Amazon loses and damages FBA inventory, like any large warehouse network. Most of it is now reimbursed automatically, which is why sellers stop checking. The cases that slip through, such as returns that never came back, short inbound shipments or lost removals, only get paid if you find them and file in time.
These 13 prompts turn Seller Central reports into a claims list: which units, why, how much and by when. Pull the report named in each prompt, paste the rows or attach the file, and let the model do the matching, one month at a time for large reports.
Check the output before you open a case. Models can mis-join rows, and a claim for units already found or reimbursed gets denied. Run the audit monthly; the windows are short enough that a quarterly review misses money.
How FBA reimbursement works now
Three changes shape every claim. Since November 2024 in the US, Amazon reimburses most units lost or damaged in its fulfillment centers, and most customer return cases, without a claim. In October 2024 it shortened manual claim windows to roughly 60 days for most types. And since March 10, 2025, units lost or damaged before a customer order are reimbursed at your manufacturing cost, meaning what you paid to source or make the item, excluding shipping, handling and duties. If you have not entered that cost, Amazon uses its own estimate. Units lost after a customer order are still reimbursed at the sale price minus applicable fees.
Amazon can also reverse a reimbursement if the unit is found later or the payment was made in error.
Claim type
Manual claim window, as announced in October 2024
Reports to check
Lost or damaged in a fulfillment center
Within 60 days after the unit was reported lost or damaged
Inventory Ledger (detailed view), Reimbursements
Customer refunded, item not returned
Between 60 and 120 days after the refund or replacement date
Refunds in your transaction data, FBA Customer Returns, Reimbursements
Removal order lost in transit
15 to 75 days from the removal shipment creation date
Removal Shipment Detail
Other removal issues
Within 60 days of the shipment being delivered back to you
Removal Order Detail, Removal Shipment Detail
Inbound shipment discrepancy
Shown in the shipment's reconciliation workflow; this window has changed more than once
Shipment contents and receiving data
Windows, valuation and automation differ by marketplace and keep changing. Before you build a claims calendar, read the current FBA inventory reimbursement policy in Seller Central Help and check the dates shown in the claim form itself. The prompts below ask you to paste the current window instead of relying on this table.
Pull the reports you need
Most sit under Reports > Fulfillment in Seller Central; menus move occasionally, so search by name if one is missing.
Inventory Ledger, detailed view: one row per event with Date, FNSKU, ASIN, MSKU, Event Type, Reference ID, Quantity, Fulfillment Center, Disposition and Reason.
Act as an FBA inventory reconciliation analyst. Here is the Inventory Ledger summary view for [date range], by FNSKU and disposition: [paste report or attach file]. Movements are signed, so outbound events are negative. Check that starting balance plus movements equals ending balance per FNSKU, and list FNSKUs where Lost, Damaged or Unknown Events are not zero. Output a table sorted by net units lost (Lost plus Damaged minus Found) with columns FNSKU, MSKU, lost, damaged, found, unknown events and the detailed-view events I should pull next. Flag FNSKUs where Found exceeds Lost, because those can lead to reversals.
Why: The summary view tells you where to look before you drown in detailed rows.
Reconcile units lost and damaged in fulfillment centers
Prompt 2 · Reconcile units lost and damaged in fulfillment centersChatGPT Claude
Act as an FBA claims auditor. Here is the Inventory Ledger detailed view, Event Type Adjustments, for the last [90] days: [paste rows with Date, FNSKU, MSKU, Event Type, Reference ID, Quantity, Fulfillment Center, Disposition, Reason]. Here is the Reimbursements report for the same period plus 30 days: [paste rows]. Use this reason-code legend: [paste the code legend from the Inventory Ledger help page]. Match each negative adjustment (lost or damaged) to later found adjustments for the same FNSKU, then to reimbursements with reason Lost_Warehouse or Damaged_Warehouse. Output only units still lost or damaged, not found and not reimbursed, with event date, reference ID, quantity and days left in the claim window of [paste current window]. Today is [date].
Tip: Lost and found events often come in pairs, sometimes weeks apart. A found unit is not claimable, so give the pair time to settle, but not past the window.
