Amazon IDR Portal: Inventory Defects & Refunds

Amazon recently introduced the Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal to streamline the management of inventory-related defects in Amazon’s fulfillment network. The IDR portal offers visibility into all defect statuses and resolved defects with details about Amazon’s decision.

Keep reading to learn how to use the IDR portal and what you can learn from it.

What is the Amazon Inventory Defect and Reimbursement Portal?

Amazon’s IDR portal includes details from five different reports. It automatically applies FBA reimbursement policy checks on defects to identify reimbursement opportunities. You get a detailed view of each defect impacting your inventory, including:

defect type
creation date
actions taken, reasons for those actions, and current status.

You can see all inventory defects categorized by status, allowing you to assess inventory health and find defect trends based on time periods, SKUs, or defect areas.

How to Use the IDR Portal

Inventory tab > Dashboard (under Fulfillment by Amazon) > Select Inventory Dropdown > Select Inventory Defect and Reimbursement
Fulfillment Reports > Reconciling Inventory > Select Inventory Defect and Reimbursement
Select Inventory Defect and Reimbursement from Reimbursements or FBA customer returns

Date range, product search (by SKU, ASIN, or FNSKU), and event type filters are available on each page of the IDR portal. Filtering by product can help you see which products experience higher rates of damage or loss so you can research what’s causing these defects.

In addition to the global filters, the Eligible for Claim, In Progress, and Resolved pages of the IDR portal allow you to filter by defect type and order ID/transaction ID. Defect types include warehouse damage, warehouse lost, carrier damage, customer damage, sellable, in transit, defective, fulfiller damage, in transit, not returnable (Amazon fault), and not returnable (not Amazon fault).

Amazon organizes inventory defects into different status categories:

Eligible for Claim
In Progress (being reviewed by Amazon)
Resolved

These categories allow you to easily see the status of defects and reimbursements. You can also dig into specific issues, explore more insights, and make any necessary changes within the IDR portal.

Getting Familiar with the IDR Portal Overview

Here’s a brief description of the information you’ll find on the IDR portal overview page.

Overview: This depicts the total number of potentially defective units in the warehouse operations or customer returns during your chosen timeline.

Eligible for Claim: The total number of units that may have a defect. You must review these before Amazon begins research and decides on the claim’s outcome. Click the card to be directed to the page that shows all of your current inventory defects eligible for a claim.

In Progress: This shows the number of units that may have a defect and are currently being reviewed by Amazon. See more details about the defects that are under review by clicking on the tile.

Resolved: This shows the number of units with defects that Amazon has already resolved and the total amount of cash reimbursement issued to you. Select the card to see more information about the defects that were resolved and the units that were reimbursed.

Defect Status Trend: Graphical image that shows unit defects and resolutions by defect status along a chosen timeframe. You can use this information to prioritize filing claims for defects as they approach the end of the reimbursement claim eligibility window.

Eligible for Claim Page

The Eligible for Claim page combines information from the inventory ledger report, customer returns report, and Amazon’s FBA reimbursement policy into an overview of all defects that qualify for claims. This streamlines the reimbursement process, preventing duplicate cases and minimizing the research time needed for defects.

The bar chart shows defects aggregated by defect type, organized by descending order of defect volume. This makes it faster to prioritize inventory claims for the top defect type. The table on the page includes the details you’ll need to file a claim:

Product details (FNSKU, ASIN, SKU)
Event date and type
Defect type
Transaction ID
Order ID
Quantity

Bringing all this information to one page means you no longer need to use multiple reports to create a case with Amazon.

In Progress Page

The In Progress page includes all the defects that are currently being investigated by Amazon. You can check this page to see if a claim has already been submitted for an open defect. Get detailed information on each claim in the table including the SKU, discrepancy type, and quantity. If Amazon is waiting for a customer to return the item, you’ll see the status here. Once the item is received and graded, the defect will be moved to the Eligible for Claims page if you need to act. Manually filed claims are also tracked on this page.

Resolved Page

The Resolved page shows all resolved defects and Amazon’s reasoning for the decisions. You’ll see all the defects Amazon has resolved with details about case information for each one. If Amazon is resolving the defect by reimbursing you, you’ll see information about whether the claim was reimbursed in cash or by inventory.

You can check the granular resolution details on this page. A bar chart shows the Defect Types – Top 5 in descending order so you can analyze the most common defects that affect your units. The Resolution Distribution pie chart shows defects by resolution types: Reimbursed, Reconcile, and Ineligible. There is also a resolution filter allowing you to filter the table by resolution type.

If you need to appeal a resolution, find the specific defect you want to appeal on this page and create a new case for the appeal. Include the original case number, ASIN/FNSKU, the reason you disagree with the resolution, and any supporting documentation that validates your appeal.

Manage Sourcing Cost

Amazon has also started rolling out the Manage Sourcing Cost page. As of March 10, 2025, FBA reimbursements will be based on your estimated or provided sourcing cost. Amazon plans to make the Manage Sourcing Cost and bulk cost management available to all sellers soon.

Get More Amazon FBA Insights

The new IDR portal streamlines the inventory defect claim process, but there’s a lot more to manage when it comes to your FBA business. SellerPulse by eComEngine includes FBA insights into return rate, return reasons, FBA fees by type and product, ad spend, the Buy Box, and much more. Try it free today to revolutionize your Amazon operations!