How To Get Reimbursed From Amazon - 3 Life-saving Hacks For FBA Sellers

How To Get Reimbursed From Amazon? 3 Life-saving Hacks for FBA Sellers

Hi! I appreciate you stopping by my blog.

My name is Vova Even, and I have been an active Amazon seller since 2016. 

Along with expanding my business, I've helped many novices become seasoned sellers.

I also share tutorials, hacks, and trade secrets on YouTube and Udemy.

My goal is to help new and advanced Amazon FBA sellers save more money while growing consistently.

While selling on Amazon, there's a high chance of all sorts of transactional issues.

From Amazon losing, damaging, or disposing of your merchandise to overcharging you with a fee – anything can happen.

In this article, we’ll discuss 3 methods that can help you get reimbursed from Amazon, and we’ll cover a tool that can help you navigate through those issues with ease, it’s called GETIDA.

I have a detailed blog post with a GETIDA review as well as a step-by-step GETIDA tutorial.

And via the following link, you can get a FREE GETIDA account with a special discount.

For this article, I invited Yoni Mazor, the CGO and co-founder of GETIDA, the global leader in FBA reimbursements.

Yoni knows the nitty-gritty of getting reimbursed from Amazon. And that said, he joined me to help you get the knack for it.

If you're reading this, take my word for it: recovering your money will never be a problem in the future.

However, if you prefer watching videos to reading text, don't worry—I've got you covered!

You've easy access to my video that's embedded right below to co-discover the secrets with visuals.

Still, if you feel you don't get anything, feel free to reach out, and I'd be more than happy to assist! :)

Without further ado, let's get into the business and find out what it takes to get reimbursed from Amazon!

First Layer: You're Doing it Yourself or Never Did it Before

Suppose you're someone trying to dig into the transaction problems yourself or a novice who has never done it before.

In that case, I have some recommendations for you. 

The first thing I recommend is that you go to your Amazon Seller Central account, and then to the FBA shipments logs where you can see all your shipments listed.

Suppose you just dispatched a thousand items in a shipment that occurred a few weeks ago.

If Amazon receives those thousand units, then you're all set to go. 

But if Amazon receives 990 units instead of getting them all, go to that shipment and open it up.

You'll notice there is a reconciliation.

When you get there, you'll see a negative sum based on what Amazon didn't receive. 

Supposing that 10 of the units were not delivered, there would be a -10 indicating that Amazon only got 990 units.

Next up, there are two possibilities.

The first one is that you mistakenly delivered less.

In this case, you don't need to do anything about it.

However, if it's really missing, then choose the option "It's missing."

Once you do that, it will automatically open a case with Amazon and bring the issue to their attention.

If Amazon finds the missing 10 units, the good news is there; you can have them back in stock and sell them to make money.

But if Amazon doesn't find them, that's the problem.

And in that case, Amazon would owe you your reimbursement. 

Just to add, there's something appreciable with these Amazon reimbursements.

They don't pay you what you paid.

Instead, they pay you the retail price which includes your profit margin, so it's really a fantastic opportunity to make sure that you not only get the money invested into the product but also make a profit because Amazon is basically buying it off your hands. 

And if you've never heard of this or never done it, now is the time to finally do it.

If you find all these shipments missing with this, it's high time you reconcile everything.

Once you do this, they will pay you your money back and you'll eventually have more money in your pocket.

Too good a deal to let go! 

So yes, that's entry-level, which I think all sellers need to know.

They must all know and do it for the better.

I don't mean any disgrace but one thing's straight up – if you're not doing this, you're not a professional seller. 

Or maybe you don't value your money enough to recover it.

So if you wish to take a more professional approach or be a better seller than you are at the moment, this is the first step you need to take. 

When it comes to the second step of the next level, things tend to twist up even more.

Everything gets a lot more complicated, and that's when tools and solutions become the only way out.

Let me explain. 

Have you ever wondered what happens once your inventory is inside Amazon's warehouse?

Once it's in, which obviously means it's been received, there are possibilities the stuff can get lost, damaged, destroyed, disappeared, disposed of, and perhaps even overcharged with a fee inside the warehouse. 

Not only that but here's another thing – all this might happen "between" the warehouses too.

Sometimes, Amazon might shift your product from Kentucky to California to Nevada or wherever, and in between, the same things are totally likely to happen there.

Mishaps may also happen on their way between Amazon's fulfillment centres to the consumers.

