Where the money leaks (and why you never see it)
Amazon processes millions of units a day. At that scale, errors are inevitable — and the cost lands on you unless you catch it. These are the five claim categories that make up almost all recoverable money:
What changed in 2026
Two shifts matter. First, most claim types now have an 18-month filing window (removal orders stay at 90 days), so older discrepancies are still recoverable. Second, Amazon's auto-reimbursement engine now settles some lost and damaged cases on its own — but it pays out on sourcing/manufacturing cost, not retail price. That means the automation often underpays, and a manual audit is the only way to capture the gap and the categories it skips entirely.
Software vs managed service
If your team audits Seller Central reports every week, a DIY tool (flat monthly fee, you keep 100%) usually gives the best value. If claims pile up unfiled, a managed service that handles scanning, filing, and follow-up for a commission tends to recover more in practice — unused insights don't recover cash. Either way, the filing windows are ticking, so consistency beats a once-a-year scramble.
Is this estimate accurate?
It's a planning estimate based on the widely cited 1–3% of revenue range, adjusted for your history, inventory profile, and prior auditing. Your real recoverable amount depends on your actual discrepancies — only a full audit of your Seller Central data (by you, a tool, or a service) gives a precise figure.