2026-06-11 · 11 min read
Amazon FBA Reimbursement Guide: How to Claim What Amazon Owes You
Step-by-step process for claiming Amazon FBA reimbursements for lost, damaged, or miscounted inventory. Includes the 2025 policy change that reduced reimbursement values.
Amazon fulfillment centers lose, damage, and miscount seller inventory every day. Most of the time, Amazon issues automatic reimbursements. But automatic systems miss a significant portion of eligible claims. Sellers who proactively audit their inventory and file claims recover thousands of dollars per year that would otherwise go uncollected.
The 2025 reimbursement policy change
In March 2025, Amazon changed how it calculates reimbursement values. Previously, reimbursements were based on the retail price of the item or the proceeds Amazon would have generated from selling it. The new policy reimburses based on estimated cost of goods, which Amazon calculates from historical shipment data and COGS reports.
For most sellers, this reduced reimbursement amounts by 50% to 70% compared to the old calculation. A product that sold for $30 with a $10 COGS now generates a $10 reimbursement where it previously generated $22 to $25. The policy change makes proactive tracking even more important because each unclaimed unit is worth less.
Types of reimbursable situations
Lost in warehouse: Amazon cannot locate your inventory but it has not been sold or returned. Amazon typically auto-reimburses after 30 days, but some cases slip through. Damaged in warehouse: Amazon or a carrier damages your product before it ships. Damaged returns: a customer return comes back damaged and Amazon marks it unsellable without reimbursing you. Customer refunds where the item was never returned: Amazon issues a refund to a customer but the product never comes back to inventory. Inbound shipment discrepancies: you send 100 units, Amazon receives 94, and the 6-unit discrepancy is not resolved.
How to find unreimbursed claims
Pull the Inventory Adjustments report from Seller Central (Reports > Fulfillment > Inventory Adjustments). Filter for adjustment codes that indicate loss or damage: E-Commerce Application Adjustment (ECOMM), Damaged: sellable inventory (DAMAGED), Found inventory (FOUND), Lost: inbound shipment (MISPLACED). Cross-reference these against your Reimbursements report to identify adjustments that were not followed by a reimbursement.
Also check the Reconcile section under Manage FBA Shipments. Any shipment marked with discrepancies between shipped and received quantity is a candidate for a reimbursement claim if it has not already been resolved.
Filing a claim
Claims are filed through Seller Support. The faster path: use the Contact Us form, select FBA Issue, then Lost/Damaged Inventory. Provide the ASIN, the FNSKU, the date range of the discrepancy, and the adjustment code from the report. Attach the inventory adjustment report showing the discrepancy.
Amazon has a 60-day window to investigate and resolve claims. You cannot file a claim for incidents more than 18 months old. Work backward from your reimbursement report: anything older than 6 months that did not generate a reimbursement is worth investigating before it exceeds the 18-month limit.
Reimbursement claim timeline
Amazon typically responds to claims within 7 to 14 days. If the investigation confirms the discrepancy, reimbursement is credited to your account balance, not paid out immediately. Complicated claims (high-value items, large quantity discrepancies, inbound shipment disputes) can take 30 to 45 days.
If a claim is denied and you believe it is incorrect, escalate through Seller Support. Attach documentation: your original shipment records, photos of the packed shipment if available, and the carrier's proof of delivery showing the units you sent.
Third-party reimbursement services
Several tools and agencies specialize in FBA reimbursement recovery: Helium10 Alerts, GETIDA, Refundly, and Seller Investigators among others. Most charge 25% to 30% of recovered amounts with no upfront cost. For sellers with high FBA volume, these services often recover more than a seller would doing manual audits because they run systematic checks across all claim categories.
The main risk: third-party services file claims on your behalf and some use aggressive tactics that violate Amazon's terms. Vet any service before giving it access to your account.
How much to expect
Sellers with $500,000 or more in annual FBA revenue typically recover $3,000 to $15,000 per year in reimbursements when they audit systematically. Sellers below $100,000 in revenue recover less in absolute terms but the same percentage. The investment is minimal relative to recovery.