# Handling Customer Returns Amazon makes returns incredibly easy for customers. Sometimes frustratingly so. As a seller you don't get much say in whether a return is accepted — Amazon handles that on your behalf as part of the FBA service. What you do have control over is what happens to your stock afterwards. *** **How returns work** When a customer requests a return, you'll get an email notification. They have **45 days** to send the item back. If the item isn't returned within that window, Amazon will recharge the customer automatically and you'll keep the funds. This happens more often than you'd expect — customers sometimes request a return and never bother sending anything back. Once a returned item arrives at the warehouse, Amazon staff inspect and grade it: * **Sellable** — the item is in good enough condition to go back into your active inventory and sell again * **Unsellable** — the item is damaged, opened, or not in a condition Amazon will fulfil. It gets moved to your stranded inventory. *** **What to do with unsellable returns** You have two options when stock is marked unsellable: **Dispose** — Amazon destroys the unit on your behalf. Quick and simple but you get nothing back. **Removal order** — Amazon sends the unit back to your address. You pay a small fee per unit but you get the stock back to inspect yourself. Removal orders are almost always the better choice. A lot of unsellable returns are perfectly fine — maybe the packaging was slightly damaged or a customer changed their mind and returned it unopened. Once you get it back you can assess it properly, relist it if appropriate, or sell it elsewhere. Don't just let Amazon dispose of stock without checking it first. That's money in the bin. *** **Claiming reimbursements for damaged stock** If Amazon damaged your stock — not the customer, but Amazon's own warehouse staff or fulfilment process — you're entitled to a reimbursement. This requires raising a case with Seller Support and providing: * Your original invoice showing the cost of the item * Packaging slips and any relevant photos * The relevant shipment or inventory details Amazon doesn't always flag this automatically so it's worth periodically checking your inventory for units that were damaged in the warehouse and claiming what you're owed. Over time these small reimbursements add up. *** **Missing or delayed stock** Sometimes units from a shipment don't show up in your inventory even after the shipment has been marked as closed. Before you panic, give it a few extra days — Amazon's receiving process isn't always instant and units sometimes trickle in after the main shipment is processed. If stock is genuinely missing after a reasonable wait: 1. Go to your **Shipment Plan** in Seller Central 2. Select the shipment with missing units 3. Click **Investigate Missing Stock** 4. Upload your invoice as proof of purchase Amazon will investigate and if the units can't be located they'll usually reimburse you. Keep your invoices accessible — you can't open an investigation without them. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://behind-the-buybox.gitbook.io/behind-the-buybox-docs/handling-customer-returns.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.