Automatyzacja
The goods have disappeared from FBA. Has the reimbursement been properly settled?
Last updated: 09/09/2026
One unit disappears from the available FBA inventory.
A report indicates that it is lost or damaged. Over the following days, the product may be found, returned to inventory, or covered by a reimbursement.
From the company's perspective, the history of this unit should have a financial conclusion.
The problem begins when no one checks if it actually had one.
Table of Contents:
A single unit easily slips off the radar
Reimbursement can occur automatically
Where do unresolved events disappear to?
Automation looks for exceptions, not blindly for money
First, clean up the history
Then, don't let the problem build up again
You can read this article in 4 minutes.
A single unit easily slips off the radar
A single lost unit usually does not trigger an alarm.
The team is busy with product availability, FBA shipments, Amazon Ads campaigns, pricing, and ongoing issues in Seller Central. Manually searching for a few items in reports quickly falls to the bottom of the to-do list.
Scale changes everything.
Hundreds of SKUs, multiple marketplaces, numerous fulfillment centres, and peak sales periods generate a high volume of inventory movements. Some products are sold, returned, moved, damaged, found, or removed from stock.
Amazon provides the Inventory Ledger Report, which shows, among other things, receipts, customer shipments, returns, transfers, found units, lost units, and damaged units. The detailed view of the report covers the history of inventory movements for the last 18 months.
However, the mere presence of data does not mean that someone is regularly reconciling it with financial records.
Reimbursement can occur automatically
Not every lost or damaged unit requires a manual claim.
Amazon automates part of the reimbursements, including those for products lost in fulfillment centres. Sellers can track payments in the Reimbursements report.
This does not mean that every movement marked as lost or damaged should immediately be claimed.
A unit can be:
found
restored to inventory
resolved automatically
deemed ineligible for reimbursement
subject to a subsequent correction
left for further verification
The reimbursement amount also does not necessarily correspond to the retail price of the product. The way it is calculated depends, among other things, on the type and timing of the event, as well as current Amazon policy.
Therefore, automation should not assume that every discrepancy is an outstanding payment. It should highlight cases whose history has not yet been definitively resolved.
Where do unresolved events disappear to?
The information needed to control Amazon FBA reimbursements is located in several areas.
The Inventory Ledger shows product movement.
The Reimbursements Report shows paid compensations, their reason, Case ID, SKU, FNSKU, ASIN, amount, and the number of resolved units. The report is updated daily.
In addition, there are cases in Seller Support, corrections, and deadlines depending on the type of event. From 15 October 2025, Amazon applies different filing windows. For example, claims regarding lost or damaged units must be submitted within 60 days of the reported event.
Manual control therefore requires not only finding the discrepancy. You also need to determine:
what the event relates to
whether Amazon has already resolved it
whether the unit was found later
whether the case meets policy conditions
whether the deadline for action is still open
whether the amount and number of units match the expected settlement
In Q4, such a task easily loses out to activities that impact sales here and now.
Automation looks for exceptions, not blindly for money
A well-designed process periodically retrieves inventory movements and data on paid reimbursements.
Then it:
Matches events by SKU, FNSKU, ASIN, Reference ID, and marketplace
Checks if a lost or damaged unit was found later
Verifies whether a corresponding reimbursement has appeared
Takes into account the time needed for the event to close automatically
Excludes cases already resolved
Monitors the correct filing window
Passes only the cases requiring verification to the team
The team does not go through thousands of correct rows. They receive a short list of exceptions along with the documentation needed to take further action.
Such monitoring can be part of a broader Amazon sales automation system that connects data from Seller Central, SP-API, and internal systems to automatically flag events requiring action.
This is precisely the value of automation.
First, clean up the history
The first stage can take the form of a one-off audit of a selected period and marketplace.
We reconcile available inventory movements with the reimbursements report and divide cases into:
correctly resolved
closed by later recovery of the unit
requiring additional data
requiring team verification
outside the available action deadline
Such an audit can uncover unresolved events. It can also confirm that during the analysed period, most cases were handled correctly.
The value for further verification depends on actual account data, types of events, deadlines, and compliance with Amazon policy conditions. It cannot be honestly predicted as a fixed percentage of GMV.
Then, don't let the problem build up again
Sorting out the history once gives you a starting point. However, new inventory movements appear every day.
Continuous monitoring can:
detect subsequent discrepancies
keep track of deadlines
track Case IDs
compare expected and received payouts
report outcomes per SKU and marketplace
notify the team only when a decision is needed
Companies invest in campaigns, promotions, and price testing to increase sales. In parallel, it is worth checking whether the value of products already entrusted to FBA has been properly accounted for.
Control over FBA stock levels, payouts, and ongoing operational events is also a component of comprehensive Amazon sales management, especially with a larger number of SKUs and marketplaces.
Let's check one period and one marketplace. We will match inventory movements with paid reimbursements and show which events require further verification.
Automation does not guarantee a reimbursement payout. It detects discrepancies, organises documentation, and supports case tracking in line with current Amazon policy.
FAQ – Amazon FBA reimbursements
What is an Amazon FBA reimbursement?
A reimbursement is compensation that Amazon may grant to a seller for eligible events related to FBA inventory, such as a lost or damaged unit. However, the occurrence of an event does not automatically mean the seller is entitled to a payout.
Does Amazon automatically pay reimbursement for lost FBA inventory?
Amazon handles part of the reimbursements automatically, e.g. for certain units lost in fulfillment centres. Therefore, before taking further action, you should check whether the product was found or if the compensation has already been resolved.
How do I check if Amazon has paid a reimbursement?
Information on paid compensation can be found in the Reimbursements Report. The report includes, among other things, the reason for the reimbursement, Case ID, SKU, FNSKU, ASIN, amount, and the number of resolved units.
What should I do if a product has disappeared from Amazon FBA inventory?
First, trace the history of the unit and check if it was later found, restored to inventory, or covered by a reimbursement. Only unresolved events should be qualified for further verification in accordance with current Amazon policy.
Does the reimbursement amount correspond to the product's selling price?
Not always. The method of calculating compensation depends on several factors, including the type and timing of the event, as well as the applicable Amazon policy. Therefore, you should not automatically assume that the reimbursement will equal the retail price of the product.
How much time do I have to file a claim for lost or damaged FBA inventory?
Deadlines depend on the type of event. For units lost or damaged in a fulfillment centre, a specific filing window applies; therefore, monitoring should take into account not just the discrepancy itself, but also the time remaining to take action.
How do I automatically monitor Amazon FBA reimbursements?
The process can periodically reconcile inventory movement data with information on paid reimbursements. It then checks for subsequent recoveries and corrections, filters out closed cases, and forwards only the events requiring further verification to the team.
Does automatic reimbursement monitoring guarantee recovering money from Amazon?
No. Automation does not decide whether a specific event qualifies for a reimbursement, nor does it guarantee a payout. Its purpose is to detect discrepancies, monitor event history and deadlines, and point out cases that require verification.
Sources
Amazon Selling Partner API - Inventory Ledger Report and FBA Reimbursements Report.
Amazon Seller Central - FBA Lost and Damaged Inventory Reimbursement Policy.
Amazon Seller Central - current deadlines for submitting claims.
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