Overview

Amazon is revamping its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) reimbursement workflow, launching an automatic claim engine that will credit sellers for lost, damaged, or qualifying return inventory without any manual request. The change goes live this month and is accompanied by dramatically shortened windows for any claims that still require seller‑initiated filing. Sellers who rely on reimbursements must understand both the new automatic triggers and the tighter deadlines to avoid losing eligible funds.

Key Points

• Automatic loss & damage payouts — Amazon will now issue reimbursements the moment an item is classified as lost or damaged inside a fulfillment center, removing the need for sellers to submit individual claims.
• Expanded return coverage — Eligible customer‑return cases, including refunds and replacements, will be processed automatically, appearing in the standard reimbursement report.
• Compressed manual claim windows — The timeframe for filing manual claims has been reduced across all categories, with the shortest window set at 15 days for certain removal cases.
• Removal claims stay manual — Items lost during the removal process still require sellers to file a claim, but the filing period now ranges from 15 to 75 days depending on the shipment stage.
• Third‑party tools must adapt — Reimbursement services and software that previously auto‑file claims need to update their logic to respect the new minimum and maximum filing dates, or risk outright rejections.

How Automatic Reimbursements Work

1. Loss detection — When the fulfillment center’s inventory system flags a SKU as missing, Amazon instantly generates a reimbursement entry. Example: A seller’s “Blue Cotton T‑Shirt, size M” disappears from the inbound inventory audit; the system creates a $12.99 credit within 24 hours.
2. Damage identification — If a warehouse employee records damage during handling, the platform adds a corresponding reimbursement to the seller’s account. Example: Ten units of “Ceramic Mug – Red” are marked as broken; the seller receives a $8.50 per‑unit credit automatically.