazon’s fulfillment centers without any issues, defects, or delays.
Perfect Inbound Defect Rate (PIBDR) — A measure of the percentage of inbound products that arrive at an Amazon Fulfillment Center without any damage or other issues.
Permanently Unavailable — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — A product that cannot be offered any more and is not ordered by Amazon. This term is found in the VC catalog.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) —Refers to the gear and equipment used by Amazon workers to protect themselves from workplace hazards, such as gloves, safety glasses, face masks, and high-visibility vests.
Plan of Appeal / Plan of Action (POA) — This refers to a plan submitted by a seller to Amazon to address and resolve issues related to policy violations or account suspensions.
Planned Replenishment (PR) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This is a standard code that indicates a product will be reordered automatically. The code can be found in Brand Analytics reporting on Vendor Central.
Policy Compliance — See Product Policy Compliance.
Point of Contact (POC) — Typically an individual or team responsible for managing communications and interactions between two or more parties, such as between a company and a customer, a vendor, or a partner.
Pre-Fulfillment Cancellation Rate — See Cancellation Rate.
Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNoV or PNV) — A notification sent by Amazon to a seller to inform them of an alleged violation of Amazon’s policies or guidelines. The notification typically outlines the specific issue or violation, provides evidence or documentation of the violation, and may include recommendations for corrective action. Sellers are typically given a period of time to respond and provide evidence or explanations before further action is taken by Amazon.
Prepaid Return Label (PRL) — A shipping label that has already been paid for and can be used by a customer to return a product to the seller or retailer at no cost to the customer. It is often used as a convenience to encourage customer loyalty and to simplify the returns process for both the customer and the seller.
Pricing Health — A feature allowing sellers to address pricing errors and to see how well their listed prices are driving sales. Pricing Health also allows sellers to see how eligible they are to become the Featured Offer.
Prime — See Amazon Prime
Prime Exclusive Discount (PED) — A deal type available only to FBA sellers on Amazon for Prime-eligible items. Prime Exclusive Discounts can be an amount or percentage off, a limited-time deal.
Prime Members — Subscribers to Amazon’s membership program, which provides a range of benefits including free and fast shipping, access to streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Music, and exclusive deals and discounts. See Amazon Prime.
Private Label (PL) — The process of creating a unique brand or label for a product manufactured by a third-party supplier and sold under the seller’s own brand. It is a strategy used by sellers to differentiate their products, build brand recognition, and increase customer loyalty on Amazon’s platform.
Proactive Outbound Problem Solve (POPS) — An internal program at Amazon that aims to identify and resolve quality issues in the outbound process, such as packaging errors, mislabeled packages, or incorrect shipment contents. The program is staffed by Amazon workers who are tasked with reviewing outbound processes, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing solutions to reduce errors and improve overall quality.
Probability 70% (P70) — An Amazon demand forecasting metric estimating with a 70% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
Probability 80% (P80) — An Amazon demand forecasting metric estimating with a 80% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
Probability 90% (P90) — An Amazon demand forecasting metric estimating with a 90% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
Process Assistant (PA) — An Amazon warehouse position that works as a supervisor under the Area Manager.
Process Map Visuals (PMV)— Diagrams or flowcharts that illustrate the steps or stages involved in completing a process or task. These visuals typically use symbols, shapes, and arrows to represent different stages or actions, and are often used in business or project management to help teams understand and improve complex processes.
Process Path Quality Assurance (PPQA) — A methodology used by Amazon to ensure that its internal processes are effective, efficient, and consistent. Amazon uses PPQA to review and optimize its processes across various areas, such as logistics, fulfillment, customer service, and more, to ensure that the company is providing the best possible experience to its customers and sellers.
Product Cost of Goods Sold (POGS) — The direct cost associated with producing and delivering a product to customers, including materials, labor, overhead, and shipping fees. Calculating Product Cost of Goods Sold helps businesses determine the profitability of their products and make informed pricing decisions. See also Shipped COGS
Product Detail Page (PDP) — Also known as the Detail Page, it is a page on Amazon that contains all the information about a product that a customer sees. This includes product images, product details, descriptions, price, sellers, and shipping options. See also listing.
Product Display Ads (PDA) — a type of advertising on Amazon’s platform that allow sellers to promote their products through display ads shown to customers who are browsing or shopping for related products. These ads can appear on product detail pages, category pages, customer review pages, and in the “related products” section of search results pages.
Product Policy Compliance — A measure of how well a seller is meeting Amazon’s product policy. Respecting intellectual property, selling authentic items, and accurately reporting a product’s condition are all part of Product Policy Compliance. Maintaining Product Policy Compliance is an important part of good Account Health.
Product Price Variance (PPV) — The difference between the expected and actual selling price of a product, and is a key metric used by Amazon sellers to evaluate their pricing strategy. By monitoring product price variance, sellers can make informed decisions about pricing adjustments to remain competitive and profitable in the marketplace.
Product Quantity Variance (PQV) — Refers to the difference between the expected and actual quantities of products received by Amazon from a vendor. This variance can occur due to a variety of factors, such as errors in inventory management or discrepancies in shipping and receiving processes.
Product Review — Customer feedback or opinions on a product’s quality, features, and performance, submitted on the product page of Amazon’s platform. These reviews can influence a customer’s buying decision and are an important factor in determining a product’s visibility and sales performance on Amazon.
Professional Seller — A selling account on Amazon where a business pays a monthly fee (but no per-item fee). Allows access to a range of tools, discounts, and reports that are not available as an individual seller. See also the Professional Selling Plan.
Professional Selling Plan — One of two selling plans Amazon offers to enable sellers to access Seller Central. The Professional Selling Plan offers the most Seller Central features and tools and is the most appropriate plan for many new sellers.
Profit and Loss (P&L) — A financial statement that summarizes a company’s revenues, costs, and expenses over a specified period of time, typically a quarter or a year. The P&L statement is an important tool for Amazon sellers to evaluate their financial performance, measure their profitability, and make informed decisions about their business operations.
Project Zero — A program designed to help brands protect their intellectual property by proactively detecting and removing counterfeit products from Amazon’s platform.
Proof of Delivery (POD) — Refers to the confirmation that a package has been delivered to the intended recipient, which can be viewed by the seller and the buyer through the order details page. Proof of Delivery can be in the form of a photo of the delivered package, the delivery address, and the delivery confirmation from the carrier.
Purchase Order (PO) — A document that formalizes a buyer’s request for goods or services from a supplier or vendor. It typically includes details such as the type and quantity of goods or services requested, the price, delivery date, and other terms and conditions.
Pure Product Margin (PPM) — A metric used by Amazon sellers to calculate the net profit they make on each product sold after all costs and expenses related to the sale have been accounted for. The PPM takes into account the product’s selling price, Amazon fees, cost of goods sold, shipping fees, and any other direct costs associated with the sale, such as advertising expenses or taxes. The formula for calculating this is: (Revenue — PCOGS) / Revenue

