Has managing FBA inventory losses and reimbursements just got a whole lot easier? We investigate…
Amazon’s new Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal is one centralised hub, accessed through the FBA dashboard in Seller Central, which has been designed to give Sellers greater transparency and control over their warehouse losses, damages and customer returns.
But – as always! – its efficiency will still depend on Sellers’ own input – so we dug into the potential limitations of the portal to help ensure you don’t miss out on reimbursements.
What does the IDR Portal cover?
It shows Sellers details of:
- Warehouse lost inventory – items lost within Amazon’s fulfilment network.
- Warehouse damaged inventory – items damaged while in Amazon’s possession.
- Customer returns – returns that result in loss or damage.
And it allows Sellers to:
- Track defects.
- See their resolution status, and…
- Check whether reimbursement has been issued.
It also consolidates reports, meaning fewer manual checks across different reports.
What does it not cover?
Sellers need to be aware that the information in the portal does not include:
- Missing inbound shipments – if stock goes missing between your warehouse and Amazon’s fulfilment centres, it’s not covered here.
- Removals & warehouse disposals – stock that’s removed or disposed of due to damage, expiry or other issues isn’t tracked within this system.
- All potential reimbursement claims – just because something isn’t flagged doesn’t mean you aren’t owed money, so your team still needs to manually check for discrepancies.
How to Access the IDR Portal
- Log into your Fulfillment by Amazon dashboard in Seller Central.
- Under the Inventory drop-down menu, select “Inventory Defect and Reimbursement”.
The Bottom Line
The IDR portal has lots going for it and will make it easier to track some inventory issues – but it’s important that Sellers don’t assume it’s catching everything.
Relying on the IDR alone to identify your reimbursable losses could easily see you missing claims, so you still need to be conducting regular, manual reviews of your inventory reports and cross-checking reimbursement policies to make sure you’re getting every penny you’re owed.
Need expert help to recoup all the FBA losses, claims and reimbursements you’re due? We’ve got just the specialist service for you – speak to the team today.