Operator glossary
Handling time (and SSA)
The days between order and carrier scan that you promise — now measured against your actuals by Shipping Settings Automation — where honest configuration beats optimistic marketing every time.
Handling time is your ship-by promise; transit time stacks on top to form the delivery date shown at checkout. Shipping Settings Automation (SSA) replaces manual guesses with Amazon-calculated values from your actual performance — and enrollment protects OTDR, because promises derive from measured reality.
The temptation is shaving days for the conversion lift faster promises buy; the invoice arrives as OTDR damage when reality disagrees. The professional configuration: SSA on, real cutoff times set, weekend capability declared honestly — then earn faster promises by actually shipping faster, which SSA notices and rewards automatically.
The numbers
- Checkout promise = handling time + transit time; SSA derives both from your measured performance.
- SSA enrollment protects OTDR (promises match reality); manual optimism is the classic OTDR failure.
Related terms