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Key takeaways
- Amazon owes you when it or its carrier loses or damages your FBA inventory — inbound, in the warehouse, on customer returns and on removals.
- Every claim type has its own window, from 60 days to 9 months. Miss it and the money is gone.
- Before a customer order Amazon pays your sourcing cost; after an order, the refund minus fees. Set your sourcing cost or Amazon uses its own estimate.
- Reimbursements are capped at $5,000 per unit, and Amazon can reverse one if the item turns up.
What is an FBA reimbursement?
When you send inventory to Fulfillment by Amazon, Amazon takes responsibility for it. If an item is lost or damaged at an Amazon facility, or by a carrier operating for Amazon, Amazon either replaces it with a new unit of the same product or reimburses you for it. That's the FBA inventory reimbursement policy.
To be eligible, the item has to be registered in FBA when it's lost or damaged, meet FBA's product restrictions and inventory requirements, and match your shipping plan exactly. It can't be pending disposal, already disposed of, defective or damaged by a customer, and your account has to be in normal status while the claim is reviewed.
The four types of claims
Amazon splits reimbursements by where the loss happened. Each has its own process and window:
- Shipment to Amazon (inbound). Units you shipped to a fulfillment center that were received short or damaged. Inbound shipment claims →
- Fulfillment center operations. Units lost or damaged inside Amazon's warehouse after they were received. Lost & damaged inventory claims →
- Customer returns. A customer was refunded or sent a replacement, but the item never came back — or came back damaged by Amazon. Customer return reimbursements →
- Removals. Units lost or damaged on the way back to you from a removal order. Removal claims →
Claim deadlines for every type
| Claim type | Window |
|---|---|
| Inbound shipment (shipment to Amazon) | Once the shipment shows eligible for investigation, and no later than 9 months after verified delivery to the fulfillment center |
| Lost or damaged in a fulfillment center | Within 60 days of the date the item was reported lost or damaged |
| Customer return not returned / returned damaged | No sooner than 60 and no later than 120 days after the refund or replacement |
| Removal lost in transit | No sooner than 15 days after the shipment's last tracking movement, no later than 75 days after it was created |
| Removal damaged in transit / grading dispute | From delivery, within 60 days |
| Disagree with the amount paid | Within 60 days after the reimbursement is issued |
Juggling these by hand is where most sellers lose money. Use the claim deadline calculator to get the exact date for any claim.
How Amazon calculates the amount
The amount depends on whether the item was lost or damaged before or after a customer ordered it:
- Before an order (inbound, warehouse and removal claims): Amazon pays your sourcing cost — what it cost you to buy the item from a manufacturer, wholesaler or reseller, or to make it. Shipping, handling, customs duties and other costs are excluded. Items that were already unsellable are reimbursed at a reduced estimated cost.
- After an order (customer return claims): Amazon pays the refund amount, or the price of the replacement, on the original order minus applicable fees.
The maximum reimbursement for a single unit is $5,000; Amazon suggests third-party insurance for anything worth more.
Set your sourcing cost
Amazon reads sourcing cost from the Manage Your Sourcing Cost page in the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal. If you haven't entered one, Amazon uses its own estimate, based on comparable products — which can be lower than what you actually paid. Amazon may ask for proof, and can decline a cost that looks like an outlier or isn't backed by documents.
See how much Amazon owes you.
Sellerfy audits every payout against your real costs and drafts the claims. Free 7-day trial, no credit card, 0% commission.
Documents Amazon asks for
- Proof of ownership: a supplier invoice, a receipt from another seller, or a signed packing slip if you're the manufacturer — showing the date of purchase, product names that match the lost items, and quantity.
- Proof of delivery (inbound): for LTL or FTL, a proof of delivery stamped by Amazon with the box count and weight; for small parcels, active tracking IDs for every package.
- Identifiers: the shipment ID (inbound), the transaction item ID (damaged) or FNSKU (lost) from the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal, the order ID (returns), or the removal order ID and tracking number (removals).
- Photos of damaged units and boxes, especially for removals.
Doesn't Amazon reimburse automatically?
Often, yes. Many lost and damaged units show up in the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal already resolved, and Amazon usually charges customers who don't return a refunded item within 60 days and reimburses you. But not everything is caught: amounts can be based on a low cost estimate, some defects sit in the Eligible for claim tab waiting for you, and removal claims are never automatic. The only way to know is to compare what happened to each unit with what you were paid.
How to recover more
- Set sourcing costs for your SKUs so warehouse and inbound losses are paid at your real cost.
- Reconcile every inbound shipment on the shipment's Contents tab before filing your one claim.
- Check the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal weekly: the Eligible for claim tab is money waiting, and the 60-day clock is already running.
- Match refunds to returns. After 60 days, a refund with no return and no reimbursement is a claim.
- Count removal boxes on arrival and claim shortages inside the window.
- Check the amount. If a reimbursement looks low, dispute it within 60 days.
How Sellerfy helps
Sellerfy syncs your fees, reimbursements and financial transactions from Amazon and compares them with your real unit costs. Anything reimbursed below your cost — or not reimbursed at all — lands in a recovery worklist, valued and sorted, with the claim message drafted and the evidence attached. You review, file and track it from found to filed to paid, and Sellerfy takes 0% commission, where many reimbursement services take 20–25% of what they recover.
See how FBA reimbursement recovery works in Sellerfy → · Get a free reimbursement audit →
Frequently asked questions
What is an Amazon FBA reimbursement?
When Amazon or a carrier working for Amazon loses or damages inventory you sent to FBA, Amazon either replaces the item with a new one of the same product or pays you for it. That payment is an FBA reimbursement.
How long do I have to file an FBA reimbursement claim?
It depends on the claim type: inbound shipment claims within 9 months of verified delivery; lost or damaged in a fulfillment center within 60 days of the item being reported; customer return claims 60 to 120 days after the refund; removals lost in transit no sooner than 15 days after the last tracking movement and no later than 75 days after the shipment was created; removals damaged in transit within 60 days of delivery.
How does Amazon calculate the reimbursement amount?
For items lost or damaged before a customer order (inbound, warehouse and removal claims), Amazon pays your sourcing cost — what it cost you to buy or make the item, excluding shipping, handling and duties. For customer return claims, it pays the refund amount (or replacement price) minus applicable fees. The maximum per unit is $5,000.
What is the Manage Your Sourcing Cost page?
It's a page in the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal where you enter your sourcing cost per item. If you don't, Amazon uses its own estimate, which may be lower than what you paid.
Does Amazon reimburse automatically?
Amazon resolves many warehouse and customer-return cases on its own, but not all of them, and removal claims must always be filed by you. It's worth checking every lost, damaged and returned unit against what you were paid.
What if I disagree with the amount Amazon paid?
You can dispute the valuation through Contact Us in Seller Central within 60 days after the reimbursement is issued.
Can I file more than one claim for an inbound shipment?
No. Amazon accepts one claim per inbound shipment; additional claims for the same shipment are declined. Reconcile the whole shipment before you file.
Official Amazon sources
US marketplace guidance. Seller Central sign-in may be required. Check the linked policy for current eligibility and requirements.