Prompt 3 · Reconcile units lost and damaged in fulfillment centersChatGPT Claude
Act as an FBA policy analyst. From the Inventory Ledger detailed view [paste rows where Disposition changed], group units by disposition (for example warehouse damaged, carrier damaged, distributor damaged, customer damaged, defective). Using this excerpt of the FBA inventory reimbursement policy [paste the relevant section from Seller Central Help], tell me which dispositions the policy treats as Amazon's responsibility and which it does not. Output a table: FNSKU, units, disposition, eligible yes or no, the policy sentence that decides it, and whether a reimbursement already appears in [paste matching Reimbursements rows].
Why: Pasting the policy text stops the model answering from memory of older rules.
Prompt 4 · Reconcile units lost and damaged in fulfillment centersChatGPT Claude
Act as a reimbursement auditor. From the Reimbursements report [paste rows], list every reimbursement where quantity-reimbursed-inventory is greater than zero, meaning Amazon replaced the unit instead of paying cash, and every row with reason Reimbursement_Reversal, matched to its original-reimbursement-id. For each reversal, find the event in the Inventory Ledger detailed view [paste rows for those FNSKUs] that most likely triggered it, such as a found unit or a customer return, and flag reversals with no visible trigger so I can ask Amazon to explain them.
Catch customer returns that never came back
When a buyer is refunded for an FBA order, Amazon expects the item back. If it never arrives, or a different item comes back, you are usually owed a reimbursement. Automation handles most of these but not all, and the manual window opens only 60 days after the refund. To reduce the returns themselves, see our returns and refunds prompts.
Prompt 5 · Catch customer returns that never came backChatGPT Claude
Act as an FBA returns auditor. Here are refunds and replacements from my transaction data for [date range]: [paste rows: date, order ID, SKU, quantity, amount]. Here is the FBA Customer Returns report for the same range plus 60 days: [paste rows: return-date, order-id, sku, quantity, detailed-disposition, reason, status]. Here is the Reimbursements report: [paste rows with reason CustomerReturn or CustomerServiceIssue]. For each refunded order and SKU, check whether a return was received and whether a reimbursement was paid. Output a table of refunded units with no return and no reimbursement, showing refund date, the date the claim window opens and closes based on [paste current window], and a status: too early, claimable now, or closing within 14 days. Today is [date].
Prompt 6 · Catch customer returns that never came backChatGPT Claude
Act as a returns quality analyst. From the FBA Customer Returns report [paste rows], list returns that may point to money Amazon owes me: a different product came back than was ordered, the unit was damaged in the fulfillment center rather than by the customer, or the return was received but never went back to sellable inventory or into a reimbursement. Group by SKU and reason, say which cases look worth a claim, and list the evidence each needs (order ID, license plate number, photos if the unit came back on a removal). Keep customer damaged and defective returns in a separate list for me to check against the policy before claiming.
Check inbound shipments and removal orders
Prompt 7 · Check inbound shipments and removal ordersChatGPT Claude
Act as an inbound logistics auditor. For shipment [shipment ID], here are the shipped and received quantities from the shipment's contents page [paste rows: MSKU, FNSKU, units shipped, units received], proof of delivery [carrier, tracking or bill of lading, delivery date, number of cartons or pallets] and my supplier packing list [paste]. Show discrepancies per FNSKU, split into units possibly still in receiving and confirmed shortages. For each shortage, list what evidence I have and what is missing: proof of delivery, carton-level contents, an invoice showing I owned the units.
Tip: Inbound claims depend on paperwork created before the shipment leaves: carton contents, box labels, proof of delivery.
Prompt 8 · Check inbound shipments and removal ordersChatGPT Claude
Act as a removals auditor. Here is the Removal Order Detail report [paste: request-date, order-id, order-type, order-status, sku, fnsku, requested-quantity, shipped-quantity, disposed-quantity, cancelled-quantity], the Removal Shipment Detail report [paste: shipment-date, order-id, sku, shipped-quantity, carrier, tracking-number] and my receiving log [paste: date, tracking number, SKU, units received, condition]. Find removal orders where shipped quantity is below requested without a disposal or cancellation, shipments with no delivery in my log, and units that arrived damaged. For each, give the claim type, the date that starts its window and the deadline based on these current windows: [paste from the Help page].
Why: Amazon said removal claims stay manual, so nobody files them for you. If removals are a regular part of your month, our inventory and logistics planning prompts help you need fewer of them.