Quality Assurance (QA) — A systematic process of ensuring that products or services meet specified requirements and quality standards, and are free from defects and errors. It involves planning, monitoring, and evaluating various aspects of the production and delivery process to ensure that the end product or service meets or exceeds customer expectations.
Quarterly Business Review (QBR) — A periodic meeting to review performance, discuss goals, and identify areas for improvement. The Quarterly Business Review typically takes place once every three months and typically involves a review of the business’s financial and operational metrics, as well as a discussion of future plans and strategies.

Received Intellectual Property Violation (RIPV) — A notification that Amazon sends to sellers when a complaint or claim has been made against them for violating intellectual property rights, such as trademark or copyright infringement.
Recommended Retail Price (RRP) — Like Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), Recommended Retail Price is the suggested price at which a manufacturer or supplier recommends that their product be sold to customers.
Refund at First Scan (RFS)— An Amazon policy that allows customers to receive a refund for a product as soon as it is scanned by the shipping carrier, even if the product has not yet been returned to the seller. Refund at First Scan is intended to simplify the returns process for customers and reduce the amount of time and effort required to process returns for sellers.
Remote Fulfillment with FBA — A feature allowing sellers who have FBA inventory in the United States to sell that inventory to customers in Canada and Mexico. See also Fulfillment by Amazon.
Removal of Offer (ROO) — This means that the Buy Box is no longer available, but customers who are subscribed to the Subscribe and Save program will still receive their orders.
Removal of Order (ROO) — The removal of a seller’s offer or listing by Amazon. This can happen for various reasons, such as violations of Amazon’s policies or poor performance metrics.
Replenishable Product (REPLEN) — Refers to a product that is sold on Amazon’s platform and is frequently restocked due to its popularity and demand. Replenishable products are often part of a seller’s core product offering and can generate consistent revenue over time as customers regularly purchase the product.
Reserve Stow Racks (RSR) — storage systems used in Amazon’s warehouses to store products that are not immediately needed for fulfillment. RSRs are typically located on the upper levels of warehouse shelves and can hold a large number of products, allowing Amazon to efficiently manage and rotate inventory as needed.
Restock Limit — The limit of items that a seller can have in FBA stock at any given time across all ASINs for sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon. The Restock Limit is determined by storage type, as well as past and forecasted sales.
Retail Arbitrage (RA)— A business model where individuals or businesses purchase products from retail stores at a discounted price and resell them for a profit on Amazon or other online marketplaces. Retail Arbitrage sellers typically look for products that are in high demand, have a limited supply, or are being sold at a discount, and then sell them at a higher price to make a profit.
Return On Ad Spend (ROAS)— A metric used to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on Amazon’s platform. Return On Ad Spend measures the revenue generated from ad spend and helps sellers determine the profitability of their advertising campaigns. A higher RoAS indicates that the advertising campaign is generating more revenue than the cost of the ads, while a lower RoAS indicates that the advertising campaign may not be generating a positive return on investment.
Return on Investment (ROI) — A financial metric used to measure the profitability of an investment, typically expressed as a percentage. ROI is calculated by dividing the net profit or gain from an investment by the total cost of the investment.
Robotics Service Platform (RSP) — A cloud-based software platform developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides tools and services to help developers build, simulate, and deploy robotics applications.

