Lost stock, missing inbound units and incorrect fees can quietly cost FBA sellers money. Here are the areas to check, and how to approach claims correctly.
Fulfilment by Amazon handles millions of units every day. With that volume, mistakes are inevitable: units are lost or damaged in warehouses, inbound shipments arrive short, returns are refunded but never received, and fees are sometimes calculated on the wrong dimensions.
Amazon reimburses many of these issues automatically. Not all of them, and not always correctly. Sellers who never check can lose money that they are entitled to recover.
Where discrepancies usually appear
- Lost or damaged inventory in Amazon's fulfilment centres.
- Inbound shipments where fewer units were received than were sent.
- Customer returns where the customer was refunded but the item was not returned, or was returned to the wrong stock.
- FBA fees charged on incorrect product dimensions or weight.
- Removal orders that were not completed in full.
- Replacement orders that were sent but never reconciled against a return.
Check the deadlines first
Amazon has shortened several of its claim windows in recent years, and the rules differ by claim type and marketplace. Check the current deadlines in Seller Central before you start, because a valid claim submitted too late will usually be rejected. Reviewing reports regularly, rather than once a year, avoids this problem entirely.
Use the right reports
Most of the evidence you need is already in Seller Central. The inventory ledger shows how units moved in and out of stock. Shipment reports show what Amazon received against what you sent. Return and refund reports show whether refunded items came back. Fee preview reports show the dimensions Amazon is using to calculate your fees.
The work is in comparing these reports against each other and identifying the transactions that do not reconcile.
Submit claims that Amazon can approve
A good claim is specific. It identifies the shipment, the units or the order involved, explains the discrepancy clearly and includes supporting documents where needed, such as proof of delivery, carrier details or supplier invoices. Vague or duplicated claims slow the process down and can draw unwanted attention to the account.
Only claim what is genuinely owed. Policy-compliant claims protect your account as well as your cash.
Make it part of the routine
Reimbursement is most effective as an ongoing check, alongside inventory and account management, rather than an occasional clean-up. Our team reviews FBA data for discrepancies as part of the accounts we manage, and can carry out a one-off review if you want to see what may be outstanding.