Amazon says sellers can once again use FedEx Ground and Home to ship Prime orders.
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Amazon will once again allow third-party sellers to use FedEx Ground and Home delivery services for Prime orders, the company said Tuesday. It temporarily blocked sellers from doing so last month, reportedly due to a “decline in performance.”
The e-commerce giant sent an email to sellers stating that starting Tuesday at 2 p.m. PT, FedEx Ground and Home would become available for seller fulfilled Prime orders. An Amazon representative confirmed the details. CNBC earlier reported the news.
Amazon said last month that it had blocked sellers from using FedEx Ground and Home for Prime shipments to ensure customers got their packages in time for Christmas. Those delivery options were still available for standard shipments, and sellers were still allowed to use FedEx Express for Prime orders.
The company reportedly said it would reinstate Ground and Home options for Prime orders when “the delivery performance of these ship methods improves.” Amazon now says these delivery options are consistently meeting the company’s on-time delivery requirements.
FedEx and Amazon’s relationship has been a rocky one. Earlier this year, FedEx ended its contract with Amazon for Express shipping. It then stopped ground deliveries for the online retail giant.
This comes as Amazon ramps up its own delivery network. In April, the company said it was spending $800 million that quarter to bolster its shipping infrastructure, and in June it expanded its air fleet. In May, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new $1.5 billion air transportation hub in Kentucky.
First published Jan. 14 at 1:39 p.m. PT.
Update, 1:48 p.m. PT: Adds more details about Amazon’s delivery network and its relationship with FedEx.