Amazon Reimbursement in 2026: What Amazon Now Pays for Lost and Damaged FBA Inventory
Amazon reimbursement values changed on 31 March 2025. If a unit goes missing or takes damage before a customer orders it, Amazon now pays your manufacturing cost. That is what you paid to source or make the unit. If the loss happens after a customer places an order, Amazon still pays the sale price minus applicable fees. Amazon estimates your cost by default. So the highest value step you can take today is entering your real sourcing cost yourself, before the next loss.
The distinction everything now turns on
One question decides the size of almost every payout: had a customer ordered the unit yet?
Losses before a customer order pay manufacturing cost. Amazon defines that as your cost to source the product from a manufacturer, wholesaler or reseller, or your cost to produce it yourself. The definition rules out shipping, handling, customs duties and other ancillary costs. Freight from your supplier does not count. Neither do duties, prep charges or inbound placement fees.
Losses after a customer order still pay sale price minus applicable fees. A unit that vanishes on the way back from a buyer sits on that side of the line. A unit that vanishes on a shelf does not.
Amazon set 10 March 2025 as the original date, then postponed the change to 31 March 2025. Sellers posted the results on the Seller Forums within weeks. One documented a 48.07 dollar sourcing cost that came back at 14.07 dollars. Another reported a 160 dollar rare book that came back at 6.32 dollars.
Valuation basis by loss type
| Loss type | When it happens | Reimbursement basis | Filed automatically or manually |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lost in a fulfilment centre | Before a customer order | Manufacturing cost | Automatic since 1 November 2024 |
| Damaged at Amazon (warehouse damaged) | Before a customer order | Manufacturing cost | Mostly automatic |
| Misplaced inventory | Before a customer order | Manufacturing cost, reversed if the unit turns up | Mostly automatic |
| Missing units from an inbound shipment | Before a customer order | Manufacturing cost | Manual |
| FBA customer return never returned or returned damaged | After a customer order | Sale price minus applicable fees | Mostly automatic |
| Removal shipment lost or damaged | Before a customer order, since no sale occurred | Manufacturing cost | Manual |
Read the table by the middle column, not the first one. Amazon’s wording turns on the customer order, so a removal falls on the manufacturing cost side even though you triggered it.
Set your own sourcing cost or Amazon sets it for you
By default Amazon applies its own estimate of what your unit cost you. Amazon builds that number from comparable products across its catalogue, other sellers and wholesale channels. For a private label item with no close match, the estimate can land far under what you actually pay.
You can replace it. Open the Inventory Defect and Reimbursement portal in Seller Central and go to the Manage Your Sourcing Cost page. Enter your real per unit cost against each ASIN or SKU. Most sellers have never opened that page. That single gap explains a large share of the payouts sellers complain about.
Do it before you have a loss. Amazon values a claim against the figure on file when the loss happens, so a cost you add next month does nothing for a unit lost this week. Refresh the numbers whenever supplier pricing moves, and keep the same figure you use in your product sourcing records so the two never disagree.
The 60 day window to dispute a valuation
Amazon staff have stated the rule plainly. Disagree with a valuation, and you file a dispute through Contact Us in Seller Central. You get 60 days from the date Amazon issues the payout.
That clock starts at the payout, not at the loss. So the reimbursement line you ignored in March can still cost you in May. Check the Reimbursements report weekly and flag any line that pays less than your recorded cost.
A dispute needs proof of what you paid, not proof of what the item sells for. A compliant sourcing document names the supplier, the product, the unit price, the quantity and the date. A supplier invoice works. A purchase order with a matching payment record works. A screenshot of a retail listing does not, and neither does a spreadsheet you typed yourself.
Write the case around one number. State the reimbursement ID, the ASIN, the amount Amazon paid, the amount your invoice supports, and the difference. Attach the invoice. Ask for the shortfall.
Amazon now pays most claims without you asking
Since 1 November 2024, Amazon proactively reimburses FBA items lost in its fulfilment centres. Those payouts appear in the Reimbursements report with no case attached. Warehouse lost, warehouse damaged and customer return cases now clear automatically in almost every instance.
This changed the work. Filing a case for a warehouse loss usually produces a reply saying Amazon already paid it. The gap moved somewhere else, to the amount rather than the event.
Removal claims stay manual. If a removal shipment arrives short, damaged, wrong or never arrives, nobody files it for you. Same for units missing from an inbound shipment. Those two categories now carry most of the money a seller can still ask for.
What the change means for Amazon reimbursement services
The recoverable surface shrank. That is the honest read, and no competing page on this topic will print it.
Two things happened at once. Automation removed most of the manually filable claim volume, and the 2025 valuation rule cut the payout on every pre order loss from retail price to cost. A service that once billed a share of large sale price payouts on warehouse losses now works a smaller pool at a lower unit value.
What remains recoverable is real, though. Removal claims. Fee overcharges. Valuation disputes inside the 60 day window. And reconciliation of auto reimbursements that Amazon paid using its own estimate instead of your documented cost.
