Automate FBA removal order tracking, so every unit you remove is counted back in
Updated · By Ecomsellertool editorial team
Read Amazon's Removal Order Detail and Removal Shipment Detail reports every day, match each shipment and tracking number to what your warehouse or 3PL counts in, and flag the gap. Units unaccounted equals units shipped minus units received, per shipment. A person then decides whether to look again, chase the carrier or file a removal claim before Amazon's window closes.
- Amazon's Removal Order Detail report lists requested, cancelled, disposed, shipped and in-process units per removal order and SKU, updated in near real time (checked November 12, 2026).
- The Removal Shipment Detail report adds the carrier and tracking number per shipment; one removal order can arrive as several shipments.
- Amazon says removals can take 10 to 14 business days to process, and 90 days or more at peak.
- A removal order can be cancelled only while it is in Planning status, which usually lasts a few hours.
- Lost-removal claims open 15 days after the last confirmed movement and close 75 days after the shipment was created; damaged ones close 60 days after delivery.
- Every step in this recipe is a rule or a person; claims are always filed by your team.
The step map: who runs each step
Trigger: A daily read of the two removal reports, plus events: a removal order created, a shipment marked delivered by the carrier, or your 3PL posting a receipt.
| Step | What happens | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The daily run pulls the Removal Order Detail and Removal Shipment Detail reports and stores each removal order, SKU, shipment, carrier and tracking number with the date it was first seen. | Rule |
| 2 | Each new removal order is sent to your warehouse or 3PL as an expected receipt: order ID, SKUs, units and the date it was created, so the dock knows to accept everything at once. | Rule |
| 3 | The order-level check confirms requested equals cancelled plus disposed plus shipped plus in process, and ages anything still in process against your own limit. | Rule |
| 4 | When the 3PL posts a receipt, the workflow matches it to the shipment by tracking number and SKU and computes units unaccounted, good units and damaged units. | Rule |
| 5 | Matched shipments close. Received good units are added to warehouse stock through your inventory sync; damaged units and any gap open an exception with the claim dates already calculated. | Rule |
| 6 | A person works each exception: recount, check the dock and the carrier, accept a small write-off, or prepare a removal claim with the evidence Amazon asks for and file it in Seller Central. | Person |
| 7 | The workflow checks the Reimbursements data by FNSKU and closes each exception when a reimbursement, a found unit or a recorded write-off accounts for every unit. | Rule |
6 rule steps · 0 AI model steps · 1 person step. A rule follows fixed logic you approve; an AI model handles messy input and its output is checked by rules; a person makes the calls listed below.
What stays with a person
- Approving each removal order before it is placed, because the address locks on submit and the order usually cannot be cancelled after a few hours
- Deciding what a missing or damaged unit is: a recount, a carrier problem, a claim or a write-off
- Filing every removal claim in Seller Central, with the photos and paperwork Amazon lists
- Setting the aging limits, the write-off threshold and the 3PL's count deadline
Which tools can run it
- A shared sheet that the two report downloads and your 3PL's receiving file paste into, for a few removals a month
- Your 3PL's portal or warehouse system, if it can import expected receipts by removal order ID and export counts per tracking number
- Zapier, Make or n8n reading the reports on a schedule, matching receipts and posting exceptions to Slack or email, with a log of every run
- Custom code on your accounts, for several 3PLs, high volume and a full history per FNSKU alongside reimbursements
Systems it connects
- Amazon SP-API removal order and shipment reports
- Seller Central Manage Orders
- Warehouse system or 3PL receiving records
- Inventory sync or stock system
- Exception queue in Slack or email
- Reimbursements report
Build size: Medium
The reports and the matching are simple; the work is getting a reliable count per tracking number from the 3PL and keeping the claim clock right.
You pulled 600 units out of FBA to stop the aged-stock fees. Three weeks later your 3PL says it received "about 560", nobody knows which shipment was short, and by the time someone opens a case the claim window is half gone. Removal orders are easy to place and hard to close, because one order can leave several fulfillment centers as separate shipments and nobody owns the count at the other end. This recipe tracks each removal from request to receipt, reconciles it per shipment, and hands a person the gaps while there is still time to act. It is one page of our automation library.
What should the workflow check at each stage of a removal?
Each status and signal below has one rule and one decision. The rules come from Amazon's Remove inventory from a fulfillment center page and its removals claims page (both checked November 12, 2026); the thresholds marked as yours are illustrative starting points.
