A reimbursement service used to be a once-a-year treasure hunt. Amazon turned it into a weekly chore.
Until late 2024, a seller could ignore reimbursements for a year and hire a service to sweep 18 months of history in one audit. That model is gone. Amazon shortened most claim windows to roughly 60 days and began paying many losses at manufacturing cost. The money is still there, but it now goes to whoever checks fastest, and each claim pays less than it did. This comparison looks at the services through that lens.
Evolve Media Agency does not sell reimbursement services and did not test these services on client accounts for this post. Fees and claim types come from each company's own website, checked October 15, 2026. Vendor claims are labeled as vendor claims. An older post on this site covers GETIDA specifically. Pricing changes often, so confirm the rate in writing before you sign.
If you want the mechanics of filing claims yourself, start with our Amazon reimbursements guide. This post is about choosing between a service, a tool and doing it yourself.
What Do FBA Reimbursement Services Do?
A reimbursement service connects to your Seller Central account, compares what you sent Amazon with what Amazon received, sold, returned and paid for, and files claims for the gaps. You pay a percentage of what Amazon reimburses.
The gaps fall into a few groups:
- Inbound shortages. You shipped 500 units and Amazon received 488.
- Lost or damaged in the warehouse. Units that went missing or broke in a fulfillment center.
- Customer returns. A buyer was refunded but never sent the item back, or sent back the wrong item.
- Removals. Units you asked Amazon to send back that never arrived.
- Fee errors. Wrong weights or dimensions that inflate fulfillment fees.
Amazon reimburses many lost-inventory cases on its own. Services earn their fee on the cases Amazon does not catch, the ones it underpays, and the volume a seller does not have time to check. Done-for-you services file and follow up. Software tools find the claims and leave filing to you.
An FBA reimbursement claim is a request a seller files with Amazon for inventory or money lost under Fulfillment by Amazon, such as units missing from an inbound shipment, lost or damaged in a warehouse, or refunded to a customer who never returned them. Amazon pays approved claims as a cash credit or a replacement unit.
What Changed In Amazon's Rules
Two changes reshaped reimbursements: shorter claim windows starting in October 2024, and manufacturing-cost payouts starting in March 2025.
Shorter windows. Effective October 23, 2024, Amazon cut the window for most claim types from up to 18 months to roughly 60 days. eComEngine's policy summary and Beancount's October 2026 guide report these windows:
| Claim Type | Window Reported |
|---|---|
| Lost or damaged in a fulfillment center | Within 60 days of Amazon reporting it |
| Inbound shipment discrepancies | Day 15 to 60 after delivery |
| Customer returns not received | Day 60 to 120 after the refund |
| Removals lost in transit | Day 15 to 75 from shipment creation |
| Other removal issues | Within 60 days of delivery back to you |
Manufacturing-cost payouts. In March 2025, Amazon began reimbursing inventory lost or damaged before a customer orders it at its manufacturing cost, not its selling price. Sources disagree on the exact day: eComEngine says March 31, Beancount says March 10. Manufacturing cost means what it costs you to source or make the unit, excluding inbound shipping, duties and prep. Units lost after a customer orders them are still reimbursed at the sale price minus fees.
Both sources are third parties. Amazon's own policy page in Seller Central is the final word, and it requires a login.
How The Changes Affect Your Choice
The new rules reward speed and accurate cost data. That shifts what you should look for in a service and how much the commission costs you.
A 60-day window means a quarterly audit misses claims. Ask how often the service scans and files, and get it in writing.
Payouts now depend on the manufacturing cost on file. If yours is missing or low, every claim pays less, no matter who files it.
A claim Amazon pays at the wrong cost is still money owed. Ask whether the service checks the amount, not only the approval.
Ask whether commission applies to reimbursements Amazon would have paid automatically. The answer changes the real rate.
The cost-data point is one you should fix before hiring anyone. Beancount reports that Amazon estimates manufacturing cost from comparable products when you have not entered one, that its estimates tend to run low, and that empty fields can default to near zero in some cases. Their guide describes the entry point as Reports, then Fulfillment, then Inventory Defect and Reimbursement, then Manage Your Manufacturing Cost. Enter a per-unit cost for every active ASIN and keep the supplier invoice that backs it up.