Well, what I mean here is that all these logistical friction points are where such things can happen. 

So, if you take five times six, or like 30+ things with all the friction points, you've got to look into a whole plethora of issues.

To do so, you need to know how to process and handle the data. 

Well, you can try to do it if you go to Amazon's terms of service, guidelines, and FBA reconciliation.

There, they tell you which reports to download and show you the "logic."  

Basically, to reconcile lost and damaged inventory, you need three reports:

1. FBA Inventory Adjustment Report 

2. FBA Inventory Event Detail Report

3. FBA Reimbursement Report 

Now, these three reports are three different data sets you need to reconcile.

They are like the ingredients, but you have to do your own chopping.

And just like you'd expect, this chopping is logical. 

Let's keep it simple.

In the first report, you're going to find all the lost units with codes.

For instance, suppose that you found one unit that got lost. 

In the second report, you'd have to try to find and see if Amazon found the lost unit.

If they did, then everything's good.

But if they didn't, you got to move on to the next report. 

The following report is the "Reimbursement Report," so if they reimburse you, you're good to go, and nothing's wrong.

However, if they didn't, only then you're eligible to open a claim. 

When you open the case to them, you're presenting all the information to Amazon.

Once you do so, they look into it and if you're right, they'll pay your reimbursement. 

If not, they might give you some other data points to show you that everything has been resolved.

If you wish to tackle this with logic, now's the perfect time to go for it! 

On top of everything, make sure you've all the documents handy in case Amazon needs it.

Yep, that's what the real professional selling attitude looks like!

I'd recommend you read my comparison between different reimbursement services similar to GETIDA.

Second Layer: Fuse A Tool

Another approach to seeking your reimbursements from Amazon is through tools.

One tool I'd highly recommend for this purpose is Helium 10 Refund Genie, which also partners with GETIDA. 

Basically, Helium 10 is a suite of tools for Amazon sellers, one of these tools which is called the Refund Genie.

It's an incredibly helpful tool to assist you with loss and damage issues.

Helium 10 incorporates a unique software that does all the reconciliation, which is a great help to you.

Helium 10 offers a free trial, and huge Helium 10 coupon codes if you want to save big.

VOVA10 = 10% OFF every month.

VOVA6M20 = 20% OFF for your first 6 months.

Watch a video that explains how to use Refund Genie below.

I was able to recover $2,118 with this tool (on one occasion, and way more on other occasions).

All you need to do is go to the tool, and they're going to download a template with information that's already inside.

Next, you copy the information for the template (as it is) and paste it into Seller Central, and that's just how you open a case with Amazon. 

It's when the whole flow begins.

So if Amazon takes a look and approve the reimbursement claim, you're all geared up to get your money back.

But if not, they might ask for more information, and how wisely you solve it with them…that's on you! 

Once again, the tool gives you the data to make it simpler.

Let's suppose you have to take action from the team; the tool will help you with the complexities.

Otherwise, you'd have to deal with all the calculations yourself.

And I'm sure that's the last thing you'd want. 

Simply take the data and submit it.

However, you still have to get involved with the back and forth if needed and still have to provide them with any more clarifications they ask for.

Not just that, you need to be able to explain the stuff to them as well.

Since it's all mathematics, any confusion shouldn't come off as a surprise to you.

If you're able to figure these confusions out, you're in a fantastic place.

And if not, there's a high chance you might not get reimbursed. 

While Refund Genie gives an efficient shortcut, it's you who has to manage things in the end.

Yep, the processing of data is resolved for you, but managing the actual reconciliation with Amazon – the claim – and the refiling is up to the seller himself. 

I've personally used Refund Genie quite a few times, and I remember recovering two thousand bucks a few years ago, as mentioned above.

Given that I'm glad to share that it's such a lifesaver.

If I hadn't used it back in the day, I'd have lost and so would my heavy sum of money, right? 

Besides Refund Genie, I'd encourage you to give Helium 10 a try.

It's worth the shot!

The best way to get started is through the free trial and once it ends, use my exclusive coupon codes VOVA10 or VOVA6M20 to get special discounts on up to six Helium 10 subscriptions.

Also, here's another thing for everyone who's reading my blog – there's a time limit of up to 18 months for reimbursements.

If you don't receive everything you are entitled to receive, your eligibility will eventually expire. 

For example, suppose you go back 18 months on a loss and damage inventory claim.

In that case, your eligibility will expire once that time has passed. 

