When Amazon stores and ships your inventory, some units get lost, damaged or miscounted along the way. Amazon pays sellers back for many of these cases, but the rules got stricter: you have far less time to file, and lost or damaged units are now paid at your cost, not your selling price. Here is what qualifies and how to claim it.
What Amazon reimburses
Units lost or damaged in a fulfillment center. Items misplaced in storage, damaged by Amazon staff or equipment, or destroyed without your request.
Inbound shipments that arrive short. Units you shipped that were never checked in.
Customer returns that never come back. Amazon refunded the customer, but the item was not returned, or came back damaged while in Amazon's hands.
Removal orders lost in transit. Inventory you asked Amazon to send back that never arrived.
Fee errors. For example, a product measured in the wrong size tier, which raises your FBA fee on every sale.
The two rule changes that matter
A much shorter window. Since October 23, 2024, claims for inventory lost or damaged in a fulfillment center must be filed within about 60 days. Before that, sellers had up to 18 months.
Other claim types have their own windows. Customer return claims can be filed between 60 and 120 days after the refund or replacement, and claims for removal orders lost in transit between 15 and 75 days.
Payouts based on manufacturing cost. Since March 2025, inventory lost or damaged before a customer orders it is reimbursed at your manufacturing cost instead of the selling price. Seller Central lets you enter your manufacturing cost per SKU. If you don't, Amazon uses its own estimate, which may be lower than what you paid.
How to find cases before the deadline
With a 60-day window, a quarterly review is too slow. Check at least once a month, and weekly if you send a lot of inventory. Start with your inventory ledger and reimbursements report in Seller Central, then compare units shipped against units received for every inbound shipment.
For returns, match each refund against the returns report. A refund with no matching return after the return window has passed is a likely claim. Keep a simple log of what you found and when, so you know which cases are still inside the window.
How to file a claim
File through Seller Central's reimbursement and claims tools, or through Contact Us when no dedicated form fits. Include the shipment ID, order ID or FNSKU, the number of units and a short description of what happened. Clear, complete claims get resolved faster.
Keep your records ready
Keep supplier invoices, packing lists and proof of delivery for every shipment. Amazon may ask for them, and your invoices are the evidence of what a unit cost you. Make sure the manufacturing cost entered in Seller Central matches your invoices for every SKU.
How much could you be missing?
Enter your monthly lost units, unreturned refunds and inbound shortfalls in our free FBA and WFS reimbursement estimator to see what is at stake each year.
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Questions sellers ask
Does Amazon reimburse lost inventory automatically?
Amazon reimburses many lost and damaged cases on its own, but not every case. Check your reimbursements report against your inventory records and file for anything that was missed.
How long do I have to file an FBA reimbursement claim?
For inventory lost or damaged in a fulfillment center, about 60 days. Customer return claims open 60 days after the refund and close at 120 days. Check the exact window for your claim type in Seller Central.
What if I disagree with the amount Amazon paid?
You can dispute the amount through Seller Central. Attach your supplier invoice to show what the unit actually cost you.
Sources: Amazon's FBA reimbursement policy updates of October 2024 and March 2025, checked November 2026. Policies change, so confirm current rules in Seller Central.