How to Win the Amazon Buy Box

The Amazon Buy Box, as most of us know well, is the box on the right hand side of a product detail page where customers can directly pop the item into their carts. Also known as The Featured Offer, the box includes the “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons, and it’s where customers make the majority of their purchasing decisions on Amazon. Those that understand the importance of the Buy Box stand to increase conversions and move more products. Understanding how to win the Amazon Buy Box is the first step to success.  

How does the Amazon Buy Box Work?

Over 80% of sales on Amazon go through the Buy Box¹. If your offer doesn’t win ownership of the Buy Box, you’re likely missing out on significant conversions. For mobile shoppers and Alexa orders, the Amazon Buy Box is even more impactful because shoppers using these devices are less likely to click through to see other offers. Amazon will only award the Buy Box to either first-party vendors or legitimate 3P sellers with a strong account health record. You will need to meet tough performance thresholds to be competitive.  

In this detailed guide for Amazon sales and Amazon eCommerce leaders, we will share how the Amazon Buy Box works, and the many variables the algorithm considers when deciding which offer should own it. Let’s take a look at how to get your product Buy Box-ready and how to secure the spot. 

1P vendors vs 3P sellers: the battle for the Buy Box

Amazon considers a variety of factors before approval, although the first four factors listed below — fulfillment method, landed price, shipping time and seller metrics — are the most influential.  But Amazon does not guarantee 100% Buy Box ownership to its 1P Vendors. That’s because legitimate 3P Sellers (third-parties) need to make money too.  

Five Amazon Buy Box strategies for First-Party (1P) Vendors

‍As a 1P Vendor, you’re supplying products directly to Amazon, which manages procurement, warehousing, and fulfillment under the vendor model. While this typically falls under the Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) umbrella, it’s distinct from the 3P marketplace experience—Amazon itself is the seller, so traditional Buy Box competition dynamics differ. That said, winning the Buy Box isn’t guaranteed, even for 1P offers. Below are five strategic levers 1P Vendors can pull to improve Buy Box consistency and performance: 

1. Maintain consistent stock availability to keep the Buy Box and boost Amazon sales

If Amazon’s inventory of your product runs out, Amazon can delist your product and the Buy Box can disappear. So you need to ensure a steady supply by:

• Monitoring demand closely
• Avoiding late shipments to Amazon warehouses
• Replenishing inventory on time

2. Competitive pricing is key to your Amazon eCommerce strategy

Amazon controls the retail price of your product, and it also offers automated price-matching for the benefit of its shoppers. If the price of your product becomes uncompetitive, Amazon can suppress the Buy Box. You can avoid this by:

• Monitoring Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) violations across other retailers
• Using tools or services to help Amazon price-match responsibly
• Avoiding large price gaps between other retailers and Amazon

3. Ensure your product is retail-ready for Amazon sales

No one knows for sure how much weight your Product Detail Page (PDP) content carries with the Buy Box algorithm although we know that it matters a lot when it comes to organic search. You can improve your visibility by:

• Using high-quality product images
• Optimizing product titles and descriptions
• Including complete and accurate product details
• Maintaining good customer ratings and reviews, proving you can deliver a great customer experience

4. Actively monitor for Buy Box suppression

Amazon sometimes removes the Buy Box completely if you’ve lost it and if there are no other sellers offering the same product. This can happen when:

• The item is overpriced relative to market value
• The product has performance or policy issues
• There are inventory concerns
• The product “CRaPs out”, which means Amazon Can’t Realize a Profit from the sale

Commerce platforms like Pacvue Commerce alert you when the Buy Box disappears or when you’ve lost it to another seller. In these moments, you need to investigate the root cause, fix the problem, and regain control as quickly as possible. 

5. Stay compliant with Amazon Terms to keep the Buy Box

Amazon suppresses listings or offers that breach compliance or content guidelines. You can help avoid this by carrying out regular content audits or using an automated content monitoring solution like Pacvue Commerce. These monitoring alerts help you to quickly address non-compliance issues. 

How does the Amazon Buy Box algorithm work?

If there are multiple sellers on the listing, Amazon determines which seller is shown based on its proprietary algorithm for awarding and rotating the Buy Box. This process of continual competition helps to keep things fair. The Buy Box process ensures that only vetted and trusted sellers offering a reasonable price get most exposure.  

Amazon’s Buy Box algorithm assembles the same products from various sellers, decides who’s giving the best offer, and then recommends that offer to consumers searching for that product. Amazon gives the Buy Box advantage to the listing which scores highest during the evaluation process. Owning the Amazon Buy Box shows Amazon’s customers that you are a trusted supplier who provides quality products and good customer service.   

For more popular items with several sellers involved, Amazon might rotate their spot on the Buy Box. The Buy Box algorithm constantly produces different winners within the same spaces. It’s not uncommon to win the Buy Box in the morning and lose it by the end of the day. 

How do 3P Sellers win the Buy Box?

3P Seller pricing strategies for winning the Buy Box on Amazon

The most important factor in winning the Buy Box is the price (including shipping). If the Amazon algorithm is all about giving customers the best deal and the best experience, price is paramount. 