Documentation got stricter at the same time. eComEngine reports that Amazon now expects invoices, proof of purchase and shipment tracking on claims, and that incomplete or inconsistent records get claims rejected. A service cannot invent paperwork you do not have. Before you hire one, make sure you can produce three things for any ASIN on request: the supplier invoice with a per-unit price, the shipment plan and carrier tracking for each inbound, and the proof of delivery or bill of lading. If those live in someone's inbox, move them to a shared folder by shipment ID. That one habit raises your approval rate whether you file yourself or pay someone 25% to do it.
FBA Reimbursement Services Compared
Here are the five options side by side, with fees and coverage as each company states them on its own site as of October 15, 2026.
| Service | Model | Fee | Notable Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| GETIDA | Done for you | Starting at 20% of recovered funds | No monthly fee; 18-month lookback audit, then ongoing monitoring |
| Seller Investigators | Done for you, case managers | 25% after you are paid | Free audit; part of the Carbon6 group |
| Refunds Manager | Done for you, contingency | Rate not published | Covers Amazon 3P, Vendor Central and Walmart |
| Refunzo | Free audit, optional filing | Free to reconcile; 15% to file, capped at $5,000 per account | You can file every case yourself at no cost |
| Helium 10 Refund Genie | Finds claims, you file | No commission; part of Helium 10 | Does not cover inbound shipment discrepancies |
The list is not exhaustive. Many newer tools bundle reimbursement scanning into profit analytics software, and some software companies publish comparisons that rank their own tool first, so read those with that in mind. We picked these five because they represent the three models you can choose from: full service, free audit with optional filing, and a find-it-yourself tool.
Commission is not the whole cost. A 20% service that scans weekly can return more money than a 15% one that scans monthly, because claims that age past 60 days are gone.
GETIDA: Fees And Coverage
GETIDA is a done-for-you service that advertises performance-based pricing starting at 20%, with no monthly subscription, on its How We Help page (getida.com).
Per that page, GETIDA starts with an audit of the past 18 months of FBA transactions and then monitors the account going forward. With most windows now around 60 days, the ongoing monitoring is the part that matters for new claims. Older items will mostly be outside the window. The page lists a wide set of claim types:
- Lost warehouse inventory and disposed inventory
- Damaged inbound and partially received inbound shipments
- Reopened prior inbound claims, which GETIDA calls inbound retro
- FNSKU reconciliation and wrong-FNSKU returns
- Lost removal orders and items lost in transit
- Cancelled shipping costs and pick-and-pack fee overcharges (US only)
The page says "starting at" 20% without listing higher tiers, and says "no commitment" without stating a contract length. Ask for both in writing. At the time of our check, GETIDA was running a promotion waiving fees on the first $400 recovered.
We covered how GETIDA works in more detail in our GETIDA reimbursement guide, written before the 2024 and 2025 rule changes. Read it alongside section 2 of this post.
Seller Investigators: Fees And Coverage
Seller Investigators charges a 25% commission, taken only after Amazon pays you, and offers a free audit, according to its homepage. The site says it is part of the Carbon6 group of ecommerce software companies.
It positions itself on manual review with dedicated case managers. Its homepage lists five claim groups:
The "unfair reimbursement" lines matter after the manufacturing-cost change, because they target claims Amazon paid at too low an amount.
The homepage also says Seller Investigators finds more money than competitor services for 99% of new customers. That is a vendor claim with no method shown, so treat it as marketing. The useful facts are the rate, the free audit and the claim groups. As with GETIDA, contract length and cancellation terms are not on the homepage. Ask.
Refunds Manager: Fees And Coverage
Refunds Manager works on contingency, "no recovery, no fee," but does not publish its commission rate on its homepage (refundsmanager.com). You get the rate during sign-up or a sales call.
