Overview

Once your Amazon seller account is live and products are listed, managing orders and payments becomes the core of your daily operations. This Seller Central reference page covers the essential workflows every seller must understand — from locating and fulfilling orders, to confirming shipments, handling refunds, and understanding when and how you get paid. Mastering these fundamentals is critical for maintaining strong account health and ensuring smooth cash flow.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Order management is centralized in Seller Central — All incoming orders can be viewed and managed through the Manage Orders tool, giving sellers a single dashboard for tracking order status, buyer details, and fulfillment requirements.
• Shipment confirmation is mandatory — Amazon requires sellers to confirm shipment for every order. Failing to do so within 30 days results in automatic cancellation, meaning you won't get paid even if the item was already shipped.
• Refund fees are only partially returned — When you issue a buyer refund, Amazon determines how much of the original order-related fees to credit back based on the product line and order amount. Sellers do not receive a full fee reimbursement.
• Payment timing follows a settlement cycle — Funds are not available instantly. Amazon processes payments on a regular settlement schedule, and sellers must have valid bank account information on file before disbursements can occur.
• Professional sellers get additional tools — Sellers on the Professional selling plan can download order reports and use feeds to confirm multiple shipments in bulk, streamlining operations at scale.

Finding and Managing Your Orders

All seller-fulfilled orders appear in the Manage Orders section of Seller Central, accessible from the Orders menu. This tool displays each order's status, buyer shipping address, items purchased, and expected ship date. For sellers on the Professional plan, downloadable order reports provide a spreadsheet-friendly format that is especially useful for high-volume operations. These reports can be generated on demand or scheduled, allowing sellers to integrate order data into their own tracking systems or third-party software. Staying on top of incoming orders and processing them promptly is one of the most direct ways to maintain strong seller metrics.