Guide · April 2026 · 9 min read
Amazon India FBA Reimbursement Claim Guide:
Find and prepare eligible claims
Lost shipments, damaged FC inventory, customer returns that never come back, fee miscategorisations — none of these are proactively surfaced in your default Seller Central reports. Amazon's reimbursement policy sets which cases are eligible and the deadline for each claim type. This guide walks through how to identify potential cases, assemble supporting evidence and check eligibility before you file.
TL;DR · How to file an FBA reimbursement claim
- Detect the loss (Inventory Ledger, Returns Report, or a tool that scans daily)
- Compile evidence pack (shipment ID, dates, units, screenshots — see per-category checklist below)
- Open a case at Seller Central → Help → My Issues is About → Inventory → FBA Inventory
- Use the right claim category and paste the evidence pack with units + amount in INR
- Track the existing case and respond to requests for evidence. If rejected, follow Amazon's appeal instructions and provide relevant additional evidence; do not submit duplicate claims.
Skip the manual scan: Seller Wolf MoneyBack auto-detects all 5 categories daily →
Why Amazon India doesn't tell you about losses
Amazon's FBA infrastructure handles tens of millions of units a day across India. Some percentage of those units inevitably get lost, damaged, mis-routed, or held up. Amazon's internal accounting catches some of these (and proactively reimburses) but a meaningful slice slips through — usually because:
- Shipments lost in transit between your location and the FC don't trigger Amazon's loss-reconciliation flow until you raise a ticket.
- FC damage events are recorded by warehouse staff but the disposition (sellable / unsellable / written off) doesn't always match the inventory ledger entry.
- Customer returns that never make it back to the FC after the return window closes get auto-marked as "refund issued" but the unit is never re-added to your inventory.
- Fee miscategorisation — Amazon's automated dimensional system occasionally puts a standard-sized product in the oversize fee bucket, costing you ₹50-150/unit indefinitely.
None of this is malicious — it's the cost of operating at scale. Amazon reimburses some cases automatically; for others, reviewing your own records helps you spot potential cases and gather the evidence a claim needs.
The 5 categories of recoverable money
1. Lost shipment (in-transit losses)
Reimbursement: Determined by Amazon under the applicable policy; reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Units sent from your location to an FBA FC (e.g., Bhiwandi → Bengaluru) that never reach the warehouse. Common on long-haul routes during monsoon and festival season. Amazon's tracking shows 'in transit' indefinitely.
Evidence required
Shipment ID (e.g., FBA15ABCDEF), carrier name, tracking number, date shipped, units shipped, declared value.
Recommended ticket subject
Lost FBA shipment claim — Shipment ID FBA15ABCDEF — request reimbursement
2. Damaged at FC (warehouse handling damage)
Reimbursement: Determined by Amazon under the applicable policy; reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Amazon staff damaged units during handling, putaway, or pick. The unit is marked unsellable but reimbursement isn't always automatic. Look for inventory adjustments with reason code 'damaged_warehouse' in the FBA Inventory Adjustments report.
Evidence required
ASIN + FNSKU, units affected, disposition (sellable/unsellable), date of adjustment, your COGS per unit.
Recommended ticket subject
FC damage reimbursement claim — ASIN B0XXX — N units damaged on DD-MM-YYYY
3. Reimbursement gap (units shipped vs received)
Reimbursement: Determined by Amazon under the applicable policy; reimbursement is not guaranteed.
You ship 12 units to FBA. Amazon's system records receipt of 9. The 3-unit discrepancy isn't always auto-reconciled. Check your inventory ledger for closed shipments where 'units sent' > 'units received'.
Evidence required
Shipment ID, units sent (your record), units received (Amazon's record), shipment status 'Closed', date closed.
Recommended ticket subject
Inbound reimbursement gap — Shipment ID FBA15ABCDEF — N units short on receipt
4. Customer return never delivered back
Reimbursement: Determined by Amazon under the applicable policy; reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Customer initiated a return, Amazon refunded them. The return window expired but the unit never came back to the FC. A refunded order without a recorded return may warrant investigation; eligibility and reimbursement value depend on Amazon's applicable policy and any reimbursement already issued. Check your Returns Report for orders with refund issued + no inventory restocked entry past 60 days.
Evidence required
Order ID (e.g., 406-XXX-XXXXXXX), return RMA, refund amount paid, return window expiry date, customer return label tracking (if available).
Recommended ticket subject
Refund issued but item not returned — Order 406-XXX-XXXXXXX — claim refund recovery
5. Fee miscategorisation (oversize charged for standard)
Reimbursement: Determined by Amazon under the applicable policy; reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Amazon's dimensional system mis-measured your product and put it in the wrong FBA fee tier. The most common case: standard-size products charged at oversize rates. Look at the FBA Fee Preview report and compare against your actual dimensions.
Evidence required
ASIN, your measured dimensions (cm × cm × cm) and weight (g), Amazon's current fee tier, screenshot of fee preview, suggested correct tier.
Recommended ticket subject
FBA fee miscategorisation — ASIN B0XXX — request size tier reclassification + retroactive reimbursement
Why pay 0% commission instead of 15-30%
Two ways to recover this money — different math
Reimbursement service (commission-based)
Typically 15-30% commission. They scan, file claims, and take a slice of every recovered rupee — forever.
Recover ₹3,000 → keep ₹2,550 (at 15%) or ₹2,100 (at 30%)
Self-serve tool (subscription-based)
Subscription tools such as Seller Wolf MoneyBack (0% commission, India-tuned) identify potential cases for a fixed monthly cost. You file the ticket, and Amazon decides eligibility and amounts.
