Why Reconciliation Matters
When you send inventory to Amazon, you trust that they receive, count, and store it correctly. Most of the time they do. But errors happen — units go missing during receiving, get damaged in the warehouse, are miscounted during check-in, or disappear without explanation. If you do not check, you never know you are owed money. Regular reconciliation catches discrepancies that add up to meaningful amounts over time.
How to Check Shipment Receiving
After your shipment shows as "Closed" or "Checked In" in Seller Central, compare the quantity received against the quantity you sent. The shipment details page shows "Shipped" versus "Received" for each product. Any difference is a discrepancy worth investigating. Small differences (one or two units) are common and often resolve themselves within a few days as Amazon processes the shipment fully.
If the discrepancy persists after the shipment has been fully received and a few days have passed, open a case with Seller Support. Provide the shipment ID, the specific SKUs with discrepancies, and the quantities you shipped. Amazon will investigate and either locate the missing units or reimburse you.
Ongoing Inventory Adjustments
Amazon makes inventory adjustments for various reasons — units found damaged in the warehouse, units lost during fulfilment, customer returns credited but not yet received back. You can view these adjustments in the Inventory Adjustments report in Seller Central. Review this regularly and look for patterns — are certain products experiencing more losses than expected?
When Amazon Owes You Money
Amazon should automatically reimburse you for inventory they lose or damage in their fulfilment centres. But sometimes automatic reimbursements are missed or delayed. Check your reimbursement reports against your known losses. If Amazon lost inventory but you do not see a corresponding reimbursement after a reasonable period (typically 30 days), file a manual claim.
Customer Return Reconciliation
When customers return products, Amazon should either return the item to your sellable inventory or reimburse you if it is unsellable. Sometimes returned items fall into a gap — the customer was refunded but the inventory was not returned to your account or reimbursed. The Customer Returns report shows all returns, and cross-referencing this with your inventory adjustments reveals whether Amazon handled each return correctly.
Building a Reconciliation Routine
Set a monthly reminder to review shipment receiving reports, inventory adjustment reports, and reimbursement reports. Keep records of your shipments (what you sent, tracking numbers, quantities) so you can prove discrepancies when they occur. Over a year, catching and claiming for lost inventory can recover hundreds or thousands of pounds that would otherwise quietly disappear from your business.