How Long Does Amazon Take to Ship After Ordering?

Amazon always touts that they offer incredibly quick shipping… but do they really? How long does it truly take Amazon to ship your package after ordering? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know!

How Long Does Amazon Take to Ship After Ordering?

On average, Prime members can expect their order to ship within 24 hours after ordering. Non-Prime members can expect their order to ship within 48 hours or more after ordering. In-stock items and seller requirements may also affect when orders truly ship, regardless of Prime status. 

Keep reading to learn even more about when you can expect your Amazon order to finally ship!

What Happens When You Make an Order at Amazon

Whenever you make an order through Amazon, a few things must happen before your order is actually shipped. This includes:

  • Amazon workers or sellers finding all items of your order
  • Packaging all items securely
  • Printing out necessary shipping labels
  • Signaling that your package is ready for shipment

If your package is “Shipping Now”, this means that your package is in the beginning stages of being shipped. It is either about to be picked up by a mail carrier, or it has been picked up and will soon enter the shipment phase.

Sometimes, your order can seem to take forever to truly ship. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Staying up to date on your order’s tracking information can help you stay informed about what’s truly happening!

Therefore, a lot happens when you make an order at Amazon. However, if you’re a Prime member, Amazon works to make this all happen in a quick timeframe. Often, this means you’ll get an alert that your order has been shipped within 24 hours after you’ve ordered.

If you’re not a Prime member, this can be pushed back to 48 hours or more, depending on the stock of the item. Non-Prime members can still often get their packages quickly — but definitely not in a 2-day window like Prime members do.

Finally, if you order from a seller, you might expect later shipments after ordering, even if you are a Prime member. Sometimes, Amazon will let you know that certain sellers take a while to ship after ordering before you ever even purchase the item!

What Time of the Day Does Amazon Ship Orders?

Amazon has many warehouses and fulfillment centers that work to ship orders around the clock. As a result, there is no set time of day when Amazon ships orders. You can expect orders to be shipped at various hours of the day.

Often, this has to do with the fulfillment center or warehouse where your package is coming from. However, as there are so many that run differently, it’s difficult to find out certain hours of the day that each individual center ships.

What Can I Do to Make Amazon Ship My Order Faster?

If you’d like your Amazon order to ship faster, the best thing you can do is become a Prime member, if you’re not already. Prime members tend to have their orders shipped within 24 hours of ordering.

If you’re not a Prime member, it might help to pay attention to the little countdown that Amazon gives you when you’re checking out. This countdown will let you know when you need to order to get your shipment. This could help with your order also shipping faster!

How Long Should I Wait Before Contacting Amazon Support?

If your order has not shipped for a few days to weeks, then it might help to understand what’s going on by contacting Amazon Support. Sometimes, Amazon themselves will send you an alert to let you know what’s going on.

Certain sellers do take a long time to ship, though Amazon will likely let you know before you order. For example, before you purchase an item, a message underneath the item will say that it “Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks”. This can help you prepare.

However, if the item you ordered had no warning such as this, then you can call Amazon Support to better understand when to expect your order.

Will Amazon Ship My Order Faster With Amazon Prime?

Yes, Amazon will ship your order faster with Amazon Prime, as Prime members get free 2-day shipping. As we discussed above, Prime members can expect their order to ship within 24 hours of ordering!

Conclusion

Amazon ships its packages quickly after customers finish ordering. For Prime members, packages ship within 24 hours after ordering. For non-Prime members, packages often ship within 48 hours or more after ordering. Certain sellers may take longer to ship packages for Prime and non-Prime members alike.