What sets it apart is scope. The site lists FBA reimbursements for Seller Central brands, plus Vendor Central shortages, chargebacks, co-op and invoicing errors, and Walmart shortage deductions for Retail Link vendors. Target and Home Depot are listed as coming soon. If you sell both 1P and 3P, or wholesale to Walmart, one recovery partner across channels may be simpler.
The homepage makes several big claims: $800 million recovered, more than 15,000 clients and a 90% success rate. It also says "hundreds of millions of dollars" elsewhere on the same page, which does not obviously match the $800 million figure. None of the figures are independently sourced. Judge Refunds Manager on the rate it quotes you and the terms you sign, as with any vendor.
For a seller who only sells 3P on Amazon, the multi-channel scope adds little. For a brand that also sells through Vendor Central, it can matter more than the FBA side. Vendor shortage claims and chargebacks run on separate deadlines and dispute processes. Ask any service that covers Vendor Central which dispute types it handles and how it splits commission between channels.
When a service does not publish pricing, the first quote is a starting point. Ask for the commission, how it applies to automatic reimbursements, any minimum, the contract length and the cancellation terms in one email before you grant account access.
Refunzo And Refund Genie: DIY-Assist Tools
If you are willing to file claims yourself, two tools will find them for you for little or nothing.
Refunzo offers free reconciliation for the life of the account, per its FAQ. You connect Seller Central, it runs 21 checks across shipments, inventory, payments, fees and refunds, and shows what Amazon may owe. You can file every case yourself for free, or let Refunzo file and follow up for 15% of what Amazon pays, capped at $5,000 per account. That cap is the most seller-friendly term in this comparison for a larger account, though the site does not say whether it ever resets.
Helium 10 Refund Genie audits for lost and damaged inventory claims and gives you the details to copy and paste into a case, with no commission, per its product page. It does not cover inbound shipment discrepancies, which you have to check in Seller Central yourself. Helium 10 also sells a separate done-for-you Managed Refund Service, which its pricing page lists on the Diamond plan. The product page does not say which plans include Refund Genie, so confirm that before you count on it.
These tools fit sellers who have the time to file but not the time to dig through reports. They cost you hours, not commission.
Filing Reimbursement Claims Yourself
Filing yourself costs nothing but time. With 60-day windows, it has to be a weekly routine, not a yearly project.
Report names move around in Seller Central, so search the Reports menu for "reimbursement" and "inventory adjustments" if a path does not match. Beancount notes that windows run from the date Amazon reported the problem, not the date you noticed it, which is why a weekly habit matters.
Keep a simple log of every claim: date, case ID, units, amount expected and amount paid. Underpayments are only visible if you write down what you expected. Our reimbursements guide walks through each claim type in detail.
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Book A CallQuestions To Ask Before You Sign
A reimbursement service needs access to your Seller Central account, so treat signing like hiring. Ask these questions in writing and keep the answers.
- What is the exact commission, and does it change with volume? "Starting at" means there are other rates.
- Does commission apply to reimbursements Amazon pays automatically? If yes, part of your fee pays for money you would have received anyway.
- How often do you scan and file? With 60-day windows, monthly is the minimum, and weekly is better.
- Do you dispute underpaid claims? After the manufacturing-cost change, the amount matters as much as the approval.
- What access do you need? Grant a user permission scoped to what they need, through Seller Central's user permissions, rather than sharing a login.
- How do you bill, and from what record? You want an invoice that lists each reimbursement by case ID so you can match it to your Reimbursements report.
- What is the contract length and how do I cancel? Get the notice period and whether commission continues on claims filed before cancellation.
- Who files the cases? Software, a case manager or an offshore team. It affects how complex cases are argued.
Match every invoice to your own Reimbursements report for the first three months. It takes an hour and tells you whether the service is earning its fee.
Is A Reimbursement Service Worth It?
A service is worth it when its commission costs less than the money it finds that you would have missed, plus the hours it saves you. A short worked example shows how to check.