Don't let this happen; the money is yours and is owed to you.

And like I said earlier in the blog, when you get your money back, you're getting back your investment, which will obviously earn you more profit in the future. 

Well, that means that if you lose the money owed to you, you'd lose your investment and, eventually, your profit. 

Just to clarify, when you make claims for FBA inbound shipments, you get nine months – less time, I know.

You get only nine months to reconcile the entire reimbursement process in the US Amazon, Amazon Canada, and Amazon Mexico. 

On the flip side, Amazon EU and Amazon UK only give six months to win the reimbursement game.

Third Layer: Go To Solution Providers like GETIDA

Alright, now that we have seen the previous layers, we know that the first one is entirely manual. 

On the other hand, the second one is less manual but still not fully automatic; you still have to do the manual stuff, and it's not as in-depth as possible.

Now comes the need for a turnkey solution like GETIDA.

With GETIDA, the technology takes over and solves it all for you.

Basically, their team and software do all the discovery and auditing parts. 

Here’s a video that shows you how to use GETIDA.

You can also read our step-by-step GETIDA tutorial.

At the same time, the technology delves deeper and finds everything that's still there and available for you.

But before we dig into the magic of GETIDA, I've got a tip for you.

First up, do whatever you can do yourself.

Then, use the second option – the tools that are handy to you. 

Once you're done with every possible way and still haven't got your money back, that's when it's time for GETIDA to come into action. 

They'll be able to catch anything that's still available for you and will bring it all the way to you, ensuring that you get reimbursed.

In a nutshell, they track where Amazon owes you money, handle it, and take the necessary actions while you sit back and relax.

Rest assured, GETIDA will do all the hard work for you.

And only if they're successful in getting your money back, or additional money back, will you have to pay them.

More like a win-win situation at both ends. :)

I think that's the beautiful harmony of this killer combination available to the sellers out there.

First, try to get back everything you can and keep it for yourself and your pocket. 

But if there's anything that you're not able to crack on your own, GETIDA will bring it back to your pockets.

Only if they're successful in doing so will they be rewarded for it.

Once they go in, they definitely go deep hard on the data, so there's a high chance your reimbursements are just this one step away from you.

Let's take an example; you open a case to Amazon, and they ask you for more data.

But if you don't understand it (which is pretty common), GETIDA will take over the case.

In the end, it's all about mathematics, and data for them, remember? 

If they find, let's say, minus 1 item that got lost, they'll present it to Amazon and open the case. 

If it gets reimbursed, then everything's cool.

But yes, there's also a chance that the case might get rejected if Amazon doesn't understand all the information there. 

In that situation, when Amazon doesn't pay the claimed money, and there's still a minus 1, GETIDA will reopen your case. 

This time, they might explain it in more detail until Amazon decides to give back the money they owe you.

In other words, GETIDA has the ability to convert your rejected case into a paid case. 

They're auditors, and they are super focused on mathematics.

And that, I believe, is a perfect opportunity for sellers to ensure that they get the maximum available for them and that they're eligible to receive. 

So, it's no surprise why GETIDA is so powerful today.

They find it, focus on it, and then manage it for you.

Once you plug your account with them, you're all geared up to focus on the growth of your business without the hassle of losing your money.

That said, you know you've got a partner with you that you won't have to babysit.

Not to forget, you pay nothing if you get nothing.

Their focus is on you and your satisfaction.

If they're getting something, they must give you the value for it – that's the aim for them.

When you connect with GETIDA, you connect your Seller Central to it.

And then their software and people work together to get you reimbursements.

Technically, there are two phases of working with GETIDA.

In the first phase, they go back 18 months, clean up everything that's still available for you, cash it, and bring it back to you. 

This takes up to 90 days to complete until you're ready to move on to the second phase.

In phase two, it works month to month.

As the issues occur, they work on them and make sure you get paid because you don't want to wait forever for your money, particularly if you're taking loans. 

In case you're taking loans, you pay money for money, and if anything is owed to you, it's best for your cash flow to get your money as soon as possible. 

Speaking of the best part about GETIDA, they're always there.

The reality is that they audit billions of dollars worth of transactions every single day to all of their users. 

So basically, it's a real-time auditing and real-time solution thing.

Unlike other companies, they don't do it once every three or every six months.

This is why they're constantly there for you to ensure that everything's okay with your inventory.

In other words, for every unit you ship to Amazon FBA, GETIDA is the bodyguard that monitors your transactions just like a shadow, checking to see if everything is in the right direction. 