Safe T Claim or Safe-T — Seller Assurance for E–Commerce Transactions claim. This feature allows sellers to ask for reimbursement from Amazon for a refund offered to a customer for seller–fulfilled products under certain conditions.
Sales Discount (SD) — A reduction in the selling price of a product or service provided to a customer as an incentive to prompt payment within a specified time period.
Sales Rank (SR) — An internal ranking system used by Amazon to rank products based on their sales performance in comparison to other products in the same category. Sales Rank is determined by a combination of factors, such as the number of units sold, the frequency of sales, and the recency of sales.
Same-Day Delivery (SDD) — A delivery option offered by Amazon that allows customers to receive their orders on the same day that they are placed.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — A process to increase traffic and visibility to a website, brand, or product through a search engine on the web. Refers only to “organic,” unpaid, or free results, as opposed to paid placement, such as ads.
Second Quarter (Q2) — Refers to the second quarter of a company’s fiscal year, which covers the months of April, May, and June.
Selective Distribution Agreement (SDA) — An agreement between a manufacturer and its distributors or retailers, which limits the number of outlets or sellers that can distribute or sell their products, usually based on certain criteria such as geographic location, sales volume, or product expertise.
Selective Distribution Network (SDN) — The group of distributors who are selected to sell a manufacturer’s products under the terms of an Selective Distribution Agreement (SDA).
Seller — Company or individual that sells goods through Amazon.
Seller Account Information — An area of Amazon Seller Central dedicated to viewing or updating: payment, business, shipping and return, and tax information; registered Amazon services; and product listing status.
Seller Central (SC) — Amazon Seller Central is the web interface used by brands and merchants to market and sell their products directly to Amazon’s customers. If you have a Seller Central account, you’re considered a marketplace or third-party seller.
Seller Feedback — Reviews of the seller of the product, not the product itself.
Seller Forums — An online community (borderline social network) created by Amazon for sellers. Sellers can ask questions, share experiences, and in some cases insult and/or give bad advice to other sellers. Seller Forums are restricted to sellers, though the moderators are Amazon’s employees who can edit posts and answer questions. All forum moderators indicate their name at the beginning of their post and their avatar is black with an “a”. Participants of the forums are expected to follow the posting guidelines.
Seller-Fulfilled Prime (SFP) — Sellers that stick to the Amazon Prime SLA, but ship from their own warehouses and control their own fulfillment. Learn more about Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements.
Seller–Fulfilled Product — A product for which the seller stores the inventory and ships directly to customers through their Merchant-Fulfilled Network. See also Fulfillment by Merchant.
Seller Performance — A measure of how well a seller is meeting customer needs and expectations. Seller Performance is a combination of Customer Service Performance, Policy Compliance, and Shipping Performance. Good Seller Performance means good Account Health.
Seller Support (SeSu or SS) — A team within Amazon that provides assistance and support to sellers who use Amazon’s platform to sell their products.
Seller University — Amazon’s collection of videos and documents explaining how to sell on Amazon. Seller University is the official source of information sanctioned by Amazon. It is free, it offers videos, PDFs, and articles.
Selling Application — A request for approval to sell a product in the Amazon store. Some projects must be approved before the sale.
Sell-Out Agreement (SOA) — A financial agreement between Amazon and a vendor where Amazon provides funding to the vendor based on a percentage or dollar amount per item sold to end customers.
Sell Through Rate (STR) — A metric used to measure how well a product is selling. It’s calculated by dividing the number of units sold (shipped units minus customer returns) by the total number of units available (on-hand units plus received units) at the beginning of a given time period. Sell Through Rate = (Shipped units – customer returns) / (On hand units + received units). This metric is typically expressed as a percentage.
Send to Amazon (STA) — The process of sending FBA inventory to fulfillment centers. See also Fulfillment by Amazon.
Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) — A unique barcode used to identify and track shipping containers in the supply chain, including those being sent to Amazon.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) — A contract or agreement between two parties that outlines the level of service that will be provided, including the scope of services, expected performance metrics, and remedies in the event of service disruptions or failures.
Service Provider Network (SPN) — The Amazon Service Provider Network is a network of over 300 professional service providers who are trained and certified by Amazon. Learn more about the Amazon Service Provider Network.
Sessions — One session is a group of interactions/page views/loads that one user takes on a website within a certain time frame. A useful metric when it comes to shopping or customer habits on Amazon.
Settlement Period — The standard two–week period after which total income from purchases is deposited into a seller’s account. The exact dates of each period can change if a seller requests payment early.
