Amazon FBA Reimbursement Workflow

Maintaining a consistent reimbursement strategy is essential for recovering capital from Amazon. This workflow outlines the primary methods for claiming lost or damaged inventory.

Warehouse Damaged Inventory

1. Access the Inventory Ledger: Navigate to the Inventory Ledger in Seller Central.

2. Filter Disposition: Set your disposition filter to Warehouse_Damaged.

3. Select Date Range: Set the date range to the Last 365 Days.

4. Generate Report: Download the report for detailed analysis.

5. Identify Identifiers: Copy the FNSKU for all damaged items.

6. Cross-Reference: Paste the FNSKU into your Reimbursement Report.

7. Verify Automatic Payment: Check the dates to see if Amazon has already issued a reimbursement. Amazon typically processes these within 10 days of the damage event.

8. Submit Claim: If no reimbursement is found, manually submit a reimbursement request.

Lost Inventory

1. Download Ledger Data: Access the Inventory Ledger and request a CSV download.

2. Date Range: Ensure the report covers the Last 365 Days.

3. Sort Discrepancies: Open the CSV and sort Column O (Smallest to Largest) to highlight inventory imbalances.

4. Identify Identifiers: Copy the FNSKU of the missing units.

5. Reimbursement Check: Paste the FNSKU into the Reimbursement Report to check for existing credits.

6. Submit Claim: If you have not been reimbursed for the lost units, submit a manual request.

Lost Inbound Shipments

1. Access Shipping Queue: Navigate to your Shipping Queue.

2. Review Discrepancies: Scan the Units Expected/Units Located columns for closed shipments where the numbers do not match.

3. Analyze Contents: Open the specific shipment, select the Contents tab, and check the Show Discrepancies Only box.

4. Initiate Investigation: Select Research Units on the right side of the screen.

5. Provide Documentation: Submit an invoice showing the purchase of all units sent in that specific shipment.

6. Draft Your Request: State clearly that your invoices serve as proof of purchase and ownership for the units sent. Request a full reimbursement for the missing quantity.

7. Appeal Denials: If Amazon denies the initial claim, provide a secondary evidence packet including the original invoice, carrier tracking numbers, bank statements showing the transaction, and a comparison of the box weight versus the individual product weight.

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Important Considerations

This workflow covers the standard reimbursement types. However, the following issues often require a more manual, complex approach:

• FBA Fee Discrepancies: Overcharges due to incorrect weight or dimensional measurements.

• Unrecorded Losses: Inventory that Amazon has not officially flagged as lost.

• Returns Fraud: Issues regarding incorrect or fraudulent customer returns.

Managed Services

If you choose to use a professional reimbursement service that charges a 20%–40% commission, ensure their fee covers these complex cases that require high effort, rather than just the automated warehouse damage claims described above.