Check This Amazon Screen Right Now - You Probably Have Money Waiting

Highly-respected Amazon coaches Brian and Robin Joy Olson are the founders of OfficialOlsons.com and creators of the P.A.T.H. framework for Amazon sellers.

Every day, Amazon fulfillment centers process millions of packages, both inbound and outbound. Items get lost, damaged, and mishandled. When this happens to your inventory, Amazon doesn't always reimburse you automatically.

Many sellers have thousands in unclaimed reimbursements - not because they're negligent, but because Amazon's system is complex enough to be overwhelming.

How Amazon's 2024 IDR Portal Consolidated Five Reports Into One

In 2024, Amazon launched the Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal, consolidating what previously required checking five separate reports. While this consolidated the process, sellers now face a different challenge: understanding what each status means and how different types of defects affect your reimbursement amount.

Understanding the Four Status Categories

When sellers first access the IDR portal (found at Inventory → FBA Dashboard → Inventory Defect and Reimbursement), they encounter four status boxes that determine their recovery potential:

• Overview represents your total universe of defects, everything that's potentially wrong

• Eligible for Claim shows confirmed issues that require manual claiming

• In Progress indicates claims under investigation

• Resolved displays supposedly completed reimbursements

When "Eligible for Claim" shows any number above zero, Amazon has already agreed they owe you they’re just waiting for you to ask.

The Two-Tier Reimbursement System

Amazon calculates reimbursements differently depending on when the loss occurred. Pre-order events like warehouse damage reimburse at manufacturing cost. Post-order events like customer returns reimburse at the sale price minus fees.

This distinction is crucial for third-party arbitrage sellers. A product sourced from Target for $30 might only receive $8-10 in reimbursement if lost in the warehouse (based on Amazon's wholesale estimates), but the same item would reimburse at close to its $45 sale price if a customer failed to return it.

The ‘Manage Your Sourcing Cost’ Strategy

The portal includes a "Manage Sourcing Cost" feature that allows sellers to override Amazon's estimates with actual costs. While this rarely results in full retail reimbursement for arbitrage sellers, it creates a documented trail and can improve recovery rates.

Prioritize updating costs for your highest-velocity items first, focusing on products where the gap between Amazon's estimate and actual sourcing cost is greatest.

Case Study: The $6,590 Found in 20 Minutes

A client generating $45,000 in monthly sales had never systematically checked reimbursements. During our initial account audit, we found six months of unclaimed issues:

• 121 customer returns marked "received" but never credited ($4,180)

• 73 units damaged during warehouse transfers ($1,520)

• 38 units lost between inbound check-in and shelving ($890)

Total: $6,590 in claims they filed that same week. This 2.4% recovery rate is typical. For their $540,000 annual revenue, systematic weekly reviews could recover approximately $13,000 per year, not from errors or negotiation, but simply by claiming what Amazon already owes.

To implement this systematically:

1.  Establish a Weekly Routine: Every Wednesday, spend 15 minutes reviewing the IDR portal

2. Prioritize by Type: Check customer returns first (higher reimbursement rates)

3.  Update Sourcing Costs: Focus on high-velocity items where Amazon's estimates are lowest

4.  Document Everything: Keep case IDs and follow up on claims stuck "In Progress"

5.  Verify Payments: Always confirm "Resolved" reimbursements actually hit your account

Conclusion:

The IDR portal isn't just another Amazon dashboard - it's a profit recovery center that most sellers ignore. While Amazon has automated some processes, up to 40% of potential reimbursements still require manual claiming.

Check reimbursements weekly instead of relying on automatic processing. Start this Wednesday: open your IDR portal and check the 'Eligible for Claim' box. Any number above zero means recoverable money, file those claims within the window. This single habit recovered an average of $4,200 for our clients last year.

Want more insights like this? Visit OfficialOlsons.com for more P.A.T.H. framework strategies.