That last one is the actual job now. It needs your invoices, your sourcing costs and a line by line comparison against the Reimbursements report. Very few tools do it, because it needs data Amazon does not hold.
The claim windows
Windows close quietly. Nothing warns you.
| Claim type | Earliest | Latest | Measured from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing units from an inbound shipment | 15 days | 60 days | Delivery date at the fulfilment centre | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| Inventory damaged at Amazon | Immediately | 60 days | Date the Inventory Adjustment report marks the unit damaged | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| Misplaced inventory | Immediately | 60 days | Date the report marks the unit misplaced | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| Removal shipment damaged, different or incomplete | Immediately | 30 days | Delivery date of the removal shipment | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| Lost removal shipment | 15 days | 75 days | Ship date | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| FBA customer return never returned | 60 days | 120 days | Refund or replacement date | Seller Forums claim window announcements, 2024 |
| Fee overcharge | not confirmed by Amazon | not confirmed by Amazon | not confirmed by Amazon | No current Amazon source found |
| Disposed inventory | not confirmed by Amazon | not confirmed by Amazon | not confirmed by Amazon | No current Amazon source found |
Two rows deserve a warning. Every guide on this subject prints 90 days for fee overcharges. We traced that figure to an old window table. Its other rows are demonstrably obsolete, so we will not repeat the number as fact. The same applies to a separate window for disposed inventory. If Amazon publishes either window in a current policy page, we will update this table and say where it came from.
Treat the windows as an operating rhythm, not a reference. Pull the adjustment data weekly. Anything older than 30 days needs a decision that day.
Reading the reports that expose the gaps
Every claim starts as a line in a report. If you cannot point at the line, Amazon closes the case.
| Report | What it shows | The discrepancy it exposes |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory Adjustment report | Every unit Amazon adds or removes, with a reason code and date | Warehouse lost, warehouse damaged and misplaced events, plus the date your 60 day clock starts |
| Reimbursements report | Each reimbursement Amazon issued, with amount, quantity, currency and reason | Auto reimbursements valued at Amazon’s estimate instead of your documented cost |
| Removal order detail and removal shipment detail | Units requested, shipped and delivered per removal order | Removal shipments that arrive short, late or never |
| FBA customer returns report | Return date, disposition and condition for each returned unit | Refunds where the unit never came back to sellable stock |
Reconcile them against each other, never on their own. A removal order that shipped 200 units and a removal shipment report showing 188 delivered is a claim. A refund with no matching return line after 60 days is a claim. Good inventory management makes these comparisons routine instead of forensic.
Filing a case that does not get auto denied
A clean case carries five things. The report line, the dates, the shipment or removal identifier, your sourcing document, and one clear ask.
Denials cluster around predictable mistakes. Filing inside the blackout period before day 15 on inbound and removal losses. Filing after the window shuts. Bundling ten ASINs into one message. Asking for a review of an event Amazon already reimbursed. Attaching a sales screenshot instead of a supplier invoice. Reopening a closed case rather than filing the dispute Amazon asked for.
Sellers on the forums keep hitting one specific reply. Amazon reports finding extra units of another SKU and treats the shortage as a seller packing error. Answer it with the shipment packing list, the carton content records you submitted, and the box weights. If your submitted carton contents match the units received per SKU, say that plainly and ask Amazon to reconcile the receiving discrepancy against the carton data it holds. If your carton contents were wrong, fix the process, because that case will not pay.
The Agent Policy, effective 4 March 2026
Amazon announced an Agent Policy on the Seller Forums on 17 February 2026. It joined the Business Solutions Agreement on 4 March 2026.
Three requirements matter. AI agents must clearly identify themselves as automated systems. They must comply with the policy at all times. They must cease access immediately if Amazon requests it.
Sellers asked in Amazon’s own thread whether third party reimbursement tools fall in scope. Amazon did not clarify. That is the full state of the record, and anyone telling you more than that is guessing.
Two facts sit alongside it. Amazon has never banned reimbursement services. Amazon does not name them in the policy. So the practical question for a vendor is narrow: does their automation identify itself as an automated system when it touches your account? Ask it in writing and keep the answer.
Choosing a reimbursement service
Ask the questions below before you sign anything. The answers separate an audit practice from a filing bot.
| Question | Good answer | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| How do you charge? | A share of funds actually recovered, billed after Amazon pays | A retainer plus a share, or a fee on money you had already recovered. |
| Do you file manually or automatically? | People review each case before it goes out | Bulk automated submission at volume |
| Does your agent identify itself as automated? | Yes, in writing, in line with the Agent Policy | The question gets deflected |
| What account access do you need? | A limited Seller Central user role you can revoke | Your primary login credentials |
| Do you reconcile auto reimbursement valuations? | Yes, each payout gets compared against your invoice cost | They only file new claims |
| Do you maintain sourcing costs? | Yes, they populate and refresh Manage Your Sourcing Cost | They have never opened that page |
| Who owns the case history? | You do, exported on request | The data stays inside their portal |
| What happens on a denial? | You see the denial and the appeal, line by line | You only ever see net recoveries |
On price, the structure matters more than the percentage. Charging on recovered funds only keeps the incentive honest. Charging on money Amazon already paid you automatically does not.
