Amazon Prime members could be getting their orders within a day or two again before too long.
The company has done away with shipping restrictions on nonessential items, which could indicate a slowing or end to the delays that have been commonplace since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many items are already showing the option of one- or two-day shipping.
Amazon, previously, had limited new shipments on select third-party products that were sent to Fulfillment by Amazon warehouses (groceries, baby products, beauty and personal care, industrial and scientific, and pet supplies were deemed essential).
That move was designed to help the company prioritize the shipment of household staples and medical supplies. The restriction was quietly removed last weekend.
“We removed quantity limits on products our suppliers can send to our fulfillment centers,” Timothy Carter, an Amazon spokesman, told Digital Trends. “We continue to adhere to extensive health and safety measures to protect our associates as they pick, pack and ship products to customers, and are improving delivery speeds across our store.”
The refilled supply chain should speed up the delivery of those items. At the height of the pandemic shutdowns, shipment times on nonessential items were as long as two months.
Amazon has made the return to normal delivery times a priority, but it has not made a formal prediction when it will be able to promise across-the-board one- and two-day shipping.
The company is showing some signs of normalcy, though, beyond easing shipping restrictions. Earlier this week, it added back the featured deals section, “frequently bought together” suggestion modules and coupons to the site.
Prime Pantry has also come back online after being unavailable for nearly two months.
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