I vividly remember the specific Tuesday in 2021 when I realized Amazon had essentially "misplaced" my kid's college tuition fund. I was auditing my end-of-year inventory reports, and the numbers just weren't adding up. According to my shipping plans, I had sent 500 units of a high-end kitchen gadget to the FBA warehouse in Joliet, Illinois. According to my "Available Inventory," only 420 were there. Eighty units, worth about $2,400 in cost, had vanished into thin air. I felt sick.
It turns out, this wasn't a fluke; it was a feature of doing business at scale. Amazon processes millions of units, and things fall off conveyor belts, get crushed by forklifts, or simply disappear. If you sell on FBA, Amazon owes you money right now. The catch? They usually won't give it to you unless you ask nicely and follow their bureaucratic maze. Mastering the amazon reimbursement claim process is the difference between bleeding profit and recovering 1-3% of your annual revenue.
What Is an FBA Reimbursement Type? (The "Lost & Found" of Money)
When you dig into the data, you realize that an amazon reimbursement claim isn't just one thing. It’s a bucket term for several ways Amazon can mess up. Understanding the specific fba reimbursement type is critical because the evidence you need to provide changes for each one.
The Big Four Categories:
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Lost Inbound: You shipped 100 units; Amazon counted 95. This is the most common and the most lucrative.
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Lost/Damaged in Warehouse: Amazon employees accidentally break your item or lose it while moving it between fulfillment centers.
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Customer Return Issues: The customer got a refund, but they never sent the item back (or sent back a box of rocks), and Amazon didn't recharge them or reimburse you.
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Fee Overcharges: Amazon measured your shoebox as a refrigerator and charged you oversized storage fees.
Opinion Statement: I honestly believe that "Fee Overcharges" (Dimensions/Weight) are the most overlooked category. I once found that Amazon had scanned a pair of sunglasses I was selling as weighing 4 pounds because the cubiscan machine caught the heavy box next to it. I was overpaying $3 per unit on 1,000 units. That’s $3,000 pure profit lost to a glitch.
How to File a Reimbursement Claim on Amazon (The Manual Method)
If you are just starting, you should do this manually at least once to understand the pain. Knowing how to file a reimbursement claim on amazon manually forces you to look at your reports.
The Step-by-Step Workflow:
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Pull the Report: Go to Reports > Fulfillment > Inventory Adjustments.
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Filter: Look for codes "M" (Missing) or "E" (Damaged).
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Cross-Reference: Check the Reimbursements report to see if they already paid you. (Spoiler: They often haven't).
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Open a Case: Go to Help > Get Support > Selling on Amazon > FBA Inventory.
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Submit Proof: Upload your bill of lading or purchase invoice showing you actually owned the stock.
Honest Failure: In 2022, I tried to file 50 claims in one afternoon manually. I was copy-pasting transaction IDs so fast that I pasted the wrong ID into a claim for a completely different product. Seller Support flagged me for "submitting false information." It took me three weeks of apologizing to get the warning removed.Lesson: Slow down. Accuracy matters more than speed.
Tools for Tracking and Auditing Reimbursement Claims Amazon
Doing this manually works for small sellers. Once you hit $10k/month in sales, manual filing is impossible. You need tools for tracking and auditing reimbursement claims amazon FBA data. Software can scan your reports 24/7 and identify discrepancies you would miss with human eyes.
Top Tools I’ve Used:
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GETIDA: They are the heavyweight champion. They audit your account for free and only charge a percentage of what they recover.
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Helium 10 Refund Genie: Great if you already pay for H10, but it only identifies the issue; you still have to copy-paste the text to file the claim yourself.
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Sellerboard: Primarily a profit dashboard, but it has a decent "Money Back" alert system.
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Carbon6: Offers a robust reimbursement solution that digs deep into weight/dimension errors.
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Refund Sniper: An older, reliable service that handles the full process.
Here’s where it gets interesting... Amazon technically bans "automated" claim filing (bots opening tickets). However,services like GETIDA use a hybrid model where software finds the issue, but a human reviews it before submitting. This keeps you safe. If you buy cheap amazon reimbursement software that spams Seller Support with bots, you will get banned.
Sourcing Smarter with Closo Demand Signals
Recovering lost money is great, but not losing money on bad inventory is better. I treat my reimbursements as "found capital" to reinvest in new products. But I don't just guess what to buy. I use Closo Demand Signals to ensure my reinvestment turns into profit.
How Closo helps me predict demand across categories 6 weeks ahead is by analyzing search intent velocity across the web, not just on Amazon.
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The Scenario: I recovered $1,500 from a "Lost Inbound" claim.
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The Signal: Closo showed a massive spike in interest for "sustainable bamboo drawer organizers" on Pinterest,weeks before the trend hit Amazon's bestseller list.
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The Action: I used the $1,500 reimbursement check to fund a small test order of bamboo organizers.
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The Result: Because I was early to the trend, I sold out in two weeks at full price.
I use Closo to automate my sourcing logic – saves me about 3 hours weekly of trying to guess where to put my recovered capital.
Amazon Reimbursement Service vs. DIY
Should you hire an amazon reimbursement service or keep the cash and do it yourself? I have done both.
The DIY Path:
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Cost: Free (Time is money).
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Recovery Rate: Low. You will miss the complex stuff like "inbound weight variance."