Whoever runs your audit, get the fee structure in writing first: the percentage, whether it applies only to funds the audit recovered, and how far back the lookback reaches. A provider who will not write that down has told you something.
Frequently asked questions
What changed in Amazon’s FBA reimbursement policy?
Effective 31 March 2025, Amazon values inventory lost or damaged before a customer order at manufacturing cost rather than sale price. Losses after a customer order keep the old basis of sale price minus applicable fees. Amazon originally set 10 March 2025 and postponed the start date by three weeks.
Does Amazon reimburse at sale price or cost?
Both, depending on timing. Before a customer orders the unit, Amazon pays manufacturing cost. After a customer orders it, Amazon pays the sale price minus applicable fees. A warehouse loss pays cost. A customer return that never comes back pays sale price minus fees.
What counts as manufacturing cost?
Amazon defines it as your cost to source the product from a manufacturer, wholesaler or reseller, or your cost to produce it yourself. Shipping, handling, customs duties and other ancillary costs sit outside the definition. Freight, duty and prep charges do not raise the figure Amazon pays.
Where do I set my own sourcing cost?
Open the Inventory Defect and Reimbursement portal in Seller Central and go to the Manage Your Sourcing Cost page. Enter your per unit cost by ASIN or SKU. Without an entry, Amazon applies its own estimate, built from comparable products across its catalogue, other sellers and wholesale channels.
How long do I have to dispute a reimbursement amount?
Amazon staff have stated that you should file the dispute through Contact Us in Seller Central within 60 days after Amazon issues the reimbursement. The clock runs from the payout date, not the loss date. Keep a supplier invoice ready, because a valuation dispute needs proof of cost.
Does Amazon reimburse automatically now?
Yes, for most cases. Since 1 November 2024, Amazon proactively reimburses FBA items lost in its fulfilment centres, and those payouts show in the Reimbursements report without a case. Warehouse lost, warehouse damaged and customer return events now clear automatically in almost every instance.
Which claims do I still have to file myself?
Removal claims and inbound shipment shortages. If a removal shipment arrives damaged, incomplete, wrong or never arrives, you must file it. Units missing from an inbound shipment also need a manual claim. Valuation disputes on automatic payouts are manual too, and most sellers never raise them.
What are the current claim filing windows?
Inbound shortages run from day 15 to day 60 after delivery. Damaged and misplaced inventory allow 60 days from the adjustment date. Removal shipments arriving damaged, different or incomplete allow 30 days from delivery. Lost removals run day 15 to day 75 from the ship date. Customer returns run day 60 to day 120.
Why was my reimbursement so much lower than the item’s value?
Almost always because the loss happened before a customer order, so Amazon paid manufacturing cost, and because you never entered a sourcing cost. Amazon then used its own estimate. Sellers have reported a 48.07 dollar documented cost paid at 14.07 dollars under those conditions.
Are third party reimbursement services allowed?
Amazon has never banned them and does not name them in policy. The relevant limits are account access, accurate claims and the Agent Policy that took effect 4 March 2026. Choose a provider that uses a revocable user role rather than your primary credentials, and that discloses automation.
What is Amazon’s Agent Policy and does it affect reimbursement tools?
Amazon announced it on the Seller Forums on 17 February 2026 and added it to the Business Solutions Agreement, effective 4 March 2026. AI agents must identify themselves as automated systems, comply at all times, and cease access on request. Sellers asked whether reimbursement tools fall in scope and Amazon did not clarify.
What do reimbursement services charge?
The common structure is a percentage of funds actually recovered, billed after Amazon pays, with no retainer. Watch for fees charged on automatic reimbursements you would have received anyway. Ask what the percentage covers, whether disputes are included, and whether valuation reconciliation costs extra.
Can I claim for fee overcharges?
Yes, weight and dimension errors and referral fee miscalculations remain claimable. The filing window is the problem. We could not confirm a current fee overcharge window from an Amazon source. The 90 day figure repeated across the web traces to a table whose other rows are outdated. File as soon as you spot one.
How do I appeal a denied reimbursement claim?
Reply on the same case with what was missing, not with a repeat of the original request. Add the exact report line, the dates, the shipment identifier and the supplier invoice. If Amazon denied the amount rather than the event, file a valuation dispute through Contact Us within 60 days of the payout.
Get the money you are actually owed
Most sellers lose more to an unset sourcing cost than to unfiled claims. Set that number this week. Then reconcile the last 60 days of the Reimbursements report against your invoices. Our Amazon account management team does that work daily. We audit your account first, free, and show you exactly what is still open.