Amazon is a price follower and 1P Vendors can fall prey to Amazon’s price-matching guarantee. They have much less control over price than 3P Sellers who set their own, however, vendors can control profitability. If the vendor fails to understand profit margins and the true Cost of Goods Sold they will struggle to run the promotions necessary to remain competitive on price. In moments like these, 3P Sellers can steal an easy win.   

Shipping time is the key to winning the Buy Box and Amazon sales 

Amazon prefers sellers who use FBA, however if 3P Sellers fulfill and ship their own orders—also known as FBM, or Fulfilled By Merchant—the faster they can deliver, the higher the chances of winning the Buy Box. If handling time is more than 14 days, it will jeopardize their position.  

The seller metrics that Amazon considers when awarding Buy Box ownership 

Amazon collects and monitors swathes of data from its thousands of 3P Sellers. This data helps Amazon control seller service levels and protect its brand. 3P Sellers who score positively on these KPIs will stand a greater chance of winning the Buy Box. 

Order Defect Rate (ODR) matters when it comes to Amazon eCommerce 

The order defect rate (ODR) is a key measure of a seller’s ability to provide a good customer experience. ODR reflects the percentage of orders with one or more of the following defects in a 60-day time period: 

• Negative feedback 

• A-to-Z Guarantee claims 

• Credit card chargebacks 

To meet customer expectations, Amazon expects sellers to maintain an Order Defect Rate under 1%.   

Late Shipment Rate (LSR) affects Amazon ecommerce performance 

LSR has a direct negative impact on a 3P Seller’s chance of winning the Amazon Buy Box. Keeping this rate low will improve the odds. Here’s how it affects the Buy Box opportunity: 

• LSR measures the percentage of orders confirmed as shipped after the expected ship date. 

• Amazon expects sellers to maintain an LSR of below 4%. 

Since Buy Box placement prioritizes fast, reliable delivery, a low LSR increases trust in the overall offer. 

High cancellation rate can kill Buy Box chances 

Cancellation rate significantly impacts a seller’s chances of winning because it reflects their reliability and stock accuracy.  

• Over a seven-day period, Amazon tracks the percentage of orders cancelled by the seller before shipment is confirmed.  

• Amazon recommends keeping cancellation rates below 2.5%. 

Customer service response times can win the day for 3P sellers 

Amazon measures a seller’s customer response time based on how quickly they reply to buyer messages.  

• Response Time is measured in hours from when the buyer’s message is sent to when the seller replies.  

• Amazon tracks the percentage of messages answered within 24 hours. 

Being consistently in stock on Amazon can win the Buy Box 

As we’ve said above, sellers and vendors both need to keep items in stock otherwise they risk losing the Buy Box.  

• When 1P Vendors slip up on stock forecasting, fall victim to unprecedented demand, or suffer supply chain issues, 3P Sellers can win if they have products in stock.  

• How long the seller’s offer has been listed and sales velocity over time also count. 

How Pacvue’s Commerce and Advertising solutions help you understand and win the Buy Box 

Gain control globally with Pacvue’s fully-integrated Amazon DSP ad console 

Pacvue’s integration with Amazon DSP gives your advertising team full control of their programmatic campaigns across global Amazon marketplaces. Through custom rules, you can automate bid strategies based on real-time signals. For example, if an ASIN loses the Amazon Buy Box, your ad spend will automatically pause to prevent wasted budget. Once you regain the Buy Box, Pacvue restarts your ads. Teams can scale faster and make smarter decisions across regions because Pacvue’s processes are automated and reporting is unified. It’s an efficient, always-on system that maximizes Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) while protecting your visibility.

Create custom dashboards that monitor all aspects of Amazon ecommerce performance. 

Pacvue Commerce gives you visibility of all the key variables that affect Buy Box performance. Customizable dashboards track price competitiveness, Buy Box ownership, product availability, and compliance issues in real time. You can quickly identify when a listing loses the Buy Box, has incorrect content, or is priced too high to win. Alerts and visuals make it easy to act fast to protect both sales and search performance. Whether you’re managing hundreds of ASINs or just a few high-performing products, Pacvue helps you focus on the factors that matter most to keeping your brand visible and in control. 

Prevent stockouts on Amazon and improve forecasting with accurate sales and inventory data 

Stockouts directly affect your chances of winning the Buy Box. Pacvue’s inventory tracking tools give you a clear view of sales velocity, inbound stock, and fulfillment status. You can monitor stock levels to plan reorders more accurately and avoid going out of stock. This data also feeds into the Pacvue Advertising console, allowing campaigns to pause or adjust when supply runs low. By linking inventory insights with retail media automation, Pacvue ensures you’re not wasting ad spend by marketing unavailable products. 

How Pacvue can Help with Winning the Buy Box on Amazon 

Winning the Buy Box on Amazon is a crucial Amazon eCommerce strategy that wins Amazon sales.  It isn’t just about price; it’s also about performance, stock reliability and customer trust. Whether you’re a 1P Vendor or a 3P Seller, you must meet Amazon’s high standards to stay competitive. With real-time data, automated ad controls and inventory insights, Pacvue helps brands understand what’s happening, and act fast to win.  

¹ Adamik-Borowska, J. (2025). How to win the Amazon Buy Box and boost sales in 2025. DataFeedWatch. https://www.datafeedwatch.com/blog/amazon-buy-box. ↩