What happens if you ship 500 units of a product to Amazon but only 480 units show up in your received inventory report?
If you’re like most sellers, you either get angry but don’t file a claim or you file a claim that lacks the proof required to be approved.
Once you’ve shipped inventory using Amazon-approved couriers, the products are under their care, so the cost of goods is rightfully yours. Don’t let Amazon get away with eating into your profits as a third-party seller.
In this guide, we show you how to appropriately handle inbound inventory issues so you can get fully reimbursed for discrepancies.
Keep reading for more details on this type of reimbursement, how to file a claim, and little-known keys to success.
Issues with Amazon FBA inbound inventory
Inbound inventory issues are a type of Amazon FBA inventory reimbursement. While inventory discrepancies are not as common as lost or damaged inventory, they can be far more costly to your bottom line. When inventory is damaged by Amazon warehouse employers or couriers, damages usually occur to one unit at a time. But when some of your inbound shipment goes missing, you can lose dozens of units all at once. This can lead to hundreds of thousands or even millions of losses per year for high-volume sellers.
How to file a claim for an inbound inventory issue
To successfully file a claim for an inbound inventory discrepancy, you must write to Amazon Seller Central and report about the issue.
If you want to get reimbursed for inbound inventory losses, then follow these steps.
Step 1. Count the misplaced units
First, you need to check the Received Inventory in Amazon Seller Central. Look up all of your recent inbound shipments and check the received unit counts. In a spreadsheet, make note of any inbound shipments with lower units than expected.
For inbound inventory losses, you have up to 9 months to file a claim. So go ahead and check the Received Inventory report for the previous 9 months and see if you spot any discrepancies. If you find an issue that will soon hit the 9-month time limit, make sure to file a claim as soon as possible.
Step 2. Get the required proof
Next, you need to gather the required proof to submit your claim.
For inbound inventory reimbursements, you need two types of proof:
- Proof of Delivery – proof you sent the goods to Amazon
- Proof of Purchase – proof you own the goods
Getting Proof of Delivery is easy. You just send them the shipping document you received from your courier.
Proof of Purchase is typically handled by sending an invoice from your manufacturer, but make sure to read the next section of this blog post for important workarounds and additional options.
Step 3. Write a refund claim
Once you’ve collected the needed proof, it’s time to write your Amazon reimbursement claim.
When crafting your Amazon reimbursement claim, it’s essential to be clear, concise, and detailed. Start by addressing the specific shipment in question, providing shipment IDs, dates, and any relevant tracking information. Clearly outline the discrepancy between the expected and received unit counts, attaching the required documentation to your claim.
Politely but firmly request reimbursement for the missing units based on the evidence provided.
Remember to include any other pertinent details that may assist Amazon’s reimbursement team in processing your claim efficiently.
Step 4. Respond to customer support questions prompts
It’s advisable to regularly follow up on your claim if you don’t receive a response within the specified timeframe. Persistence can often lead to a successful resolution.
Make sure that you promptly respond to any questions or requests for clarifications. If you don’t respond within a few days, Amazon Seller Central might close your claim ticket.
If you provide the needed documentation, your claim should be approved.
Step 5. Track your reimbursement
Once Amazon approves your reimbursement claim, the next step is to make sure they actually deliver it to your Seller Central account.
Check the Refund Report in your account once a week or so until you see the correct amount has been reimbursed.
If they don’t deliver your reimbursement within 30 days, or if they give you a lesser amount, make sure to file a new claim and include the number and details of your original claim.
Why most Amazon sellers fail to get reimbursed for inbound losses
Most Amazon sellers think the only way to provide Proof of Purchase is by sending an invoice from the manufacturer you bought your goods from. Therefore, lots of Amazon sellers don’t file for inbound discrepancies as they don’t want to reveal their manufacturer or struggle to get invoices in the right language or format.
But if you sell private label products with Brand Registry, Amazon accepts a signed packing list as Proof of Purchase. That’s right, you don’t need to send a manufacturer invoice.So when we told this to a 10-figure Amazon seller, he cried. If he’d known this earlier, he would’ve filed for all of his inbound discrepancies over the last 4 years. Instead, he threw away $2.5 million because he didn’t want to send manufacturer invoices to Amazon. Luckily, the story has a positive ending. When he signed up for Refunds Manager, we filed claims dating back 9 months (the maximum for this claim type) and secured $1.6 million in refunds for his business.
The key to a successful refund for inbound inventory
As you can see from the story above, the key to success is documentation.
You must have Proof of Delivery and Proof of Purchase. There are multiple ways to send in Proof of Purchase. At Refunds Manager, we’ll talk you through your options and help get the documentation for you so you don’t have to do a thing.
We do all the work and take a 25% commission of all successful claims. You don’t owe us anything until we secure your refunds.