Take a hypothetical seller whose report review turns up $1,200 a month in valid claims Amazon did not pay on its own. Doing it in-house takes about four hours a month.
| Option | Recovered | Fee | You Keep | Your Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY, weekly | $1,200 | $0 | $1,200 | About 4 hours |
| DIY, when you remember | $600 (half age out) | $0 | $600 | About 2 hours |
| Service at 20% | $1,200 | $240 | $960 | Under 1 hour |
| Service at 25% | $1,200 | $300 | $900 | Under 1 hour |
These numbers are an illustration, not a benchmark. The point is the second row. A disciplined weekly DIY routine keeps the most money. Most sellers do not keep that routine, and against inconsistent DIY, a service usually wins. If you will check every week, file yourself. If you will not, pay someone who will.
Reimbursements also belong in your margin math. Our guide to reading your Amazon P&L shows where unreimbursed losses hide.
Which Option Fits Your Account?
Pick by how many units you ship to Amazon and how much time you will reliably spend, not by which service has the best website.
| Your Situation | Best Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small catalog, a few inbound shipments a month | DIY, or Refunzo's free audit | Claims are few; commission would cost more than the time |
| Mid-size, someone on the team owns operations | Refund Genie or Refunzo, filed in-house | The tool finds claims; your team files them weekly |
| Mid-size, nobody has the hours | A done-for-you service at 20-25% | Speed matters more than the rate with 60-day windows |
| Large, high inbound volume | Done-for-you, or Refunzo's capped filing | A fee cap or negotiated rate matters at volume |
| Also sell 1P or to Walmart | A service covering every channel | One partner handles every deduction type |
When you should not hire anyone: if you have never entered manufacturing costs, do that first and run Refunzo's free audit or a manual report review for a month. You will learn how big your leak actually is before you agree to a percentage of it.
Whatever you choose, recovering lost inventory protects margin but does not grow sales. If you want to talk through where your next dollar of margin or growth is, book a strategy call and bring your numbers.
What To Remember
- Amazon cut most FBA reimbursement claim windows from up to 18 months to roughly 60 days, effective October 23, 2024, so claims now have to be found and filed within weeks.
- Since March 2025, Amazon reimburses inventory lost or damaged before a customer orders it at manufacturing cost, not sale price; losses after an order still pay the sale price minus fees.
- Entering an accurate manufacturing cost for every ASIN in Seller Central raises every future reimbursement, whoever files the claim.
- GETIDA advertises commissions starting at 20% with no monthly fee, and Seller Investigators charges 25% after you are paid, per their own sites in October 2026.
- Refunzo offers free reconciliation and files claims for 15% of payouts, capped at $5,000 per account, and lets sellers file every case themselves at no cost.
- Helium 10 Refund Genie finds lost and damaged inventory claims with no commission but leaves filing to the seller and does not cover inbound shipment discrepancies.
- Ask any reimbursement service whether commission applies to reimbursements Amazon pays automatically, because the answer changes the real rate you pay.
Where This Came From
- eComEngine, FBA reimbursement policy changes (February 2025, updated March 2025), for claim windows and the manufacturing-cost policy. Software vendor.
- Beancount, Amazon FBA reimbursement at manufacturing cost (October 2026), for the October 23, 2024 window change, windows by claim type, the Manage Your Manufacturing Cost path and default-cost behavior. Software vendor.
- Amazon Seller Central FBA inventory reimbursement policy (help reference G200213130, cited by name; login required). First-party Amazon.
- GETIDA, How We Help page (getida.com, cited by name; blocks automated link checks), for pricing, audit scope and claim types. Vendor, checked October 15, 2026.
- Seller Investigators, homepage, for commission, audit and claim groups. Vendor, checked October 15, 2026.
- Refunds Manager homepage (refundsmanager.com, cited by name; blocks automated link checks), for its contingency model, channels covered and self-reported figures. Vendor, checked October 15, 2026.
- Refunzo homepage and FAQ (refunzo.com, cited by name; URL redirects), for free reconciliation, the 15% filing fee and the $5,000 cap. Vendor, checked October 15, 2026.
- Helium 10, Refund Genie and pricing, for how Refund Genie works, its exclusions and the Managed Refund Service plan. Vendor, checked October 15, 2026.
- Jarvio, Best Amazon FBA reimbursement tools, as an example of a vendor-published comparison that ranks its own tool first. Vendor.