If you sell on bol.com, you are graded every single week. The bol.com performance standards (officially called service standards) decide whether you get a strike, how high your quality score is and, as a result, how often you win the Buy Box. Miss a standard a few times and your shop can be temporarily closed. That rarely happens because of one big mistake. It is usually a pile-up of small things: a handful of late parcels, a stock error, a weekend full of unanswered customer questions.
The good news is that almost every standard is achievable with a tight process and the right tools. This guide explains which service standards bol.com applies in 2026, how the strike system works, what the consequences are and what you can do about each standard. We checked every threshold in this article against bol.com's own Partner Platform in October 2026. bol.com updates its rules regularly, so always double-check your own seller account as well.
This article is written for English-speaking sellers on bol.com, whether you run a Dutch or Belgian business with an international team or simply prefer to manage your shop in English. The standards themselves are the same for everyone.
What performance standards does bol.com use in 2026?
bol.com measures you on nine service standards. They do not all carry the same weight. Some lead to a strike if you miss them, some only count towards your quality score and a few are purely for your information. Here is the overview as published on the Partner Platform:
| Service standard | Standard according to bol.com | Strike if missed? | Counts towards quality score? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivered on time (own shipping) | at least 93% delivered to the customer on time | Yes, with at least 3 late items in the week | Yes |
| Handed over on time (Shipping via bol) | at least 95% scanned by the carrier on time (since 27 July 2026) | Yes, with at least 3 late items in the week | Yes |
| Cancellations | no more than 2% of ordered items | Yes, from 3 cancelled items per week | Yes |
| Response time | 90% of customer questions handled within 24 hours | Yes, with 10 or more late replies in a week | Yes (customer questions) |
| Track & Trace | minimum 90%, target 98% | Yes | Yes |
| Returns | dynamic target per product category | No | Yes |
| Customer questions (number per item) | dynamic target per product category | Not explicitly stated | Yes |
| Review score | average of at least 8 over the last 3 months | No | No |
| Phone availability | 90% of call attempts answered | No | No |
| NPS after customer contact | NPS of 25 or higher | No | No |
A few things stand out. First, the on-time standard was split on 27 July 2026. According to bol.com's announcement, Shipping via bol is now measured as "Handed over on time" with a target of 95% (up from 93%), while own shipments stay at 93% for "Delivered on time". If you use both methods, you need to hit both targets every week. Second, most strike thresholds only apply above a minimum volume, so a single late parcel in a quiet week will not trigger a strike. Third, since the quality score was introduced, customer questions and returns do count towards your score, even though they do not (yet) lead to strikes.
How does the bol.com strike system work?
A strike is an official warning that you missed a service standard in a given week. bol.com calculates strikes weekly and emails you on Wednesday if you received one. According to the Partner Platform, bol.com looks at the last 22 definitive weeks on a rolling basis: each week the oldest week drops out and a new one is added.
What happens at each strike level
| Strikes (within 22 weeks) | Consequence according to bol.com |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Warning by email |
| 5 | Your shop is temporarily closed and you must submit an improvement plan within 3 weeks, or face permanent closure |
| 6 | Final chance to improve your performance |
| 7 | Your seller account is permanently closed, for at least one year |
After that year you can reapply, but only with an approved improvement plan. In other words, a strike is not a formality: five bad weeks in roughly half a year is enough to shut down your bol.com revenue.
Clearing strikes with excellent performance
Strikes do not only expire after 22 weeks. bol.com lets a strike expire early if you perform excellently for two consecutive definitive weeks. Under the current rules, in each of those weeks you need:
- at least 20 measurable items sold;
- at least 98.5% delivered on time (own shipping) and 100% handed over on time (Shipping via bol);
- no more than 0.5% cancellations;
- at least 90% of customer questions answered within 24 hours.
Less chance of a strike if you perform well long-term
Sellers with a strong track record get some breathing room. If your quality score is 75 or higher and you dip just below the standard, between 90% and 93% on "Delivered on time" or between 93% and 95% on "Handed over on time", bol.com says you will not receive a strike. A good quality score is therefore also a buffer for a bad week.
What is the bol.com quality score and why does it affect the Buy Box?
