Did you know that 99% of all Amazon sellers are owed money for missing inventory, damaged products, customer returns, and misclassified items?
Yet many Amazon FBA sellers may not realize the untapped potential lying within their accounts.
It’s time to unveil the secrets of Amazon’s FBA reimbursement policy and how you can get your money back.
At eAccountable, we just launched a brand new “Amazon Revenue Recovery” service powered by Seller Investigators, focused on getting our client’s money back through FBA refunds for this very reason.
We’ve created a guide to help direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses learn how to take advantage of seller reimbursement through their FBA account.
What is Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA)?
Most Amazon businesses sell through the Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) service versus Fulfilled By Merchant (FBM) for a few reasons. For one, Amazon handles all the storage, packing, and shipping for you, and you’re guaranteed the “Prime Shipping” checkmark, which ships your product in 1-2 days to customers. When you Fulfill By Merchant, you need to handle all the fulfillment yourself and you can only obtain “Prime Shipping” status through “Seller Fulfilled Prime,” which is very difficult to obtain. This is why, today, most sellers will tend to opt for FBA versus FBM.
What Are Amazon FBA Reimbursements?
Are you losing money that you’re not aware of through your FBA seller account?
For Amazon sellers utilizing the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service, the convenience of having Amazon handle storage, packing, and shipping comes with its own unique set of challenges.
Inventory management issues like damaged goods lost inventory, and customer returns are not uncommon and can lead to financial losses that sellers may not even be aware of.
Lucky for you, if any of your products have been lost or damaged in Amazon’s warehouse, Amazon will reimburse you for these losses.
The catch? Many of these losses are missed, and Amazon sellers are responsible for tracking and requesting these FBA refunds manually.
We’re not talking small potatoes either. Approximately 3% of sellers’ revenue could be lost because of this, leaving potentially huge sums of money missing and hurting your bottom line if you aren’t keeping a close eye on your inventory and requesting refunds.
4 Reasons Why Amazon Owes You Money
There are a few different reasons to make Amazon reimbursement claims that you might not be aware of.
That’s why it’s so important to leave no stone unturned. Here are all the reasons you can get an FBA refund from Amazon.
1. Lost Inventory
Amazon fulfillment centers are big. Very big.
The sheer size of these warehouses can be a double-edged sword. Products that mysteriously go missing in action can be a recurring headache for sellers, resulting in missed sales opportunities and potential damage to their seller accounts’ bottom line.
This is why you need to keep a close eye on any inventory adjustments in your Amazon account because they could be a sign of lost items. Remember, for every product missing, you are entitled to an FBA inventory reimbursement.
When we talk about missing inventory, we’re not just talking about lost items in the warehouse. This includes lost inbound shipments as well, as Amazon is responsible for any incoming shipments that are not returned to inventory.
2. Damaged Goods
Is your item sellable? Or unsellable?
When you trust Amazon with your inventory, they are responsible for keeping your products safe.
If your items are damaged and sold to customers, they can tarnish your reputation.
That’s why if any of your products have become damaged at the warehouse, destroyed without permission, or damaged by the carrier while inbound to the warehouse, you can submit a reimbursement report for compensation.
3. Customer Returns
Customer returns are always a part of the e-commerce journey, but managing them efficiently is an art.
When returns result in discrepancies or issues, it can lead to financial losses that Amazon FBA sellers might not even be aware of.
How does it work? When customers request a return, Amazon will usually refund them immediately, regardless of whether they actually received the returned item. As a seller, you’ll receive a confirmation of the refund and a second one after the item has arrived back at the Amazon warehouse.
The rule generally goes that if it has been more than 45 days since the customer initiated the return and Amazon hasn’t refunded your items, you need to submit an FBA reimbursement claim.
4. FBA Fee Overcharges
Want to know another way Amazon can owe you money?
They’re overcharging you for your FBA fee.
