Guide
Amazon Lost Your Inventory? How to File an FBA Claim
You shipped 100 units, Seller Central shows 92, and nothing is selling out of thin air. Inventory going missing inside Amazon's network is routine — warehouses misplace bins, units get mis-scanned, shipments get received short. Amazon's policy is to reimburse you when it's at fault, but the process only works if you can show exactly what disappeared. Here's how to confirm a loss, build the evidence, and file a claim that gets paid.
First, confirm it's actually lost
Not every missing unit is lost. Before filing anything, rule out the boring explanations: units still in receiving at the fulfillment center, inventory placed in reserved status (pending orders, FC transfers, or investigations), and recent removal orders. Check Inventory → FBA Inventory for reserved quantities, and give an inbound shipment time to finish receiving — large shipments are often received in waves days apart. A unit sitting in an FC transfer isn't lost, and claiming it just burns a support case. What you're looking for is inventory that has stayed missing after the dust settles, or an explicit 'lost' adjustment in your reports.
The two flavors of lost inventory
Losses come in two shapes with different evidence trails. Warehouse losses happen after Amazon has your stock: the Inventory Adjustments report logs these with a reason code indicating a lost or misplaced event, and each should be matched by a reimbursement or a 'found' correction. Inbound shipment losses happen in transit or at receiving: the shipment's contents show units shipped versus units located, and the discrepancy is your claim. Amazon runs its own reconciliation on inbound shipments and often asks you to wait until the shipment is eligible for investigation before claiming — but eligible-and-unclaimed money doesn't pay itself out. You have to ask.
Gather the evidence before you open the case
A claim stands or falls on specifics. For a warehouse loss: the FNSKU and SKU, the adjustment date, the quantity, and the fulfillment center code, all straight from the Inventory Adjustments report — plus a screenshot or export of the Reimbursements report showing no matching credit. For an inbound loss: the shipment ID, the carrier and tracking, units shipped per SKU versus units received, and — this is the one sellers skip — proof of what you sent, ideally a supplier invoice showing you purchased at least the quantity shipped. Amazon frequently requests invoices on inbound claims, and having one attached up front skips a week of back-and-forth.
File the claim: where and what to say
Go to Seller Central → Help → Get Support and open a case under the FBA issue path — 'inventory missing' or the shipment-reconciliation flow for inbound discrepancies. Write it like a claim, not a complaint: what happened, the identifiers, the quantity, and the request. Something like: 'Shipment FBA15XXXXXXX shows 24 units shipped, 17 received for FNSKU X0XXXXXXXX. The reconciliation window has passed. Please investigate and reimburse the 7-unit discrepancy. Supplier invoice attached.' No backstory, no frustration, one issue per case. Support agents process hundreds of these; the easy-to-verify claim is the one that gets approved on the first pass.
What happens next, and when to push back
Typical outcomes: Amazon finds the units and returns them to your inventory, or it reimburses you based on its estimate of your product's value — which under current policy is generally tied to your product's sourcing or manufacturing cost for lost stock, not your retail price. Expect an initial response within a few days. If the case is denied with boilerplate but your numbers are right, reply once, restate the discrepancy in two sentences, and reattach the evidence. Persistence pays disproportionately here. And file promptly: claim windows for lost inventory are short now, and a valid claim filed late is worth exactly zero.
Stop finding losses by accident
The sellers who get reimbursed are simply the ones who look. A monthly pass over the Inventory Adjustments report, inbound reconciliations, and the Reimbursements report will surface every claimable loss while it's still inside the window. It's honest but tedious work — matching adjustment lines to credit lines across thousands of rows. RefundFox automates exactly this: it scans your reports, nets every loss against every reimbursement, and hands you the claim text with the SKU, quantity, and fulfillment center filled in. Flat monthly fee, you keep the whole recovery. We're in early access — join the waitlist to get an invite.
Stop leaving FBA money on the table
RefundFox scans your own Amazon reports, flags every unreimbursed unit, and writes the claim text — for a flat monthly fee, not a 25% cut. We're in early access.
Join the waitlist →Frequently asked
How do I know if Amazon lost my FBA inventory?
Check the Inventory Adjustments report for lost or misplaced reason codes, and compare inbound shipments' units shipped versus received. If missing units aren't in reserved status and never got a 'found' correction or reimbursement, they're claimable.
How much does Amazon reimburse for lost FBA inventory?
Amazon reimburses based on its valuation of the unit — under current policy generally tied to your sourcing or manufacturing cost for lost stock rather than your sale price. You can dispute the amount with evidence if it's clearly low.
Do I need an invoice to file a lost-inventory claim?
For inbound shipment discrepancies, Amazon often requests a supplier invoice proving the quantity you shipped. Attaching it when you open the case avoids a round-trip and speeds up the payout.