In other news, the team members of GETIDA are former Amazon employees who have worked in all these departments.

So, it's safe to say that at GETIDA, they know what they're looking for, how to present the issues, how to manage the cases, or how to deal with everything back and forth related to reimbursements in general.

Just in case you're wondering, they're also authorized solution providers by Amazon.

So, if you visit Amazon Seller Essential and go to the app store, you're going to find GETIDA there.

This means that they have a double commitment with you – the seller – as well as with Amazon.

To ensure that their service terms comply with data security and privacy policy, they have to perform on the highest level. 

That makes them no different than Amazon sellers, who have to perform to the best of their abilities. 

In addition to all this, they actually have a dashboard for the users.

So, fret not; it's nothing like you plug in, and they continue to do the work mysteriously while you have no idea about what's going on.

Instead, all of their work is available on a dashboard.

Once you sign up with them, you're going to get a dashboard that you can log onto to see real-time progress and everything that's going on.

From the cases they open and the status of your case to how much money was recovered in the past 30, 60, and 90 days – you've got easy access to all the information.

And in case you didn't know, GETIDA even won the Gold award from the American Business Rewards for their dashboard. 

Effectively, they have a whole army working on your behalf, but what's even better is that all that work is available on the dashboard anytime you need it. 

So, basically, they're connecting the human and the digital, all for the better.

With that, you get transparency and visibility.

You get to know what's going on, so you can always check if things are under control while you move on to the next things you need to care about. 

One question that may pop up here is, what do sellers need to do when they link with GETIDA?

Well, it's pretty straightforward – the only thing they need as the seller's input is when they ask for documents.

And before you ask, there are two ways to provide them with the documents.

One way is to send an email summary that mentions everything needed; just reply with the relevant data, and they'll take care of the rest.

With that said, this option is more streamlined and convenient.

The second option is that you go into the dashboard and drop all the necessary information there.

Simply upload the files for each shipment, and they will take over everything else. 

And let's face it—it's insanely challenging over the years to succeed in the Amazon trade game, especially in claiming reimbursements.

This gets more sophisticated, more complicated, and more advanced with each passing day. 

So, at least on the FBA auditing and reimbursement sides, there are solution providers out there like GETIDA, that happen to be exceptionally efficient. 

I cover GETIDA, and some other awesome FBA reimbursement tools in this post as well.

Special Offer And GETIDA Promo Code

Now here's the good news for Amazon sellers who would like to give GETIDA a shot. 

They give you $600 in free reimbursements.

So, $600 will be totally free for you while they get you an FBA reimbursement.

Yep, it might take them a day, a week, or more...

I even dedicated a full blog post to the GETIDA promo code offer for you.

But no matter what, for trying them out, you're going to get $600 more in your pocket.

After these $600, if you wish to leave them, that's fine.

If you want to stay, their mission will be to help you out with recovering your money for years to come… 

They’ll take 25% of the recovered fees.

So if they recover $1,000 for you, they’ll charge $250.

Come and click on the best GETIDA promo code – that's the offer available for you to enjoy right there. 

What's more, beyond the money and all the reimbursements, you may take a lot from their experience as sellers to support you.

And guess what? That's free of charge and, of course, wonderful! 

So, if you ever have an issue with logistics, finance, or whatever it is, you can always get in touch free of charge. 

They will direct you where to go – to pros, trusted partners, users who have worked for years, etc., that they have from the industry.

Or, you may join their community and be a part of their sponsored events. Remember, the more you learn, the more you earn!

Conclusion

And that's a wrap for the methods that will help you get reimbursed from Amazon.

Yep, it may appear tricky at first, but once you get the hang of these tips and tricks, you wouldn't have life any other way, I bet. 

That's pretty much all about how to go about claiming the reimbursements that you're eligible to get.

No way you should let it slide, it's your money, and you're entitled to get it back.

I also have a YouTube playlist dedicated to FBA reimbursements.

Over 15+ videos.

Keep in mind that GETIDA is a fantastic partner for any issues you may have with Amazon FBA reimbursement.

You can take advantage of my offer to gain even more benefits.

I wish you a wonderful and successful time as an Amazon FBA seller.

Till I write again, take care and cheers! 

Until next time, stay tuned. 

Yours truly,

Vova :)

P.S. - Another 2 reimbursement services worth mentioning are Seller Locker, and Seller Investigators. Enjoy!