₹3,000 recovered − ₹1,999 subscription = ₹1,001 (before other features)
How to file: step-by-step Seller Central process
- Detect the loss. Pull these reports from Seller Central → Reports → Fulfillment Reports: Inventory Ledger, FBA Inventory Adjustments, FBA Customer Returns, FBA Reimbursements (existing). Compare against your shipped/received records.
- Compile evidence pack. Use the per-category checklist above. For each claim, you need 5-7 specific data points and ideally a screenshot of the relevant report row.
- Open the case. Seller Central → Help (top-right) → Get support → My Issue Is About → Selling on Amazon → FBA → choose the specific category (Inventory, Returns, Fee related, etc.).
- Paste the ticket. Use the subject line format suggested per category (above). In the body: list units, INR amount, key dates, and attach the screenshot. Stay factual — no emotional language.
- Track the claim.Keep the Case ID and follow the response, follow-up and appeal instructions shown in Seller Central. Processing times vary. Use Amazon's designated support channels and avoid duplicate cases.
- Track recovered amounts.Reimbursements show up in your settlement statement as "Reimbursement" line items. Match against your case IDs to confirm which claims paid out.
Five common mistakes that cost you reimbursements
Missing the claim window
Each claim type has its own eligibility window under the current Amazon.in policy, and some are short. Sellers who only audit at year-end can miss them. Check the applicable dates in Seller Central and review your records regularly.
Filing without complete evidence pack
Amazon's first response is usually 'we need more information.' Filing a thin claim wastes the first 7-14 days waiting for that response. Front-load the evidence: shipment ID, dates, units, INR amount, screenshot. Tools like Seller Wolf MoneyBack pre-compile this so it's a 2-min copy-paste.
Claiming the wrong category
If a unit was damaged at the FC during a customer return process, file it as 'FC damage' not 'returns gap.' Mis-categorised claims are often rejected.
Not following up on rejected claims
Review Amazon's decision and the applicable policy. Follow the appeal instructions when you have relevant additional evidence; do not submit duplicate claims.
Not auditing fee categories quarterly
Amazon may assign a product to a different fee tier when its measured dimensions differ from yours. A standard-size product moved to oversize costs ₹50-150 extra per unit per order. If you ship 200 units/month, that's ₹10K-30K leaking. Audit FBA Fee Preview report every quarter.
FAQs about Amazon India FBA reimbursements
How much money does the average Amazon India FBA seller leave on the table in unclaimed reimbursements?▾
It varies widely. Potential recoveries depend on your FBA volume, the records available for your account and Amazon's eligibility decisions. Many sellers have no eligible cases in a given month.
What types of FBA losses qualify for reimbursement on amazon.in?▾
Five major categories: (1) Lost shipments — units sent to an FC that never reach the warehouse. (2) Damaged at FC — Amazon staff damaged the unit during handling. (3) Reimbursement gap — you shipped 12 units to FC but Amazon's system only recorded receipt of 9. (4) Customer returns never delivered back — return window closed but the unit never came back to FBA. (5) Fee miscategorisation — Amazon charged you oversize FBA fees on a standard-size product. Each has its own ticket format and evidence requirement.
What is the deadline to file an Amazon India FBA reimbursement claim?▾
Claim windows depend on the claim type and the current Amazon.in policy. Check the applicable eligibility dates in Seller Central before filing; there is no single deadline covering every reimbursement category. Reviewing your records regularly helps you spot potential cases while they are still eligible.
What evidence does Amazon India require for an FBA reimbursement claim?▾
Depends on the claim type. For lost shipments: shipment ID, tracking number, date shipped, units shipped. For FC damage: ASIN, FNSKU, units affected, disposition (sellable/unsellable). For reimbursement gap: shipment ID + 'Received vs Shipped' from your inventory ledger showing the discrepancy. For returns not delivered: Order ID + return ID + RMA + return window expiry date. For fee miscategorisation: ASIN + your dimension/weight measurements + the fee category Amazon currently has it in. Tools that compile this automatically save you 30-60 minutes per claim.
Should I use a reimbursement service that takes 15-30% commission?▾
It depends on your time and costs. Commission-based recovery services typically charge 15-30% of what is recovered. Seller Wolf charges no recovery commission but has a monthly subscription. For example, at ₹3,000 recovered in a month and a ₹1,999 subscription, recovery less subscription cost is ₹1,001 before taxes, excluding the value of other features, while a 15% commission on ₹3,000 is ₹450. Compare total costs and services for your circumstances.
Why does Amazon India sometimes reject reimbursement claims?▾
Most common reasons: (a) the claim was filed after the eligibility window for that claim type, (b) evidence pack incomplete (missing shipment ID, missing dates), (c) a duplicate of a claim that was already decided, (d) wrong category — e.g., you filed under 'lost shipment' but it was actually a customer return that came back damaged. The rejection email is usually generic ('we have completed our investigation') so understand which category your claim falls under before filing.
How long does Amazon India take to process a reimbursement claim?▾
Typical turnaround: 7-21 days for routine claims (lost shipment, FC damage). 30-60 days for complex claims requiring an inventory audit (reimbursement gaps). Timing varies by claim type and case. Keep your evidence organised and respond to any requests for more information in the same case.
Related guides
Find potential reimbursement cases. Prepare your Seller Central ticket.
Seller Wolf MoneyBack reviews your available records daily, flags potential cases in the categories above and prepares supporting evidence. You review eligibility and file the ticket in Seller Central; Amazon decides eligibility and amounts. Seller Wolf charges no recovery commission.