seller
- What changed
- A request for payment or replacement of lost or damaged FBA units
- When
- Updated October 2026; windows shortened in late 2024
- Who it affects
- FBA sellers with inbound, warehouse, return or removal gaps
- What to do
- Review reports monthly and file inside the policy window
Key takeaways
- Check the Reimbursements report first so you never file a duplicate claim.
- Matching invoices, proof of delivery and IDs win claims; missing documents lose them.
- Windows are short, so run reports and file monthly.
- 1Find the gap
Ledger and shipment reports
- 2Check paid
Reimbursements report
- 3Gather proof
Invoice, POD, photos
- 4File by type
Right tool and ID
- 5Follow up
Reply on the same case
When should you file an Amazon reimbursement claim?
File when Amazon's records show a loss that has not been paid. The four common cases are inbound shipments that were received short, units lost or damaged in a fulfillment center without an automatic reimbursement, customer refunds where the item never came back, and removal orders that arrived short or damaged.
Before filing, check the Reimbursements report. Amazon may already have paid, and duplicate claims waste time. Our FBA reimbursement guide explains each claim type and how Amazon values units.
Find what you are owed
Most claims start in Seller Central reports. Work through them in this order each month.
- Shipment summary: units shipped versus units received per shipment
- Inventory Ledger: adjustments showing lost, damaged or found units
- Reimbursements report: what Amazon has already paid
- FBA customer returns report: refunds matched to returned units
- Removal order details: units shipped back versus units you received
Gather the right evidence
Claims are approved or denied on evidence. Amazon's reimbursement policy asks for proof that matches the claim type, and missing documents are the most common reason for a denial.
- Proof of ownership: a dated supplier invoice with matching product names and quantities
- Proof of delivery: a signed POD for freight or tracking IDs for small parcels
- Shipment ID and the units you are claiming
- Transaction or order IDs from the relevant report
- Photos of damaged units, packaging, labels and LPN stickers
- Box contents and packing lists from when you shipped
Evidence checklist
- Dated supplier invoice
- Proof of delivery or tracking
- Shipment or order ID
- Photos of units and boxes
- LPN stickers for returns
- Packing list from shipping
How to file an Amazon reimbursement claim, step by step
The exact form depends on the claim type, but the process follows the same pattern.
- Confirm the loss in the report and that it has not been reimbursed
- Check that you are inside the claim window for that claim type
- Open the claim tool for the type: shipment contents for inbound, or the reimbursement tools for warehouse, return and removal cases
- Enter the shipment, transaction or order ID
- Attach proof of ownership, delivery and photos
- Write a short, factual summary of the gap
- Track the case and respond quickly to any request for information
How to write a claim Amazon approves
Keep it short and factual. State what was sent or expected, what Amazon's report shows, the difference in units and the ID that ties it together. Attach documents that match exactly, with the same product names and quantities. Avoid long explanations and emotional language; the reviewer needs to verify numbers quickly.
File one claim per issue. Amazon's policy allows one claim per shipment for inbound shortages, so include every missing unit from that shipment in a single submission.
Deadlines you cannot miss
Amazon shortened most claim windows in late 2024, and seller guides now cite about 60 days for many fulfillment center loss claims. Customer return claims can only be filed after a waiting period that gives the customer time to return the item, and each type has its own cutoff. Check the current policy page in Seller Central, because a claim filed a day late is denied regardless of evidence.
There is also an eligibility point from 2026. For shipments created after January 1, 2026, Amazon said units that arrive without proper prep and item labels are not eligible for reimbursement if damaged or untraceable. See our Amazon packaging requirements guide.
What to do if your claim is denied or underpaid
Read the denial reason first. Most denials come down to missing or mismatched documents, a claim outside the window or a reimbursement that was already paid. If documents were the issue, reply on the same case with corrected evidence rather than opening a new one.
If a reimbursement was paid but the value looks low, check the manufacturing cost Amazon used. Since March 2025, pre-order losses are valued at manufacturing cost, and if you never entered yours, Amazon applies its own estimate. Update your costs and ask for a re-evaluation inside the time allowed in the policy.
| Approved claims | Denied claims | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed inside the window | ||
| Documents match names and quantities | ||
| One claim per shipment | ||
| Already reimbursed |
Check the Reimbursements report before every claim.
Building a monthly claims routine
Claims recover the most when they are routine, not a yearly cleanup. Set a monthly date to run the reports, log every gap with its deadline and file the same week. Keep photos and invoices for every inbound shipment in one folder per shipment ID. Our Amazon LPN number guide helps with returns, and Amazon SAFE-T claims cover FBM refund disputes.
PPC Spider's FBA inventory and reimbursements service runs this routine every month and files claims inside the deadlines. A free Amazon audit estimates what may be recoverable in your account.
Sources
- Hopted: FBA inventory reimbursement policy help article (hopted.com/integrations/amazon-sp-api/amazon-help-articles/fba-inventory-reimbursement-policy)
- Amazon Seller Forums: Update to the FBA lost and damaged inventory reimbursement policy (sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/a941ac02-d389-409a-9d62-00ab9db5bc4a)
- SellerLogic: Amazon FBA inventory reimbursement guidelines (sellerlogic.com/en/blog/amazon-fba-inventory-reimbursement/)
- Amazon Seller Forums: FBA prep services discontinued in the US (sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/6075d02b-a903-45ca-a70a-4f32ae81a6b8)
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