The Case of the Missing Amazon Money

Amazon might owe you money. And there's a good chance you haven't noticed.

Here's something I want every Amazon seller to hear:

Your job isn't just to make money on Amazon. It's also to make sure Amazon doesn't keep money that belongs to you.

Think about it.

You spend hours finding products, negotiating with suppliers, building listings, managing PPC, and keeping inventory in stock.

Then Amazon loses a box of your products, damages your inventory, overcharges a fee, or makes a mistake with a customer refund.

And what happens?

You get busy doing everything else.

The problem gets buried.

And that money? It stays right where it is.

In Amazon's bank account.

Not yours. 😅

That's why I recommend doing an Amazon reimbursement audit on a regular basis.

It's one of those unglamorous jobs that can put real money back into your business without finding a single new customer.

Let's dig in.

📦 What Is an Amazon Reimbursement Audit?

An Amazon reimbursement audit is a review of your Seller Central account to find money Amazon may owe you.

This can happen when Amazon makes an error while handling your inventory, fees, returns, or customer refunds.

Here are some common areas to check:

• Lost inventory: Amazon loses units you sent to its fulfillment centers.

• Damaged inventory: Your products are damaged while in Amazon's care.

• Customer returns: A customer receives a refund, but the returned item never makes it back into sellable inventory.

• Missing reimbursements: Amazon issues a reimbursement but pays the wrong amount or fails to complete it.

• Fee errors: You are charged the wrong FBA fee or an incorrect amount.

• Inventory discrepancies: Your records show fewer units than Amazon should have on hand.

Here's the thing.

Amazon processes an enormous number of transactions.

Mistakes can happen.

And while Amazon has systems to detect and correct many of them, I wouldn't leave my money to chance.

I like to trust the process.

But I also like to check the math.

📖 A Real-World Example: The Missing 50 Units

Let's say you're selling a kitchen gadget on Amazon.

You send 200 units to an FBA warehouse.

A few weeks later, you check your inventory reports and notice that only 150 units are accounted for.

Where did the other 50 go?

You check your sales.

Nope. You didn't sell them.

You check customer returns.

Nothing explains the difference.

You check your inventory adjustments and discover that 50 units were marked as lost during warehouse operations.

Now let's do some simple math.

Your product sells for $25.

Your cost per unit is $8.

That means your potential product-cost exposure is:

50 units × $8 = $400.

That's $400 worth of inventory you paid for but can no longer sell.

Depending on the circumstances and Amazon's reimbursement rules, you may be eligible for reimbursement.

But here's the catch.

You need to identify the discrepancy, check the reimbursement status, and take action when Amazon's records show that something is still unresolved.

Imagine leaving that $400 sitting there because you never checked.

Now imagine finding similar discrepancies across several products.

That's why I say an audit isn't busywork.

It's profit protection.

Note: This is an illustrative seller scenario, not a verified customer case. Actual reimbursement amounts depend on Amazon's policies, eligibility rules, and the product's valuation.

🔎 How to Perform Your Amazon Reimbursement Audit

You don't need to be an accountant or a spreadsheet wizard.

You just need a process.

Here's where I'd start.

Step 1: Review Your FBA Inventory Reports

Log in to Seller Central and review your FBA inventory records.

Look for discrepancies between:

• Units sent to Amazon.

• Units received by Amazon.

• Units sold.

• Units returned.

• Units marked as damaged or lost.

• Units currently available or reserved.

Pay special attention to inventory adjustments.

If your inventory count doesn't make sense, don't just shrug and move on.

Find out why.

Step 2: Check Your Reimbursement Reports

Next, review your reimbursement records.

In Seller Central, look for the FBA reimbursements reporting area. The exact menu names and report locations can change.

Check for:

• Reimbursements issued.

• Reimbursements pending.

• Reimbursement reversals.

• Reimbursement amounts.

• Units covered by each reimbursement.

Don't assume that because Amazon marked something as reimbursed, the issue is fully resolved.

Check the amount and the status.

A reimbursement for one unit doesn't solve a discrepancy involving five units.

Step 3: Review Customer Returns

This is another area I wouldn't ignore.

A customer returns a product.

Amazon issues a refund.

But where is the product?

Was it returned to sellable inventory?

Was it marked as damaged?

Was it never received?

Review your returns and refund records.

Look for cases where a customer received a refund but the item was never returned or properly accounted for.

Not every refund qualifies for reimbursement. But unexplained discrepancies deserve a closer look.

Step 4: Check Your FBA Fees

Amazon fees can eat into your margins faster than a hungry teenager eats pizza.

Review your fulfillment fees and storage charges.

Compare the fees charged against the product's actual size and weight measurements.

Look for unexpected changes.

A small fee difference might not seem like much.

But multiply it by hundreds or thousands of orders, and suddenly you've got a problem.

Step 5: Investigate Missing Money

Once you find a discrepancy, gather your evidence.

I recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet with these columns:

Then review Amazon's current reimbursement policies and eligibility windows.

If an issue qualifies for action, use the appropriate Seller Central workflow to submit or follow up on the case.

Keep your records.

Keep your case IDs.

And don't assume one unanswered case means the money is gone forever. Check the case status and follow the proper escalation process.

🎯 How Often Should You Audit Your Amazon Account?

My recommendation?

Make it part of your regular business routine.

Here's a simple schedule:

• Weekly: Review major inventory discrepancies and reimbursement activity.

• Monthly: Check returns, fees, and outstanding reimbursement cases.

• Quarterly: Perform a deeper audit across your entire catalog.

And here's one important point:

Don't wait until the end of the year.

Amazon reimbursement eligibility and claim windows can have deadlines. The sooner you spot a problem, the better your chances of addressing it within the applicable timeframe.

Also, remember that Amazon's reimbursement policies change.

Always check the latest rules before submitting a claim.

💡 The Big Takeaway

Here's what I want you to remember.

Growing an Amazon business isn't only about increasing sales.

It's about protecting the money you already earned.

You can spend thousands of dollars trying to improve your conversion rate, lower your PPC costs, or launch another product.

Those things matter.

But don't overlook the money hiding in your existing operations.

Sometimes the easiest money to recover is money you already paid for.

And that's worth checking.

My rule is simple: Don't just track what comes in. Track what should have come in.

Because a dollar recovered is a dollar that doesn't need to be earned all over again.

💬 A saying I like: "Watch the pennies, and the profits will take care of themselves."

So here's my challenge:

Block out 30 minutes this week.

Open Seller Central.

Review your inventory, reimbursements, returns, and fees.

You might find nothing.

That's fine.

But you might find money you didn't know was missing.

And I'll take a little extra profit over another Amazon headache any day! 😉

Until next time, keep your inventory counted and your profits protected!

Andy Splichal
Founder & Managing Partner of True Online Presence & Author of the Make Each Click Count Book Series

P.S. If you're tired of wasting money on ads that don’t convert — and you're ready to take your Amazon PPC from “meh” to money machine — let’s chat. I offer done-for-you ad management that actually works (no fluff, just ROI).
📅 Click here to book a call with me — let’s scale this thing 🚀

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