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Risk: High. It is easy to make formatting errors that get claims denied.
The Service Path (e.g., GETIDA / Seller Investigators):
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Cost: Usually 25% of the recovered money.
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Recovery Rate: High. They find things you didn't know existed.
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Risk: Low. They know the Terms of Service better than you do.
Comparison Table: DIY vs. Service
Opinion Statement: Unless you are making less than $2,000 a month in revenue, hire a service. Giving up 25% of "found money" is better than keeping 100% of zero dollars because you didn't have time to audit your reports.
Amazon File Reimbursement Claim: The Documentation Nightmare
When you finally go to amazon file reimbursement claim tickets, you will hit a wall: Documentation. Amazon does not trust you. They assume you are lying until you prove otherwise.
What you need:
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Proof of Delivery (POD): For lost inbound shipments. If you used an Amazon Partnered Carrier (UPS), this is in the system. If you used a private freight forwarder, good luck. You need the stamped BOL (Bill of Lading).
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Invoices: You must show the original supplier invoice for the lost items. It must match the quantity and SKU exactly.
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Packing Slips: Sometimes requested for specific shipment discrepancies.
Parenthetical Aside: (I once had a claim denied for $800 because my supplier invoice address didn't exactly match the "Ship From" address in my Seller Central account. I had moved warehouses and forgot to update the settings. Amazon is incredibly petty about address matching. Check your settings today.)
How to File Reimbursement Claim Under Amazon.com's A-to-Z Guarantee
So far, we have discussed FBA seller claims. But what if you are a buyer? Or what if a buyer files one against you?How to file reimbursement claim under amazon.com's a-to-z guarantee is a different beast entirely.
For the Buyer: If you bought an item and it never arrived, or it was broken, and the third-party seller is ignoring you:
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Go to Your Orders.
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Select "Problem with order."
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If 48 hours have passed since you contacted the seller, the "Request A-to-Z Guarantee Refund" button appears.
For the Seller: If a buyer files an A-to-Z claim against you (usually for Merchant Fulfilled items), it hurts your Order Defect Rate (ODR).Crucial Tip: If you bought the shipping label through Amazon's "Buy Shipping" services, Amazon covers you. You must appeal the claim stating: "Item was shipped via Amazon Buy Shipping. Tracking shows delivered.Please grant claim and fund via Amazon, not seller account."
Expanding Revenue with Closo 100% Free Crosslister
While you are waiting for Amazon to decide if they owe you money, your cash flow is stuck. Don't let your remaining inventory sit idle. Amazon FBA is great, but putting all your eggs in one basket is risky (as proven by the lost inventory).I use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to diversify my risk.
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The Workflow: I take my Amazon product photos and descriptions.
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The Expansion: I use Closo to push those listings to eBay and Poshmark.
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The Fulfillment: If I sell a unit on eBay, I use Amazon MCF (Multi-Channel Fulfillment) to ship it, or I ship from my backup warehouse.
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The Result: I generate cash flow on other platforms while fighting with Amazon for my reimbursements.
FBA Reimbursement Services: The "Lookback" Window
One detail that catches everyone off guard is the 18-month window.Fba reimbursement policies generally state you can only claim missing items for 18 months. After that, the money is gone forever. For weight/dimension fee overcharges, the window is even shorter—often just 90 days.
The "Audit" Strategy: If you have never audited your account, do it today. You might have money from 17 months ago sitting there. When I first hired a service, they recovered $4,000 from claims that were about to expire. It felt like finding a winning lottery ticket in an old pair of jeans.
Common Questions I See
People always ask me... Why does Amazon deny my invoice?
Amazon denies invoices that look "editable." If you send an Excel file or a Word doc, they will reject it. They want a PDF or a photo of a physical paper invoice. Also, the pricing on the invoice should be reasonable. If you claim a lost unit is worth $100 but you bought it for $1, they might only reimburse you the "fair market value" or a default category rate.
Common question I see... Can I get reimbursed for removal orders?
Yes! This is a huge one. If you create a removal order to have unfulfillable inventory sent back to your house, and it arrives crushed or missing pieces, you can file a claim. You must take photos of the damaged box and the shipping label immediately upon arrival.
People always ask me... Does filing too many claims hurt my account?
Yes. If you use a bot that opens 100 cases a minute, or if you open cases for items that were already reimbursed, Amazon considers this "abuse of the seller support system." They can suspend your ability to open cases or suspend your account entirely. This is why using a reputable amazon reimbursement service that vets claims first is safer than doing it blindly.
Conclusion
Mastering the amazon reimbursement claim process is not the most exciting part of selling on FBA, but it is the most profitable hour you will spend this week. The money is already yours; Amazon is just holding it. Whether you choose to amazon file reimbursement claim tickets manually or hire a pro service, the key is consistency. Don't let 18 months pass. Don't let the fee overcharges slide.
My honest assessment is that you should audit your account this weekend. If you find discrepancies, start with the high-value "Lost Inbound" claims first. Recover that capital, and then use it to grow.
If you are ready to reinvest that recovered cash into products that will actually sell, use the Closo Seller Hub to see what's trending.
For more on protecting your profits and expanding to safer platforms, read our Pages Similar to eBay Guide
And if you want to know which categories are safe bets for your next shipment, check out Trending Products Forecast 2026