Shipped COGS — This is a metric used in Amazon Vendor Central that refers to the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) associated with products shipped to customers. It’s calculated based on the cost price of the product at the time Amazon purchased it, multiplied by the shipped volume during the selected time period, and is expressed as a dollar value. Shipped COGS is equivalent to Amazon’s PCOGs. It is also known as Vendor COGS .
Shipped Revenue — The revenue Amazon generates by shipping a vendor’s products. It’s calculated based on the average selling price to the end customer at the time of shipment, multiplied by the sold volume during the selected time period, and expressed as a dollar value.
Shipped Volume — This represents the number of units of a product that have been shipped by Amazon to end customers during a specified period. It is calculated by dividing the total shipped revenue by the average selling price (ASP) of the product during the same period.
Shipping, Label, Apply, Manifest (SLAM) — Refers to the final step in the Amazon shipping process where the shipment is scanned, labeled with a shipping label, and a manifest is created to record the contents of the shipment.
Shipping Package # (SPOO/SP00) — A type of barcode label used by Amazon’s warehouses to track and manage inventory and fulfillment operations.
Shipping Performance — A measure of how well a seller is meeting customer expectations for prompt shipment and delivery. Shipping performance is a metric used in the measurement of Account Health. Learn more here with the Account Health FAQ.
Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) — A tool for sellers using merchant–fulfilled shipping. It automatically sets the default handling time for products based on warehouse location, distance to customers, and carrier performance information.
Ships in Own Container (SIOC) — An Amazon packaging option where a product can be shipped in its own box, without requiring additional overboxing at Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Ships in Own Container is intended to reduce packaging waste and streamline the fulfillment process, as products can be shipped directly to customers without the need for additional packaging materials.
Simple Bin Count (SBC) — A method of inventory management used by Amazon’s warehouses to keep track of the number of units of a particular product in a bin location.
Simple Record Count (SRC) — A method used by Amazon to count the number of units of a product in its inventory.
Small and Light (SnL or S&L) — An Amazon fulfillment program for smaller items that, when qualified, results in reduced shipping costs.
Sponsored Brands ads (SB or SBA) — Keyword-targeted ads that promote a brand with the logo, creative, and a collection of products. Sponsored Brands ads drive awareness and discovery of your brand and product portfolio with customizable ads that appear in Amazon shopping results.
Sponsored Display ads (SD or SDA) — Keyword-targeted display ads that promote products. Sponsored Display ads create self-service display campaigns to reach relevant shoppers on and off Amazon.
Sponsored Products ads (SP or SPA) — Keyword-targeted ads that promote an individual product, and are on a cost-per-click basis. Sponsored Product ads help customers find your products by quickly creating ads that appear in related shopping results and product pages.
Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) — A unique code to identify a product. Amazon uses an SKU to identify a product sold by a specific seller. In other words, a SKU is a specific product offered by a specific seller. Amazon lists ASINs, but a seller’s inventory typically uses SKU numbers.
Storage Volume Limit — The total amount of physical space that products can take up in Amazon’s fulfillment centers at any given time. This applies to sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon. News: Amazon announces new streamlined FBA capacity management system.
Store – Replaced by Brand Store. It’s a website within Amazon curated for your brand. See Brand Store.
Storefront — Replaced by Brand Store. It’s a website within Amazon curated for your brand. See Brand Store.
Strategic Account Services (SAS) — The Strategic Account Services Core is a program offered by Amazon to its sellers that provides access to a designated account manager who can help optimize their business on Amazon, such as by improving product visibility, increasing sales, and developing growth strategies. To participate in Strategic Account Services Core, sellers need to meet certain eligibility requirements and can contact Amazon to learn more.
Strategic Vendor Service (SVS) — A paid program that provides vendors with a dedicated contact to assist with operational matters such as ordering and catalog management. Currently known as Amazon Vendor Service.
Subscribe and Save (SnS) — Amazon’s service allows customers to routinely auto-order delivery on certain products at a discounted price. Bundling more of these products increases the discount level. Enrollment for Subscribe and Save is now automatic for Sellers.
Suggested Retail Price (SRP) — A pricing strategy used by manufacturers to recommend the price at which their products should be sold to retailers. SRP is similar to MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) and is intended to provide guidance to retailers on pricing their products.
Suspected Intellectual Property Violation (SIPV) — A notification that Amazon sends to sellers when a complaint or claim has been made against their products for potential violation of intellectual property rights, such as trademark or copyright infringement.
Suspension — Seller loses the right to sell but can appeal. If the appeal is denied the seller can still submit a revised Plan of Action. If the seller is banned Amazon is no longer reading the emails and appeals.