| Status or signal | Where it shows | What the rule does | What a person decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requested | New order ID on the Removal Order Detail report | Records the order, SKUs and units; sends an expected receipt to the 3PL with the order ID | Approved the order before it was placed: the address locks once it is submitted |
| Planning | Order status in Manage Orders | Alerts if the order looks wrong (wrong SKU, wrong address, a required removal mixed in), because this is the only time it can be cancelled, usually a few hours | Whether to cancel now |
| Cancelled units | Cancelled quantity on the report | Puts the units back in the FBA plan; flags them to the aged-stock check, since they start incurring storage fees again | Whether to place a new removal, a liquidation or nothing |
| In process | In-process quantity, order still open | Ages it; alerts after your limit (for example 21 business days, or 60 during peak), since Amazon says 10 to 14 business days normally and 90 or more at peak | Whether to ask Amazon about a stuck order or simply wait |
| Shipped | Shipment line with date, carrier and tracking number on the Removal Shipment Detail report | Opens one expected receipt per shipment and tracking number; starts the 75-day lost-claim clock, which Amazon counts from the day the shipment was created | Nothing yet |
| Carrier tracking | Carrier site, or Seller Central only for Amazon's own delivery service | Flags no movement for 15 days and a delivered shipment with no 3PL receipt after your count deadline | Chase the carrier, the 3PL dock, or prepare a lost claim |
| Received count at the 3PL | Your 3PL's receiving file, per tracking number and SKU | Computes units unaccounted, good units and damaged units; adds good units to stock | Accepts the count or orders a recount |
| Discrepancy | Units unaccounted above zero, or damaged units | Opens an exception with the order ID, FNSKU, shipment ID, quantity and both claim deadlines; checks the Reimbursements data first | Recount, carrier claim, removal claim or write-off, and who files it |
Two rows matter most. Amazon says that by submitting a removal order you agree to receive every unit at once, and if your recipient does not, Amazon may have the carrier dispose of the units, at your cost and with no reimbursement. So the expected receipt is not paperwork: it is what tells the dock to accept the whole delivery. And the damaged-claim window is 60 days from delivery, so a 3PL that takes a month to count leaves you half the window.
How do you work out how many units are unaccounted for?
Use two checks: one on Amazon's side, one on yours.
Units unaccounted (per shipment) = shipped quantity on the Removal Shipment Detail report − units your warehouse counted in (good + damaged)
Units still open at Amazon (per order and SKU) = requested − cancelled − disposed − shipped − in process
The first number is your exposure: units that left Amazon and have not been counted. The second should be zero. If it is not, the report and your copy are out of step, or the order changed, and a person should look before anything else happens.
Here is an illustrative removal order with made-up numbers, not client data. Two fulfillment centers shipped three SKUs as four shipments:
| SKU | Shipment | Shipped | Counted good | Counted damaged | Unaccounted | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 of 2 | 180 | 180 | 0 | 0 | Close |
| A | 2 of 2 | 120 | 112 | 3 | 5 | Recount, then a short-shipment claim if still short |
| B | 1 of 1 | 150 | 150 | 0 | 0 | Close; 30 units still in process and 20 cancelled, so wait |
| C | 1 of 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 100 | Carrier says delivered: check the dock first, then a whole-shipment claim |
On Amazon's side, SKU B reads 200 requested, 20 cancelled, 0 disposed, 150 shipped and 30 in process, so 0 units are open and the 30 are simply not shipped yet. The order is not finished until those 30 ship and are counted. Of the 550 units shipped, 105 are unaccounted and 3 are damaged. The SKU C gap is probably a receiving error, which is why the first move is a dock search, not a claim. Only after the recount do the 5 missing A units and the 3 damaged ones become claims.
Which Amazon reports and dates does the workflow rely on?
Two FBA reports carry nearly everything. Amazon's FBA report type list (checked November 12, 2026) describes the Removal Order Detail report as every removal order and its items for a period, with columns for requested, cancelled, disposed, shipped and in-process quantity, order status and the removal fee. The Removal Shipment Detail report gives the shipment date, carrier and tracking number for each shipment and leaves out cancelled returns and disposed items. Both are updated in near real time and can be requested through the Selling Partner API, so a daily read is enough.
A few Amazon rules change the logic. If your stock sits in more than one fulfillment center, one order can arrive as several shipments, each with its own tracking number. Shipments by Amazon's own delivery service cannot be tracked on outside carrier sites, only in Seller Central. Amazon does not charge storage fees on units during removal processing. And Amazon's automatic removals page (checked November 12, 2026) says manual removal orders may be cancelled while an automated removal of the same stock is in progress, and immediate removals of customer returns appear in the FBA Customer Returns report, not the Removal Order Detail report. So read your automated removal settings before you trust the cancelled column.
The claim dates on the removals claims page are the clock for every exception. A lost-in-transit claim can be filed no sooner than 15 days after the shipment's last confirmed movement and no later than 75 days after the shipment was created. Damaged and grading claims close 60 days after delivery. Amazon also asks you to check the Reimbursements report by FNSKU before filing, so the workflow does that first. Removal fees are per unit. Amazon's 2026 removal and disposal fee page (checked November 12, 2026) sets them by size tier and shipping weight, from $0.84 for a standard-size unit up to 0.5 lb, and says the fee is calculated when the order is placed and charged when the shipment leaves the fulfillment center. The workflow reads the removal-fee column from the report rather than keeping its own rate table.
What happens when units go missing?
The exception goes to a person with everything a claim needs: the removal order ID, FNSKU, shipment ID, quantity, tracking number, both deadlines and the 3PL's receiving lines. What Amazon wants next depends on the problem, from a whole shipment that never arrived to a box that came in short or a unit that was damaged or not yours. Our FBA reimbursements guide lists the evidence for each removal claim type and how the other claim windows work, so this recipe stops at a ready, dated exception.
