FBA margin guides

FBA Inbound Shipment Missing Units: How to Find Them and Get Paid

You packed 100 units, labeled every box, and watched the tracking show delivered. Then the shipment closes and Amazon says it received 94. Those six units are real money, and unless you go looking, most of the time nobody tells you they're gone.

Why units go missing on the way in

• Miscounts at receiving. Units get scanned wrong, counted short, or checked in under the wrong SKU.
• Boxes that never get scanned. A carton sits in a corner of the fulfillment center and never makes it into your inventory.
• Carrier losses. A box goes missing between your door and Amazon's dock.
• Your own count was off. It happens. That's why good records matter as much as the claim itself.

Don't file too early

Receiving can take a while, especially when Amazon splits a shipment across several warehouses. Units that look missing today often show up a week or two later. Wait until the shipment is marked closed or receiving has clearly stopped, then compare. Just don't wait too long, because inbound claims have a limited window. Check Seller Central for the current deadline.

How to check your shipments

1. In Seller Central, open your shipping queue and go through your recent shipments one by one.
2. For each shipment, compare units shipped against units received.
3. Look past the total and down to the SKU level. A shipment can match in total while one SKU is short and another is over.
4. Write down every SKU with a gap, plus the shipment ID.

Evidence Amazon usually asks for

• Proof of delivery from the carrier: tracking numbers for small parcel, or a signed delivery receipt for freight.
• Supplier invoice showing you actually bought the units.
• Your packing list or box contents showing how many units went in each carton.

Having these ready before you open a case is the difference between a quick approval and a back-and-forth that drags on.

When the claim gets denied

Denials like "discrepancy resolved" or "insufficient evidence" are common, and often wrong. A short, factual reply that lists the shipment ID, the SKU, the exact gap, and the evidence you're attaching usually does better than opening a brand new case.