An A-to-Z Guarantee claim is raised by a buyer against you, so it is not the route for lost FBA stock. For lost or damaged inventory, reconcile your inventory ledger, adjustments and reimbursement reports in Seller Central, identify units Amazon has not compensated, and raise a case with shipment IDs, invoices and proof of value. Confirm current time limits in Seller Central Help.
A-to-Z claim vs FBA lost inventory reimbursement
The search term mixes two different things, and using the wrong one wastes time.
- A-to-Z Guarantee claim: raised by a buyer when an order has a problem, such as non-delivery or an item not as described. It is a claim against the seller, and Amazon decides whether to refund the buyer and, depending on the case, whether to charge it back to you.
- FBA inventory reimbursement: a claim you raise when stock you sent to an Amazon fulfilment centre is lost, damaged by Amazon, or short-received. This is what you need for lost inventory.
If a buyer has filed an A-to-Z claim on an FBA order, check the order status and the fulfilment details first. Whether the loss sits with the seller or with Amazon's fulfilment depends on what actually happened, and Amazon's policy on this changes. Read the current wording in Seller Central Help and your seller agreement.
Situations where you may have a reimbursement case
Typical situations worth checking are listed below. Eligibility, definitions and time limits are set by Amazon, so confirm the latest terms before filing.
- Inbound shortage: you shipped more units than Amazon shows as received at the fulfilment centre.
- Lost in the fulfilment centre: units appear in your inventory history as lost but have no matching reimbursement.
- Damaged by Amazon: units marked damaged during handling or storage.
- Customer returns not accounted for: a refund was issued but the returned unit never came back to sellable stock or was not properly recorded.
- Removal order shortfall: you asked Amazon to return or dispose of stock and the quantity received or recorded does not match.
Pull the data before you open a case
Cases fail mostly because of vague evidence. Download the following from Seller Central for the period you are checking. Report names can differ by account, so look under the Reports section for inventory, returns, payments and reimbursement.
- Inventory ledger or inventory adjustment history by SKU
- Reimbursement history showing what Amazon has already paid
- Inbound shipment details with shipped and received quantities
- Returns and refund reports by order ID
- Removal order reports
- Your purchase invoices or cost records for each affected SKU
Match each lost, damaged or short-received unit against reimbursements already credited. The units left over are your potential claim list. Check the FNSKU and SKU carefully, because reimbursements are sometimes made against a different identifier.
Steps to raise the claim
- Confirm the window. Check the current time limit for the type of loss in Seller Central Help. Do not assume an older figure.
- Group by cause. Keep inbound shortages, lost units and customer-return issues in separate cases, with one shipment or order reference per case where possible.
- Open a case through Seller Support. Use the support or case option in Seller Central and select the inventory or reimbursement category.
- State the facts. Give SKU, FNSKU, ASIN, shipment ID or order ID, units shipped, units received or reimbursed, and the shortfall.
- Attach proof. Add purchase invoices, shipment documents and screenshots of the relevant ledger entries. For items where value is disputed, add proof of cost or selling price.
- Follow up in the same case thread. Do not open duplicates. Note the case ID and date in your tracker.
- Verify the credit. When Amazon approves, find the reimbursement in your payment or reimbursement report and tie it to the case.
Check the reimbursement value, not just the approval
An approved case can still be under-compensated. Compare the per-unit amount Amazon credited with your own records of cost and selling price, and with the valuation basis described in Amazon's current policy. If the amount looks low, reply in the case with your evidence and ask for a review.
Also record how the reimbursement is treated in your books. GST and other tax treatment of marketplace reimbursements should be confirmed with your tax adviser, since it depends on how the credit is characterised.
Make it a monthly routine
Lost-stock claims are easy to miss because each one is small and the data sits in several reports. A monthly check works better than a yearly clean-up: reconcile inbound shipments after they close, review the adjustment history, and compare it with reimbursements received.
MarketplaceMetrics by Fundle reconciles marketplace sales and settlements, checks fees against agreed terms, and tracks returns and recovery cases. Myntra Excel reports are reviewed today, while Amazon coverage is a scope discussion, so ask what is supported for your account. Pricing is a tailored quote. Whether you use a tool or a spreadsheet, keep one tracker with case ID, SKU, units, amount claimed, amount received and status.
Worked example
Illustrative example only. Figures are not real rates or results.
A brand sends 200 units of one SKU to an FBA centre in an inbound shipment. Seller Central shows 188 received, and no reimbursement has been credited for the difference. Separately, the adjustment history shows 6 units lost in the fulfilment centre, of which 2 were reimbursed.
| Item | Units | Illustrative value at ₹450 per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound shortage (200 shipped, 188 received) | 12 | ₹5,400 |
| Lost in centre, not reimbursed (6 lost, 2 paid) | 4 | ₹1,800 |
| Total to raise | 16 | ₹7,200 |
The brand raises two cases, one per cause, attaching the shipment details, purchase invoice and ledger screenshots. The actual per-unit credit will follow Amazon's own valuation, so the final amount may differ from ₹450.
Questions and answers
Can I file an A-to-Z claim for my own lost FBA inventory?
No. An A-to-Z Guarantee claim is filed by a buyer against a seller for an order problem. For stock lost or damaged in Amazon's fulfilment network, raise a reimbursement case through Seller Support with your shipment and inventory evidence.
How long do I have to claim lost FBA inventory?
Amazon sets time limits by type of loss, and they can change. Check the current rules in Seller Central Help before filing, and review your inventory regularly so older discrepancies are not missed.
What documents should I attach to a reimbursement case?
Attach shipment IDs, inbound received-versus-shipped details, inventory ledger screenshots, purchase invoices showing cost, and order or return IDs where relevant. Clear SKU and FNSKU references help the case handler verify the shortfall quickly.
What if Amazon rejects or under-pays my claim?
Reply in the same case with additional evidence, such as invoices and ledger entries, and ask for a review of the valuation or decision. Keep the case ID and dates, and avoid opening duplicate cases for the same units.