Alongside strikes, bol.com introduced the quality score in October 2025: a score from 0 to 100 that reflects your performance on five service standards (on time, cancellations, customer questions, returns and track & trace). bol.com considers 70 or higher a good score. bol.com announced that the quality score would fully replace the old performance score in June 2026 and from then on count towards the Buy Box and the terms of use. Since March 2026 you can also see subscores per shipping method (own shipping, Shipping via bol and Logistics via bol).
One important detail: bol.com states that it can terminate a seller account with a structural quality score of 64 or lower. So even without strikes, a low score can have serious consequences. And because the score feeds into the Buy Box, a mediocre score costs you revenue long before any formal measures kick in.
How to check your bol.com performance in your seller account
You do not have to wait for the Wednesday email. In your seller account, the performance page shows your current score for each service standard, your quality score with subscores, and any strikes. Make checking it a habit:
- Every Monday: review the current week. If you see a standard slipping, you still have a few days to correct course.
- Every Wednesday: check whether a strike email has arrived and which standard it concerns.
- Monthly: look at trends in your quality score and subscores per shipping method. A downward line is an early warning.
If you use the bol.com Retailer API, or an integration built on it, you can also pull performance indicators automatically into your own dashboard. For the metrics worth tracking in your own customer service, see our article on the most important customer service KPIs.
Meeting the bol.com on-time delivery standard
Late parcels are the most common cause of strikes. These measures make the biggest difference:
Promise a delivery time you can always keep
The delivery promise in your offer is the bar you are measured against. If you promise next-day delivery for orders placed before 11 pm while your warehouse closes at 4 pm, you will lose that battle. A slightly longer delivery time that you can keep on busy days is the safer choice.
Use a fixed cut-off and a shipping routine
Make sure every order placed before your cut-off leaves the building the same day, and that someone is responsible when a colleague is off sick. If you use Shipping via bol, keep the new 95% target in mind: it is measured from the moment the carrier scans the parcel, so a parcel left on the shelf for a day counts against you straight away.
Plan ahead for peak periods
Volumes rise quickly around Black Friday and the holidays. Use our Black Friday customer service checklist to prepare both your warehouse and your support team. And if a shipment does go missing, our step-by-step plan for lost parcels helps you handle it calmly.
Keeping bol.com cancellations below 2%
The cancellation standard counts three types: cancellations by you, cancellations by the customer after the promised delivery date, and automatic cancellations on the third day after the deadline if you have not confirmed the order. The last two are easy to overlook.
- Sync your stock. If you sell on several channels, use an integration that updates stock in real time. Most cancellations come from "1 left in stock" that is no longer there.
- Keep a buffer. For popular products, list a few units fewer than you physically have.
- Confirm orders the same day. That prevents automatic cancellations.
- Use holiday mode. If you are closed for a few days, switch your shop to holiday mode instead of accepting orders you cannot fulfil.
Getting Track & Trace and returns right
Track & Trace is straightforward: provide a valid tracking code for every shipment where it is required. With Shipping via bol this happens automatically. With own shipping, your process or shipping software needs to handle it, so check that your shipping integration actually sends the code back to bol.com.
Returns do not lead to strikes, but they do count towards your quality score. bol.com uses a dynamic target per product category, because electronics simply get returned more often than office supplies. Better product information is where you gain the most: clear size charts, real photos and honest specifications stop customers from returning items that were "not what I expected". It also helps to automate returns for your webshop so customers have fewer reasons to get in touch.
Answering customer questions within 24 hours: the response time standard
The response time standard is clear: 90% of customer questions must be handled within 24 hours. You get a strike if, in one week, you fail to answer 10 or more new questions within 24 hours and your overall rate falls below 90%. According to bol.com's explanation, weekends and official Dutch or Belgian public holidays do not count, but the standard still applies when your shop is temporarily closed.
It sounds manageable, yet this is where many sellers slip up. bol.com questions arrive in the seller account, while the rest of your customer service lives in Gmail, WhatsApp or Instagram. If you clear your email first thing on Monday, the other tab is easily forgotten. And you cannot answer a delivery question until you have looked up the order and its tracking status.
On top of that, the number of customer questions per item sold counts towards your quality score. Every question you prevent therefore counts twice.
