How to Utilize The Amazon Seller Central Vacation Mode

Starting, maintaining, and growing a business is no easy feat. Hard work pays off, and vacations are part of celebrating a successful business. Guilty Vacation Syndrome is a common workplace ailment; it is the guilt associated with taking a vacation. Amazon “vacation settings” allows you to overcome your Guilty Vacation Syndrome by helping you maintain your business while you are away.

This article covers everything worth knowing about Amazon seller central vacation mode, how to put your Amazon store on vacation, how to turn off vacation mode, as well as other benefits and potential pitfalls.

Amazon vacation mode is a setting that gives you the ability to put your seller account on hold without having to close your account and without losing sales. While it wouldn’t be wise to take a vacation during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can successfully switch on vacation mode during less demanding periods. Make sure to consult an eCommerce calendar to keep track of the most important dates to make sure to be available and present for selling on Amazon.

Amazon’s interface is rooted in providing a positive customer experience. Amazon vacation mode helps you preserve your ranking while keeping your brand reputation intact.

There are two ways sellers can use Vacation Mode on Amazon:

For sellers using Fulfilment by Merchant (FBM), Amazon enables you to deactivate listings. However, it may take up to 36 hours for Amazon to inactivate the listing. Nevertheless, reactivating a listing can be done on Seller Central at any time.

For sellers using Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), it is business as usual. Amazon authorized you to keep your listing active as long as you plan ahead in terms of inventory. This option allows you to simultaneously grow your brand awareness and business while you are away. Nonetheless, this alternative requires you to monitor your seller account performance and buyer messages to guarantee productivity.

Amazon vacation mode is a great way to continue selling even while on holiday. After all, just because you are on vacation does not mean everyone else is.

1. Log into your Seller Central account
2. Go to the “settings”
3. Select “account info”
4. Click on “listing status” and hit the “going on holiday?” button
5. When on “vacation settings,” pick the ones you wish to inactivate
6. Press “save”

Another way to reduce tension while on vacation is to set your inventory to zero. Just follow these three steps:

• Click on “Inventory”
• Go to “Manage Inventory”
• Set Available: “0”

Setting your inventory to zero is beneficial as it prohibits your customers from placing orders while you are away. Once you are back, simply change the inventory status to one or above.

After the Amazon handling time settings are changed, you can manage the delivery time of your listings. This setting is ideal for those planning to keep their vacation mode on for a short time. A seller can even avoid customers’ negative feedback depending on the product category by extending the handling time.

You can change the handling time by going to the “General Shipping Settings” section of the shipping settings. Changing the current handling time depends on how you set the handling time earlier. Therefore, you need to check the listings individually.

Unfortunately, the sheer reality of being a business owner means staying on top of your affairs. As a result, you will have to check your Amazon seller’s account briefly while on vacation unless you can delegate the task to a trusted colleague. Below is a list of things you should be mindful of throughout the inactive period:

• Refrain from logging into your account with multiple devices. Doing so may lead to account suspension.
• Every 24 hours or so, track your Seller Central account to keep up with the competition.
• Despite being on vacation, you are still required to comply with Amazon’s rules and respond to messages from your buyers within 24 hours. The Amazon app enables you to answer customer queries quickly while on the go.

When you are back from holiday and ready to start selling on Amazon again, you can reactivate your Amazon Seller Account by clicking the “active” button under the “vacation settings” page and hitting “save.” Your listings will become active and visible within an hour. Note that such changes are ineffective if you are an FBA seller since listings stay active.

Like all things, vacation mode has some downsides. To avoid any unwanted surprises, you should know both the pros and cons of Amazon vacation mode. Some pitfalls include:

• Sales Loss – going on vacation mode during significant holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving can cause you to lose sales. Therefore, it is best to schedule your time off according to your customers’ shopping habits to avoid substantial losses.
• Margin Loss – vacation mode can cause you to lose margins. As an Amazon seller, you are still subject to seller fees, and if you have FBA, your fees may be high, and you will still have to monitor your orders while on holiday.
• Customer Loss – you can lose new and old customers who want to purchase your products. Since your listing will be inactive, you risk attracting new customers.
• Damage Reputation – inactivating your listing may negatively impact customer retention and loyalty.