The Amazon FBA holiday season is the busiest—and often most profitable—time of year for Amazon sellers. However, with the surge in sales comes a significant increase in potential FBA errors. Make sure you’re not leaving money on the table. In this article, we’ll look at the most common changes and challenges for the reimbursement process during the Amazon peak selling season.
A SPIKE IN LOST OR DAMAGED INVENTORY
The sheer volume of orders processed during the Amazon holiday season highly increases the risk of damaged or lost inventory. With fulfillment centers running at full capacity, packages are more likely to be misplaced, mishandled, or damaged in transit.
For sellers, this means a greater need to audit their inventory records carefully. Have you noticed stock marked as “lost” or “damaged” in your Amazon dashboard? That means you’re owed reimbursements. During Amazon’s peak seasons, reimbursements might surge.
INCREASED RETURNS
The holiday rush season is often followed by a wave of returns. People worldwide buy gifts for their loved ones, but those gifts might miss the mark, resulting in them being returned.
While returns are an expected part of doing business, the post-Christmas period brings extra challenges. Sometimes, returned items are incomplete, used, or entirely different from what was sold—yet customers still receive full refunds. The peak season for Amazon sellers can result in lost revenue if not properly addressed. And when those returns increase, so do the lost funds.
STORAGE FEES AND OVERCHARGES
Overstocking is a common strategy to meet the demand of Amazon’s peak selling seasons. However, excess inventory can lead to unexpected storage fees, especially if there are errors in how Amazon calculates them.
Also, during the holiday season Amazon’s fulfillment fees may be adjusted, increasing the likelihood of overcharges. Sellers may find themselves paying more than they should for oversized items or high-demand products. These hidden costs can significantly impact your margins.
SEASONAL WORKER ERRORS
During the holiday season FBA employs seasonal staff to keep up with the increased demand. While these extra hands are essential, the learning curve for temporary workers can lead to more frequent errors, such as incorrect inventory counts or mislabeling products.
For sellers, these mistakes can result in discrepancies that affect stock levels, order accuracy, and overall profits.
DELAYED PROCESSING TIMES
Amazon’s internal teams are under immense pressure during shopping events, which can lead to slower processing times for reimbursement claims. For sellers, this delay might mean waiting weeks—or even months—for a resolution, especially if claims are denied initially.
Without consistent follow-up, your claims could be forgotten in the Amazon Christmas season chaos. This is where persistence becomes key. If you don’t have the means to keep at it yourself, employing a reimbursement service such as Regainables can be a life—or business—saver.
HOW REGAINABLES CAN HELP
During the Christmas season Amazon sellers face extra challenges. Regainables can handle those. At Regainables, we specialize in identifying and claiming reimbursements for such issues.
Our thorough audits deal with:
- every lost or damaged item
- fraudulent or mishandled returns
- incorrect fees & overcharges
- inaccurate refunds
- removals—we're the only ones working with them
Regainables takes the stress out of managing post-holiday errors. We don’t just file claims; we ensure they’re resolved. Even if FBA denies a case, which happens more often during the Amazon peak seasons, our team persistently follows up until every avenue has been explored.
Focus on running your business while we handle the back-and-forth with Amazon. It only takes one call.