Temporarily Unavailable — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — A product that is not ordered by Amazon, this term is located in the VC (Vendor Central) catalog.
Terms and Conditions (T&C) — A legal agreement that sets out the terms of a transaction or agreement between two parties, typically a seller and a buyer.
Terms of Service (TOS) — A legal agreement that outlines the rules and guidelines governing the use of a particular service or product.
Thanks In Advance (TIA) — A common acronym used in online communication, particularly on Amazon Seller Forums, to express gratitude in anticipation of a request or favor.
Third-Party (3P) — Refers to sellers who use Amazon’s marketplace to sell their products directly to customers without selling these items to Amazon first. These sellers use Seller Central to manage their listings, inventory, and orders and are responsible for shipping the products to customers. See Third-Party Seller.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL) — Refers to the outsourcing of e-commerce logistics processes to a third-party business, including inventory management, warehousing, and fulfillment. 3PL providers allow e-commerce merchants to accomplish more, with the tools and infrastructure to automate retail order fulfillment.
Third-Party Seller (3PS) — A business or individual that sells a product or products using Seller Central. Sellers sell products directly to consumers on Amazon under their own business name, taking on the role of retailers. Compare the benefits and differences between Amazon Vendors (1P) and Amazon Sellers (3P).
Third Quarter (Q3) — Refers to the third quarter of a company’s fiscal year, which covers the months of July, August, and September.
Time Off Task (TOT) — A metric used by Amazon to measure the amount of time that warehouse workers spend not actively engaged in work-related tasks, such as breaks, meetings, or other non-productive activities.
Tote Transition Time (TTT) — A term used in Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers to measure the amount of time it takes for a worker to transition from one tote to another or swap it out.
Toys R Us (TRU) — A toy and baby products retailer that operated in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Trademark — A symbol, word, phrase, or design that distinguishes the products or services of one company from those of another.
Trademark Infringement — A violation of intellectual property rights that occurs when a person or company uses a trademark, service mark, or trade name that is identical or similar to an existing trademark without authorization or permission.
Transparency — Proactively prevent counterfeit products on Amazon. Transparency is a product serialization service that helps identify individual units and proactively prevent counterfeits from reaching customers.
Transport by Amazon (TBA) — A shipping service offered by Amazon that allows the company to handle the delivery of packages from merchants to customers.
Twister — Amazon’s detail page function for merging ASINs of various colors and sizes onto one page. This is more customer-friendly than having each seller or item with a specific size or color on its own detail page.

