1. What Amazon reimburses

Amazon's automatic reimbursement catches some of this, not all of it. The gap between what the system reimburses and what you are owed is where the money is.

2. Claim windows

Amazon has shortened its windows in recent years, and they differ by claim type. As a working rule in 2026: file within 60 days of the event for lost and damaged inventory and removal shipments, and between 60 and 120 days after the refund for customer returns that never came back (you have to wait 60 days for the return to arrive before you can claim). Inbound shipment discrepancies must be raised within the shipment's research window. Check the current Reimbursement Policy in Seller Central before filing - a claim one day late is simply denied.

3. Finding the money in your reports

1. Inventory Adjustments (Reports → Fulfilment → Inventory Adjustments). Filter the last 60 days. Every "lost" or "damaged" line without a matching "found" or a reimbursement line is a candidate.
2. Reimbursements report. Match candidates against it; drop the ones already paid.
3. FBA Customer Returns and the Transaction report. For every refund older than 60 days, confirm a return was received. No return = claim.
4. Removal Order Detail. Compare requested vs shipped vs received; short receipts are claims.
5. Fee Preview vs actual fees charged. If Amazon's measured dimensions put your product in a larger size tier than reality, request a re-measurement; after correction, ask for the overcharge to be refunded.

This is mechanical work across five reports with order IDs, FNSKUs and dates that have to match. Doing it by hand is possible for a small catalogue; for hundreds of SKUs it is not realistic, which is why most unclaimed money belongs to mid-sized sellers.

4. How to file a claim

• Seller Central → Help → Get support → Selling on Amazon → Fulfilment by Amazon → choose the matching reason (for example "Inventory lost or damaged in Amazon's fulfilment centre" or "Customer return not received").
• One claim type per case. Mixing lost units and returns in one case gets the whole case bounced.
• Include FNSKU, quantity, the adjustment or order IDs, dates, and the report screenshot or export. For inbound discrepancies attach the supplier invoice and carrier proof of delivery.
• State the amount you expect, based on the reimbursement policy value, so a lower automatic estimate can be challenged.
• Keep a log: case ID, date filed, amount, status. Denials can be appealed with more evidence; many "denied" claims are approved on the second submission when the units are itemised correctly.

5. SAFE-T claims for seller-fulfilled orders

For Easy Ship and self-ship orders, Amazon may refund a customer under the A-to-z guarantee and debit you. If the refund was not your fault - item returned damaged or different, return never sent back, a courier RTO marked as delivered - you can file a SAFE-T claim (Orders → Manage SAFE-T claims) within the window after the refund (currently 60 days). Attach photos of the returned item, the packing slip and the tracking record. SAFE-T claims are decided quickly and are one of the most under-used recoveries among Indian sellers.

6. How much is typically recovered

It depends entirely on catalogue size, FBA share and return rate, so distrust anyone who promises a percentage. On the accounts we manage, recoveries range from a few thousand rupees a month for small catalogues to lakhs a year for large ones, and in almost every case the first reconciliation of a new account finds claims the seller did not know existed. The reasonable test is simple: the money recovered should comfortably exceed whatever the reconciliation costs you - in time or fees.

Frequently asked questions