Why reconcile shipments?
Sellers usually check the total payout. But a correct total can hide lost orders — a payment that never arrived for one order, a refund without a return for another, an RTO parcel that never reached the warehouse. Only an order-by-order check finds them.
The four possible outcomes of a shipment
| Outcome | How you know | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered and paid | Positive net payout in the payment report | None |
| Returned / RTO and received | Refund + Returned to Seller (or POD Completed) or your own receiving record | None — product is back in stock |
| Refunded, not received | Refund but no received status | SAFE-T claim when the window opens |
| Shipped, no payment | Order not in the payment report | Wait if deferred; otherwise open a case |
How to reconcile your shipments
- Download the All Orders report for the period you shipped.
- Download the Date Range payment report covering the same period plus about two months (payments and refunds arrive later).
- Download the Returns Reconciliation report and your received-returns list.
- For each order ID, total the payment lines and check the return status.
- Put every order in one of the four outcomes above.
With hundreds of orders a day this is impossible by hand. Upload the same reports to Charly's Recon and every shipment is classified automatically — see the Amazon reconciliation complete guide for what happens behind the scenes.
RTO shipments
Undelivered (RTO) parcels are refunded or cancelled and should come back to you. They appear in the Returns Reconciliation report with return type UNDELIVERED. If an RTO parcel never arrives, it is claimable just like a customer return — read how to cover return and RTO loss on Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to reconcile a shipment?
Confirming that a shipped order was paid, came back, or was reimbursed — and claiming it if none of these happened.
How long after shipping should I reconcile?
Check every week; most orders settle within a few weeks, and returns and claims take up to a few months.
Reconcile your own Amazon orders in minutes
One-stop Amazon reconciliation: create a free account, upload your reports and see every payment, return, RTO and claim for your brand — order by order.
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