Ultra Fast Track (UFT) — A program by Amazon that measures the percentage of time it takes for an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) to be shipped from a fulfillment center to the customer compared to the selection Amazon intended to carry.
Unable to Access (UTA) — An error message that may be displayed by Amazon when a customer or user is unable to access a particular feature or service.
Unable to Locate (UTL) — An error message that may be displayed by Amazon when a product, shipment, or another item cannot be located in the fulfillment center or delivery system.
Units Per Hour (UPH) — A metric used in Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers to measure the rate at which workers are able to process and package units of inventory.
Unknown (UN) — (Vendor Central Replenishment Code) — This is a code that indicates the status of the product is unknown. It is located in Amazon’s Brand Analytics and Table of Costs.
Universal Product Code (UPC) — A 12-digit number is displayed with the barcode on the vast majority of retail products. UPC is the standard code for identifying commercial
products, often identified with barcodes.
Universal Receive (UR) — An Amazon worker responsible for managing the process of receiving and processing all incoming and outgoing products, materials, items, and/or merchandise in the warehouse.
Universal Receive Prep (URP) — A process used in Amazon’s fulfillment centers to prepare incoming inventory for storage and processing.
Universal Receive Sort (URS) — A process used in Amazon’s fulfillment centers to sort incoming inventory into the appropriate bins for storage and processing.
Unshipped Order — A purchased order with a confirmed payment that has not yet been shipped to the customer.
Unverified Review — A product review on Amazon that has not been confirmed by the company as having been made by someone who actually purchased the item. Unverified reviews can be made by anyone, and are not subject to the same level of scrutiny and verification as verified reviews, which are confirmed by Amazon as having been made by verified purchasers. How To Deal With The Fallout Of Amazon Fake Reviews
User Experience (UX) — Refers to the overall experience that a user has when interacting with a product, service, or system. User Experience encompasses all aspects of the user’s interaction, including usability, design, accessibility, and functionality.
User Interface (UI) — Typically refers to the design and presentation of a software application or system that allows users to interact with it.
Utilization Quantity — The total number of units that sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon have in all fulfillment centers. Specifically refers to units being prepared for shipping, in the process of being shipped, and being received. Counts toward your Restock Limit.

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) — The percentage of products shipped through Merchant Fulfilled Network that had a valid tracking number when shipped to customers. Maintaining good Shipping Performance includes keeping this rate above 95%.
Value Added Tax (VAT) — A tax assessed on the value added at each stage of the production and distribution process of a product or service. VAT is commonly used in many countries around the world, including in the European Union, and is typically calculated as a percentage of the price of the product or service.
Variation — Many products have one main item with options for size, color, flavor, pack sizes, and more. Often the main product is a Parent ASIN with the variants being Child ASINs.
Variation Wizard — A tool that allows sellers to create variations of a product ASIN, such as different colors or sizes.
Vendor — Vendors, using Vendor Central, sell products to Amazon’s retail side to be sold by Amazon to end consumers, taking on the role of wholesalers. Learn the between Amazon Vendors and Amazon Sellers.
Vendor Catalog (VC) — A product catalog that is managed by a vendor or supplier and used by Amazon to source and list products for sale on its platform.
Vendor Central — Using Vendor Central Amazon sends you a purchase order (PO) and you fulfill the PO and ship the product back to Amazon. A vendor relationship means Amazon acts as the retailer, and you operate as a wholesale supplier to Amazon. To sell in Vendor Central, you need to be invited by Amazon directly.
Vendor Central Replenishment Codes — Codes assigned by Amazon allow the systems on Vendor Central to identify terminology related to inventory and availability. Learn more about Understanding Amazon Vendor Central Replenishment Codes.
Vendor COGS — See Shipped COGS.
Vendor Flex (VFLEX) — A supply chain program in which vendors directly supply products to end customers using their own warehouse instead of Amazon’s.
Vendor Funded Managed Coupons (VFMC) — These are coupons that are set up and managed by Amazon’s Subscribe and Save team, and funded by the vendor.
Vendor Improvement Plan (VIP) — A plan developed by Amazon Vendor Services (AVS) Brand Specialist to improve metrics with a vendor, outlining the specific areas of focus.
Vendor Powered Voucher (VPV) — See Voucher.
Verified Review — A product review that has been posted by a customer who has actually purchased and used the product.
Video In Search (VIS) — Offers advertisers a content-rich medium in which to make a direct connection with Amazon customers through videos in mobile search results.
Vine — See Amazon Vine.
Virtual Assistant (VA) — A software program or online service that provides assistance and support to users in a variety of tasks, such as scheduling, email management, and data entry.
Virtual New Hire Orientation (VNHO) — A training program for new employees at Amazon that is conducted virtually, usually through online video conferencing or e-learning platforms.
Voice of the Customer (VOC) — Refers to the process of gathering and analyzing feedback from customers about their experiences with a product or service.
Volume Incentive Rebate (VIR) — Also known as Growth Incentive Rebate, and is a discount or rebate program offered by Amazon to vendors and suppliers who achieve or exceed certain sales volume targets.
Voucher — A promotional deal on Amazon where a vendor or seller offers an amount or percentage off for a limited time. Customers can typically redeem the vouchers directly on the product detail page.