The rule that saves most claims is upstream: your 3PL photographs the shipping labels, packing slips, LPN stickers and any box damage before it unpacks a removal, and counts against the expected receipt the same week. Amazon says example images and wide group shots are not accepted for damaged units, so the photo has to be of the unit itself. Write that into the 3PL's receiving instructions. If the destination is the manufacturer, note that Amazon does not reimburse units the manufacturer does not buy back.
What should stay with a person?
Every decision that spends money or speaks to Amazon. Rules can read the reports, match counts, age orders and compute dates. A person approves each removal before it is placed, because the address cannot be changed and the cancel window is short. A person decides whether a gap is a miscount, a carrier problem or a real loss, and files every claim. A person sets the write-off threshold: below a few units, the time to build a claim can cost more than the claim pays. Most removals start from the aged inventory surcharge or stranded inventory, so the same person usually owns the long-term storage fee decision.
Which tool should run it?
The simplest one that can see Amazon's shipments and your warehouse's count side by side.
| Level | Fits when | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| A shared sheet with the two report downloads and the 3PL's receiving file | A few removals a month, one warehouse | Someone has to paste both sides weekly and watch the 60-day damaged window |
| Your 3PL's portal or warehouse system | It can import expected receipts by removal order ID and export counts by tracking number | Many count by box or by order, not by tracking number; ask before you rely on it |
| Zapier, Make or n8n | One 3PL with a file or API feed, modest volume | Store every report pull so a re-read cannot open the same exception twice; see our Zapier vs Make vs n8n comparison |
| Custom code on your accounts | Several 3PLs, high volume, a full history per FNSKU beside reimbursements | Can run on Ecomsellertool Growth OS, next to 3PL reconciliation and warehouse stock transfers |
Who builds removal tracking for Amazon brands?
Ecomsellertool builds removal tracking on your own Seller Central account and your 3PL's data. We have built on Amazon's seller APIs since 2017 and shipped 50+ tools for 100+ teams. We start with how your removals are placed, who receives them and how the count comes back, then build the report reads, the per-shipment match and the exception queue. Send a project brief below, or read how our workflow automation service works.
None of our published case studies is a removal-tracking project on its own, so here is the closest work we have shipped:
- Reimbursement cases tracked type by type. For Execuseller we built a reimbursement management system for Amazon sellers: a dashboard of reimbursement activity, a detail module covering types such as lost and disposed warehouse units, lost inbound units and order discrepancies, and monthly reports and invoices.
- Counts reconciled, discrepancies flagged. For Amazelligence, a seller on Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces, we built purchase order management with automated inventory reconciliation and alerts for discrepancies in inbound deliveries. That is rule-based automation we built, the same kind as the match here.
You keep your accounts, your data and the custom code we build; the Growth OS base is licensed to you.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I track an FBA removal order?
In Seller Central, open Manage Orders, search for the removal order ID, open the order and choose View all shipped units, then View Tracking Details. For many orders, read the Removal Shipment Detail report instead: it lists the carrier and tracking number for each shipment, so you can match them to your warehouse's receipts in one place.
Why did my removal order arrive in several boxes on different days?
Amazon says that if your inventory sits in more than one fulfillment center, a removal order can arrive as more than one shipment, each with its own tracking number. Reconcile by shipment, not by order. An order is complete only when every shipment on the Removal Shipment Detail report has been counted in.
How long does an FBA removal order take?
Amazon says 10 to 14 business days to pick, pack and process, and 90 days or more during peak removal periods, with orders handled first in, first out. Changing the address does not move a pending order forward. Plan removals ahead of Prime Day and the holidays, and set your aging alert from your own history.
Can I cancel an FBA removal order?
Only while it is in Planning status, which Amazon says usually lasts a few hours. Once it is Processing it cannot be cancelled, and required removals cannot be cancelled at all. Cancelled units stay in your FBA inventory and start incurring storage fees again, so check the cancelled quantity on the report before you plan around it.
What should I do if units from a removal order are missing?
First recount and check the dock, then compare the shipped quantity with what arrived for each tracking number. Check the Reimbursements report by FNSKU in case Amazon already paid. If units are still missing, Amazon lets you file a lost-removal claim from 15 days after the shipment's last confirmed movement until 75 days after the shipment was created.
Can I file a removal claim if my 3PL refused part of the delivery?
Probably not. Amazon says that by submitting a removal order you agree to receive every unit at once. If the recipient does not, Amazon may tell the carrier to dispose of the units, you pay the disposal cost and you are not entitled to a reimbursement. Tell your 3PL to expect each removal and accept the whole delivery.
Does this workflow file reimbursement claims for me?
No. It finds the gaps, calculates the claim dates and gathers the report lines a claim needs. A person checks the units, takes or collects the photos and paperwork, and files the claim in Seller Central. That keeps every claim researched, which is what Amazon's process expects.