Here are some common scenarios where that can happen and how you can easily correct them for a refund:
- Weight and Dimension Errors: Amazon will sometimes miscalculate the weight or dimensions of the seller’s products, resulting in your item being classified as oversized. This results in overcharges in storage and shipping fees. You are entitled to an Amazon FBA refund for any past item that has been misclassified and overaged.
- Storage Fee Errors: Amazon charges storage fees for products that remain in their fulfillment centers for extended periods. If there are mistakes in calculating the amount of time your products have been in storage, you can contact seller support for reimbursement.
Introducing eAccountable’s FBA Reimbursement Service
As you can probably imagine, manually tracking and submitting reimbursement claims for every missing, damaged, returned, and incorrectly classified item can be very time-consuming if you’re doing it all yourself.
In fact, Amazon counts on most sellers not having the bandwidth to do it manually.
That’s why we started an Amazon reimbursement service so you don’t have to. eAccountable’s “Amazon Revenue Recovery” service, powered by Seller Investigators, is designed to reclaim lost FBA funds so you don’t have to.
Here’s a little bit about our service:
- Accessible to All Amazon Sellers: Whether you’re already an eAccountable client or discovering our services for the first time, the Amazon Revenue Recovery service is available to anyone selling on Amazon. It’s a standalone service, and you don’t need to subscribe to any of our other services to benefit from it.
- No Monthly Fees – Ever: There are no recurring costs here. Our fee is entirely commission-based – we charge 25% of recovered revenue for our service. It’s a win-win solution for your business, ensuring you only pay for money that you would have never received otherwise. Plus, it incentivizes us to recover as much revenue for your business as possible.
- Continuous Service: Our dedication to your success is unwavering. The Amazon Revenue Recovery service will keep running unless you choose to stop it. It’s a continuous effort to ensure you’re not missing out on any potential reimbursements.
- Seamless Onboarding Process: Signing up for the Amazon Revenue Recovery service is easy. Head to the “Services” dropdown on our website, and you’ll find the dedicated link to kickstart your journey to recovering lost revenue: Amazon Revenue Recovery. One of our team members will schedule an onboarding call where they’ll guide you through the setup process and Amazon permissions necessary to facilitate the recovery process. You’ll get access to your own personalized dashboard that provides a comprehensive overview of all open cases, the revenue recovered, and the cost owed for the service.
Types of Amazon FBA Issues Covered:
Here are the specific types of issues we can get you an FBA refund for:
- Lost and Damaged Units:
- Damaged inventory at Amazon’s warehouse
- Destroyed item without permission
- Lost inventory at Amazon’s warehouse
- Carrier-damaged inbound shipments in transit
- Lost and Inbound Shipments:
- Lesser reimbursement for quantity
- Insufficient reimbursement value
- Chargeback issued without refund
- Failure to return items to inventory
- FBA Fee Overages:
- Correct inaccurate weights and dimensions
- Reimbursement for past overages
- Customer Returns:
- Item not returned
- The item returned outside of the return window
- Different item returned
Why Choose Amazon Revenue Recovery by eAccountable?
So, why choose us over another FBA reimbursement service? There are a few reasons why:
- Amazon Seller Central Expertise: Navigating the intricate landscape of your Seller Central account is second nature to our team. We understand the nuances, ensuring that your reimbursement claims are strategically crafted and submitted for optimal success.
- Proactive Approach to Maximizing Reimbursements: Beyond submitting claims, we actively track the reimbursement process to ensure that you receive the maximum amount owed to your business. Our proactive approach sets us apart by maximizing your financial recovery.
- Thorough Analysis and Reporting: Our experts conduct a comprehensive analysis of your seller account and inventory reports. We provide detailed reports outlining potential reimbursement opportunities, keeping you informed every step of the way.
Sign Up For Amazon Revenue Recovery
When you’re competitively selling on Amazon, you can’t afford to lose any revenue streams. And you especially can’t afford to leave money on the table.
When you partner with eAccountable, we can get you back the money you’re entitled to from Amazon and then some. Interested in learning more? Click here to start your reimbursement journey with a free consultation.