Walmart (WM) — One of the largest retail corporations in the world, headquartered in the United States. Walmart operates a chain of discount department stores, grocery stores, and hypermarkets in various countries, and is known for its competitive pricing and extensive product offerings. Walmart is also a major competitor of Amazon, particularly in the retail and e-commerce industries.
Warehouse (WHS) — Refers to the physical location where Amazon stores and manages inventory and fulfills customer orders.
Warehouse Deals — Sold by Amazon Warehouse, a business of Amazon that sells quality “used” (usually just items with damaged packaging or returned) products and rents out used textbooks. All items are inspected and graded using Amazon’s rigorous 20-point quality inspection process and sold at a discount. Purchases are Prime-eligible and backed by Amazon’s 30-day return policy and customer service.
Warehouse Health and Safety (WHS) — Refers to the set of practices and procedures that Amazon follows to ensure the safety and well-being of workers and visitors in its warehouses.
Weeks Of Cover (WOC) — A metric used to calculate how many weeks of inventory a business has on hand before it runs out of stock. It is commonly used by Amazon to plan its inventory levels and avoid stockouts.
Week Over Week (WOW) — A performance measurement that compares the performance of a metric, such as sales or revenue, over the course of one week to the previous week.

X-Channel Management — Refers to the practice of selling products across multiple channels on Amazon, such as Amazon Core, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, and more.

Year Over Year (YOY) — A method of evaluating two or more measured events from one year to the previous year.
Year To Date (YTD) — Refers to the period of time beginning the first day of the current calendar year through the current date.
Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) — A disclaimer commonly used to indicate that individual results or experiences may vary based on a number of factors. Your Mileage May Vary is often used in online reviews or discussions to provide a caveat that a particular product, service, or experience may not be the same for everyone.

Zero Inventories — The practice of maintaining minimal inventory levels by quickly replenishing stock as needed to reduce costs and increase efficiency in supply chain management.

If you have any terms that we missed, please let us know in the comments as we will try to keep this list updated.

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6 Comments

Frank says:

January 6, 2023 at 10:57 am

What does “Holph” mean?

- Greg Yevich says:
  
  January 6, 2023 at 11:03 am
  
  Hello Frank,
  That’s a term I have never heard. I’m curious about where you found that term. I did some research and the only thing I could find is a seller on Amazon called “Holph” but that’s about it.
  
  Greg
  
Madonna Parker says:

March 27, 2023 at 9:49 am

What does ICQA stand for at Amazon?

- Greg Yevich says:
  
  March 27, 2023 at 10:12 am
  
  Hello Madonna,
  
  ICQA stands for Inventory Control and Quality Assurance. This department ensures that inventory accuracy and quality standards are met within Amazon’s fulfillment centers. The goal of the Inventory Control and Quality Assurance team is to maintain the integrity of Amazon’s inventory and ensure that customers receive the right products in the right condition and on time. I hope this answers your question.
  
Jacqueline Heyden says:

April 1, 2023 at 5:49 pm

On my 1099k in my unadjusted gross sales calculation table there is a PYOP Column, what does PYOP stand for?

- Greg Yevich says:
  
  April 6, 2023 at 11:52 am
  
  Hello Jacqueline,
  
  PYOP is not related to Amazon but stands for “Pay Your Own Payroll”. In relation to 1099, the PYOP generally refers to independent contractors or self-employed individuals who are responsible for managing their own taxes, benefits, and other employment-related expenses.
  
  I hope this helps.

Glossary of Amazon Abbreviations, Acronyms, Terms, and More for Sellers and Vendors

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