How to hit the 24-hour standard consistently
- One inbox for everything. Bring bol.com questions into the same team inbox as your email, WhatsApp and chat so nothing sits unseen. Read more about how a shared inbox works.
- Order details right next to the question. With Bugalou's bol.com integration you see the related order information with every bol.com question, so there is no switching between systems.
- Saved replies for your top questions. "Where is my parcel?", "Can I still cancel?" and "How do I return this?" often make up the bulk of your questions. Save strong answers as macros.
- Automations and an AI agent. Use automations to assign or tag questions automatically, and let the AI agent answer frequently asked questions based on your own knowledge. Our article on how to automate bol.com customer service with Bugalou shows how this works in practice.
- A fixed Monday routine. Because weekends do not count, the 24-hour clock effectively restarts on Monday. Schedule extra capacity on Monday morning for everything that arrived over the weekend.
- Prevent questions on your product page. bol.com itself recommends answering common questions in the product description.
Review score, NPS and phone availability
These three standards do not lead to strikes, but they say a lot about how customers experience your shop. bol.com expects an average review score of at least 8 over the past three months. Responding quickly and kindly when something goes wrong is the best prevention, and when a critical review does come in, our guide to responding to negative reviews helps you show that you take it seriously.
NPS after customer contact (target: 25 or higher) measures how satisfied customers are with your answer to their question. According to bol.com it does not count towards strikes or the quality score, but it is a useful mirror: a fast reply that does not solve the problem still scores poorly. For phone availability, bol.com asks for 90% of call attempts answered, with at least 40 hours of availability per week spread across Monday to Saturday.
How to avoid your next bol.com strike, starting today
A practical checklist to get going:
| Action | Helps with | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Set a realistic delivery promise in your offers | Delivered / handed over on time | 30 minutes |
| Check your stock sync and buffer | Cancellations | 1 hour |
| Schedule holiday mode for days off | Cancellations, response time | 10 minutes |
| Confirm tracking codes are sent automatically | Track & Trace | 30 minutes |
| Route bol.com questions into your central inbox | Response time | 15 minutes |
| Write macros for your five most common questions | Response time, NPS | 1 hour |
| Add sizes and FAQs to product pages | Customer questions, returns | ongoing |
| Block a weekly slot to review your performance page | All standards | 15 minutes per week |
The common thread: most strikes are not caused by a lack of effort but by a lack of overview. A fixed routine, connected systems and one place for all customer conversations make the difference between "we didn't see it" and a clean performance page.
Want to handle bol.com questions alongside your other channels in one inbox, with order details at hand and automations that share out the work? Try Bugalou free for 14 days, no credit card required. Take a look at our plans and pricing to see which one fits your shop.
Frequently asked questions
How many strikes can you get on bol.com?
With 1 to 4 strikes within 22 weeks you receive a warning. At 5 strikes your shop is temporarily closed and you must submit an improvement plan, and at 7 strikes bol.com permanently closes your seller account for at least a year.
How long does a strike stay on your bol.com account?
bol.com looks at the last 22 definitive weeks. A strike can expire earlier if you perform excellently for two weeks in a row, including at least 20 items sold, no more than 0.5% cancellations and 90% of customer questions answered within 24 hours.
Do weekends count towards the bol.com response time?
No. According to bol.com, weekends and official Dutch or Belgian public holidays do not count towards the 24-hour standard. The standard does still apply when your shop is temporarily closed.
What is the difference between the quality score and strikes?
Strikes are weekly warnings for each missed service standard. The quality score is a 0 to 100 score across five standards that counts towards the Buy Box. According to bol.com, a structural score of 64 or lower can also lead to your account being terminated.
Do I get a strike for a low review score?
No. bol.com expects an average review score of at least 8 over three months, but missing it does not result in a strike. Reviews do shape how customers see your shop, though.
Where can I see my bol.com performance?
In your seller account, on the performance page. It shows your score for each service standard, your quality score with subscores per shipping method and any strikes. You also receive strike notifications by email on Wednesdays.
Founder of Bugalou and e-commerce entrepreneur. As a business owner, I noticed that customer service tools were either unaffordable or so complex you needed an IT department. That frustration led to Bugalou.
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