Approximately 1.5 million of Amazon's 6.3 million total sellers have active accounts with products for sale. A new seller is added to this list every minute.
Like any business, these sellers need to maintain quality inventory. If products get lost or damaged, they end up losing money, but Amazon is willing to recoup their losses.
Many sellers who've had inventory problems aren't claiming all of the money they may be eligible for. Read our guide to learn what Amazon reimbursements are and how to get them.
The best way to start understanding Amazon reimbursements is to define reimburse. It refers to when organizations pay for out-of-pocket expenses or overpayments made by employees, customers, or third parties.
This general reimbursement meaning becomes a bit more specific when applied to Amazon.
The company pays for anything that causes you to unfairly lose money while using their service. Reasons for Amazon reimbursements include:
To determine how much money you're owed, go to the Amazon dashboard and navigate from Reports to Fulfillment to Inventory Adjustments.
Once there, you'll find a list of all your inventory that's been lost or damaged in the past 18 months. Make sure you have Microsoft Excel downloaded to view the file.
Each item you've ever sent or received has a code next to it. Look out for ones marked with E or M.
You may also be able to claim reimbursements from the Amazon FBA or Fulfilled by Amazon service.
Across the web, many websites alledge that FBA centers have a discrepancy rate of 1-3% of your inventory or $10,000-$30,000 for every $1,000,000 in sales. No matter the amount, Amazon is responsible for reimbursing you for these losses when they occur.
You can claim an FBA reimbursement for a wide variety of issues, including:
To be eligible for reimbursements, you need an active seller account with reimbursement-eligible fulfillment activity.
Your lost or damaged products must also meet certain requirements as well. For example, they must be registered with the FBA, match Amazon's shipping plan, and not have been defective, damaged, or planned for disposal before you made your claim.
Amazon is willing to pay for several types of damage or loss related to your accounts. There are 3 primary types of FBA reimbursement claims; FBA shipment, FBA operations, and customer returns.
You may need to submit a claim for loss or damage during shipment to an Amazon warehouse. Make sure to do so within 9 months of the shipment.
Start by making sure the items in question match the shipment plan on your account and that you haven't already been reimbursed from them.
To file for lost items, go to the Reconcile tab on your dashboard. For damaged items, use the Contact Us page on Seller Central.
Be sure to have the necessary information ready. You'll need the Amazon shipment ID, proof of inventory ownership, and proof of delivery.
Examples of proof of inventory ownership include supplier invoices, sales receipts, and signed packing slips. Whichever method you choose, it should include the date of purchase and product names and quantities.
An active tracing ID is enough proof of delivery for small shipments. For large shipments, it must include a document stamped by Amazon and signed by the fulfillment center.
You can submit a claim if an item is reported in your Inventory Adjustments report as lost or damaged at an Amazon fulfillment center.
Start by checking the report to confirm the date and adjustment code of the inventory in question. check that it hasn't been found or restored and that you haven't already been reimbursed for it.
To report lost items, use the Contact Us page on Seller Central and provide a transaction item ID. To report damaged items, perform the same process using the desktop browser tool on Seller Central.
You can make claims on eligible inventory is lost or damaged from a customer return.
Check that Amazon processed the refund or replacement, and that the item hasn't already been returned, and you haven't been reimbursed for it.
To submit a claim, enter the customer ID of the customer who returned it and any other necessary information using the desktop browser tool on the Seller Central page.
Regardless of what type you need, there are certain do's and don'ts to keep in mind when seeking an Amazon reimbursement.
Do remember to review what you're eligible for, check that you've received the right amount of money, and create templates for the documents you'll need to make the process more efficient.
Don't forget to follow up with support tickets, submit claims too often, or use automated tools to collect reimbursements.
Your options for handling reimbursements include manual processes, automated tools, and professional services.
Not everyone has the time for managing the ins and outs of Amazon reimbursements, especially not a small business with only a few employees. Automated tools aren't much better because they don't always work.
This leaves a professional Amazon reimbursement service as the best of the three options.
They handle every step of the process for you, including checking what you're eligible for, submitting claims, and making sure you receive your money. Their service saves time and helps you get all the money you're entitled to. Not to mention staying on top of all the Amazon service changes, of which there are many!
Managing Amazon reimbursements requires you to keep a close eye on your inventory at all times and make quick claims for anything that's lost or damaged.
While you can perform these tasks on your own, it's a time-consuming process. Amazon tends to reject automated tools that make it faster. Let a professional reimbursement service handle it for you.
Legacy Seller performs FBA audits to check your entire inventory, look for overcharged fees, and more. We also file claims every day when applicable instead of every few months. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
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