Running an Amazon store does not stop during holidays, travel, or personal time. But every seller needs a break. If you step away from operations without a plan, you risk late shipments, negative reviews, and lost rank. Holiday Settings are a tool inside Seller Central that helps you control your store when you are not able to handle orders. Here’s everything you need to know about Holiday Settings.
What Amazon Holiday Settings Actually Do
Amazon Seller Vacation Settings allow you to pause your FBM listings while keeping your FBA listings active. When you turn the setting on, Amazon hides your FBM offers from the Buy Box and search results. Buyers cannot place orders. This protects you from late shipments and performance issues.
The setting does not affect FBA offers because Amazon handles the fulfillment.
Who Should Use Amazon Holiday Settings
Any seller who fulfills orders themselves should use this feature during downtime. This includes:
- Sellers who run FBM listings
- Sellers who use SFP (but only when SFP is turned off first)
- Sellers who rely on a small team
- Sellers who pack and ship from home
- Sellers who run seasonal pauses
- Sellers who take long vacations
- Sellers who face an unexpected break, illness, or travel
- Sellers who need to stop orders for a day due to staffing limits
FBM vs. FBA Behavior During Downtime
Most sellers use a mix of FBA and FBM even if FBM is small. Many sellers forget FBM may still be active on a few SKUs. This creates risk when you are away and cannot ship.
Here is the difference
| Fulfillment Type | What Happens When Holiday Settings Are On |
| FBA | Still available and selling |
| FBM | Hidden until you turn settings off |
| SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime) | Must be paused separately |
If you have Seller Fulfilled Prime, you must update SFP working hours and carrier pickup settings. If you skip this step, you still get Prime orders and late shipment penalties.
Why You Should Not Ignore Holiday Settings
Ignoring Amazon Seller Holiday Settings can hurt your account in ways that take weeks to fix. When you do not pause your FBM listings, you risk late shipments the moment you step away. Late shipments reduce your Buy Box share. They lower your delivery promise score. They damage your customer experience metrics. Once this happens, your listings drop in rank, and your PPC costs go up.
Many sellers think they can just catch up when they return. But Amazon tracks your exact ship-by date. If you miss it, the penalty applies even if you ship later. Late shipments also cause more customer messages. This increases your response time.
How to Turn On Amazon Holiday Settings
Setting this up takes less than two minutes. Here’s how to do it:
- Log in to Seller Central.
- Go to Settings (top-right of the page).
- Select Account Info.
- Find Listing Status.
- Click Going on Vacation.
- Choose the marketplace you want to pause.
- Set your status to Inactive.
- Confirm and save.
Once this is done, all FBM listings in those marketplaces will be paused. The changes take effect within 15 minutes in most cases.
When you return, follow the same steps and change your status back to Active.
Note: Always test one key ASIN after changes. Search it using an incognito browser to make sure the listing behaves the way you expect.
How to Pause Seller Fulfilled Prime Listings Correctly
SFP needs more work because Amazon expects tight delivery performance. You should update the following before you leave:
- Handling time
- Shipping templates
- Working hours
- Carrier pickup schedules
If any of these settings show availability, Amazon assumes you can still ship fast. Do not rely on Holiday Settings alone. Open a few SFP SKUs and double-check your handling time reflects your absence.
When Is the Best Time to Activate Holiday Settings?
You should turn on holiday mode at least 24 hours before you take time off. This gives Amazon enough time to clear any pending orders and avoid spillover shipments.
If you only need a one-day pause due to staff issues or personal matters, you can activate the setting the same day. Holiday Settings work instantly, but an early buffer is always safer.
How to Handle Pending Orders Before You Leave
Holiday Settings do not cancel existing orders. You must handle any pending FBM orders before you leave. If you do not ship them by the ship-by date, Amazon counts them as late.
Before turning on holiday mode, do these three things:
Check for any pending orders
Ship all pending orders
Update tracking for all shipments
If you cannot complete these steps, use “Cancel order” with an accurate reason.
How Long Can You Keep Holiday Settings On
You can keep holiday mode on for as long as needed. Amazon does not punish long breaks as long as your account health stays stable.
If you plan a long break:
Keep FBA in stock
Check customer messages regularly
Monitor performance notifications
Return before your FBA stock runs low
Summary
Amazon Holiday Settings allow you to take a break without hurting your sales or account health. You stay in control of your listings. You avoid late shipments. You protect your Buy Box and your ranking. You keep your FBA sales going. You avoid penalties from Amazon.
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