Running an Amazon store is a year‑round commitment, but you don’t have to sacrifice your sanity to keep your business going. In 2025 the marketplace is more competitive than ever, yet taking time off for holidays or emergencies is still possible. Amazon’s Seller Vacation Mode allows you to temporarily make your merchant‑fulfilled (FBM) listings inactive while continuing to sell products stored in Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). This guide explains how the feature works, why you might need it and how to use it responsibly so that your break doesn’t hurt your seller metrics or customer satisfaction.

What Vacation Mode Does and Doesn’t Do

When vacation mode is enabled, all of your self‑fulfilled offers are hidden from search results and cannot be purchased. FBA listings remain active because Amazon’s warehouses handle packing, shipping and returns for those items. Vacation mode doesn’t cancel existing orders and it doesn’t suspend your account subscription fees. It also doesn’t relieve you of the requirement to respond to buyer messages within 24 hours. These obligations continue, so you’ll need a plan for handling customer service while you’re away.

Why Use Vacation Mode?

There are many reasons to temporarily pause merchant‑fulfilled listings:

Travel or holidays.Whether you’re visiting family or taking a well‑earned vacation, shipping orders from home may be impossible. Vacation mode lets you pause FBM listings without affecting FBA sales.
Personal emergencies.Illness, family emergencies or weather events can make it hard to fulfill orders on schedule. Pausing listings avoids shipping delays that damage your metrics.
Business transitions.If you’re moving warehouses, switching to a 3PL or making inventory changes, vacation mode buys you time without losing customer trust.

Preparing for Vacation Mode

Success depends on what you do before activating the setting. Here are key preparation steps:

1. Fulfill outstanding orders and send FBA inventory.Vacation mode doesn’t cancel pending orders. Ship everything in your queue and, if possible, send additional units to FBA so sales continue while you’re away.
2.Respond to customer messages.** Amazon still requires you to answer buyer questions within 24 hours. Train a virtual assistant or colleague to monitor your inbox. Auto‑responders can acknowledge receipt of messages and set expectations.
3. Adjust handling times or shipping templates.For shorter absences you can extend handling times on individual listings instead of using vacation mode. For longer breaks it’s best to pause listings entirely to avoid late shipments.
4. Inform repeat customers.Email your loyal buyers or post a notice on your brand storefront so they know when you’ll be away. Transparency builds trust.
5. Check your account health and budgets.Monthly professional seller fees still apply during vacation. Make sure you have funds set aside and that your account performance metrics are solid before taking a break.

How to Activate Vacation Mode

Turning on vacation mode only takes a few clicks:

1. Log in to Seller Central and hover over the Settings menu (upper right corner).
2. Select Account Info.
3. Under Listings Status, click Going on a vacation?.
4. A list of your active marketplaces appears. For each one you wish to pause, change the status from Active to Inactive and save your changes.
5. Amazon will remove your FBM offers from search results within about an hour.

Only users with proper permissions can change listing status. If you have multiple authorized users, ensure they know how to toggle the setting.

Managing Your Business While Away

Even though listings are hidden, your business doesn’t stop entirely. Keep these points in mind:

FBA orders continue.Monitor inventory levels and restock if necessary. Returns and refunds for FBA items must still be processed.
Customer service matters.Use a friend, family member or virtual assistant to answer questions and handle refund requests. Not responding within 24 hours can harm your account health.
Marketing and promotions.Pause campaigns for any products you’ve taken offline to avoid wasted ad spend. You can leave ads running on FBA items if you maintain inventory.

How to Return From

Vacation

When you’re ready to sell again:

1. Log back into Seller Central and go to Account Info > Listing Status.
2. Change each marketplace status from Inactive to Active. Your listings should appear in search results within an hour.
3. Announce your return via email or social media. You can run a promotion to drive traffic and regain ranking after your hiatus.

Case Study: A Small Seller’s 2025 Vacation

To see how these strategies work in practice, consider the example of Sarah, a private‑label seller who offered a dozen products through both FBM and FBA in early 2025. Sarah planned a three‑week holiday to visit family overseas. To prepare, she sent three months’ worth of her best‑selling items to Amazon FBA and shifted slower‑moving SKUs to a trusted 3PL. She reviewed her business reports and noticed that February and March were historically slower months for her niche, making them ideal for time off. Two weeks before leaving, she ran a promotion to clear FBM stock and published an announcement on her Amazon storefront letting shoppers know that certain items would be unavailable for a short time.

During her vacation, Sarah enabled vacation mode on her U.S. and Canadian marketplaces, leaving her U.K. marketplace active because her 3PL could ship orders locally. She also extended handling times on a couple of niche accessories that she still fulfilled herself. To maintain customer service, she trained a virtual assistant to monitor messages and manage returns. The assistant used pre‑written templates for common inquiries and escalated only urgent issues. Meanwhile, Sarah checked in once every few days to ensure inventory levels were stable and that no account health notifications had surfaced.

When Sarah returned, she reactivated her North American marketplaces and resumed normal handling times. Because she had kept FBA items in stock and her U.K. sales open, her overall revenue dipped by only 15 percent, far less than she initially feared. Her advertising campaigns resumed without significant disruption, and her products quickly regained their organic ranking. Sarah’s case demonstrates that with careful planning sending inventory to FBA, analyzing sales trends, communicating with customers and using a combination of vacation mode and extended handling times you can enjoy a real break without jeopardizing your Amazon business.

Conclusion

Taking time off is essential for your well‑being and long‑term success. Amazon’s vacation mode makes it possible to pause your merchant‑fulfilled listings without shutting down your entire operation. By preparing ahead of time fulfilling orders, sending FBA inventory, communicating with customers and planning for customer service you can step away confidently. Follow the steps outlined above to activate and deactivate the setting, and use your break to recharge. Your business will be waiting for you when you return. Remember that your mental health and relationships matter as much as your metrics. By making rest a priority, you’ll return refreshed, inspired and ready to take your Amazon business to the next level.