Check what Amazon paid you
A reimbursement is not always the right amount. For pre-order losses the value comes from the manufacturing cost you entered or from Amazon's estimate, so compare it with your invoices.
Act as an Amazon finance analyst. Here are my reimbursements for losses before a customer order [paste Reimbursements rows with reason Lost_Warehouse, Damaged_Warehouse or Lost_Inbound: approval-date, sku, quantity-reimbursed-cash, amount-per-unit] and my unit costs from supplier invoices [paste: SKU, unit cost, invoice date, currency]. Compare amount-per-unit with my unit cost, excluding shipping, duties and handling as the policy does. List SKUs where Amazon paid less than my documented cost by more than [threshold, for example 10%], with the total shortfall, and list SKUs that have reimbursements but no manufacturing cost entered by me [paste the SKUs where you have entered a cost].
Tip: Enter manufacturing costs for your SKUs in Seller Central before losses happen, and keep the invoices that support them. Review the shortfall list yourself before disputing anything; currency and pack-size mismatches are common.
Act as an FBA fee auditor. Here is the Fee Preview report [paste: sku, asin, longest-side, median-side, shortest-side, item-package-weight, product-size-tier, expected-fulfillment-fee-per-unit] and my own measured packaged dimensions and weights [paste: SKU, length, width, height, weight]. Flag SKUs where Amazon's measurements put the item in a larger size tier or heavier weight band than mine, and estimate the overcharge per unit using [paste the current FBA fulfillment fee table for those tiers]. Rank by monthly overcharge using [paste units shipped per SKU], and list the evidence a fee dispute needs, such as photos of the packaged item on a scale and against a tape measure.
Write the claim and keep it moving
Prompt 11 · Write the claim and keep it movingChatGPT Claude
Act as an FBA reimbursement case writer. Write a manual claim: claim type [type], FNSKU and MSKU [IDs], units [number], key dates [event, refund or shipment date], reference IDs [ledger reference ID, order ID, shipment ID or removal order ID], what I already checked [for example no found event, no reimbursement, no return received] and the evidence attached [list]. Keep it under 150 words, factual, in this order: what happened, what the records show, what I am asking for. No threats and no speculation about why it happened.
Why: Short claims built around IDs are easy to verify.
Prompt 12 · Write the claim and keep it movingChatGPT Claude
Act as an escalation specialist for Amazon seller support. My claim was denied or only partly paid. Here is my claim [paste], Amazon's reply [paste] and the records [paste the relevant ledger and reimbursement rows]. Explain what the reply decided and why, whether my records contradict it, and draft a short reply citing the row, date or ID that answers their reason. If my records support Amazon's decision, say so and tell me to drop the case.
Prompt 13 · Write the claim and keep it movingChatGPT Claude
Act as an FBA operations planner. Turn all open items from my audits [paste the outputs from the earlier prompts] into one claims calendar with columns: case, claim type, earliest file date, last file date, estimated amount, evidence status and owner. Sort by last file date. Then propose a monthly routine: which reports to pull and on which day, for a catalog of [number] active SKUs.
FAQ
How long do I have to file an FBA reimbursement claim?
Under the windows Amazon announced in October 2024, it is generally 60 days after a unit is reported lost or damaged in a fulfillment center, and between 60 and 120 days after the refund for customer returns that never came back. Removal and inbound claims have their own windows; check the current policy in Seller Central Help.
Does Amazon reimburse lost FBA inventory automatically?
In the US, since November 2024, Amazon reimburses most units lost or damaged in its fulfillment centers and most customer return cases without a claim. It misses some cases and removal claims stay manual, so reconcile the Inventory Ledger against the Reimbursements report monthly.
How much does Amazon reimburse for lost or damaged FBA inventory?
Since March 10, 2025, units lost or damaged before a customer order are reimbursed at your manufacturing cost, excluding shipping, handling and duties, or at Amazon's estimate if you have not entered one. Units lost after a customer order are reimbursed at the sale price minus applicable fees.
Where do I find the FBA reimbursements report?
In Seller Central under Reports, in the Fulfillment reports, listed as Reimbursements. It shows each reimbursement with its reason, SKU, quantity, amount and any related case or order ID.
Why did Amazon reverse my FBA reimbursement?
Usually because the unit was found, the customer returned the item, or the payment was made in error. Match each reversal to its original reimbursement ID and the ledger events for that FNSKU.
DB
David Brooks
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