Amazon Fee Audit: How to Check Your Fees for Errors

Why audits are worth doing

Amazon processes huge volumes of transactions with automated systems. Errors can come from wrong product data, misclassified categories or system issues. Even small per-unit differences add up across thousands of orders.

Define the scope

Choose a period and the products you will examine. Start with your best sellers and any product whose profitability has changed unexpectedly. Decide whether you are checking fulfillment fees, referral fees, storage fees or all of them.

Gather the data

Download transaction and fee reports for the period. Collect product data including packaged dimensions, weights and categories as recorded in the catalog. Obtain the current fee schedule for each marketplace you are reviewing.

• Transaction or settlement reports
• Fee previews or product fee reports
• Catalog dimensions and categories
• Fee schedules in force for the period

Recalculate expected fees

For a sample of orders, work out the fee you expect based on the schedule, product data and date. Compare it with the fee charged. Differences should be explainable by rules such as promotions or tier changes. Unexplained gaps are candidates for investigation.

Check product data

Wrong dimensions or categories are among the most common reasons for fee differences. Compare Amazon's recorded dimensions with your own measurements. If they differ, gather evidence and follow the process to correct them.

Document and escalate

For each issue, record the order or product identifiers, the amount in question, your calculation and the supporting evidence. Open a case with these details. Be specific about the period affected and the resolution you request.

Keep expectations realistic

Not every difference will be recoverable and Amazon decides each case. Treat the audit as a quality check that also improves your data, not a source of dependable income.

A worked example

A seller recalculates fees for ten best-selling products and finds one with a fee higher than expected. The catalog shows dimensions larger than the product's actual size, putting it in a higher tier. After correcting the data and providing measurements, the seller requests a review of past charges.

Common mistakes

Typical errors are comparing against the wrong date's fee schedule, relying on supplier measurements and failing to keep evidence. Auditing once and never again is another. Schedule it quarterly.

Checklist for a quarterly fee review

Each quarter, export fee data, sample the top products, verify dimensions and categories, recalculate a handful of orders, log any differences and decide whether each one justifies a case. Record the time spent and the outcome so you can judge whether the routine is worth the effort.

Share a one-page summary with whoever owns profitability, so findings feed into pricing and sourcing decisions rather than staying in a spreadsheet.

Your next three steps

Start with a small, repeatable fee check.

• Pick your ten best-selling products and recalculate fees for a sample of orders.
• Compare catalog dimensions and categories with real measurements.
• Document any gap with identifiers, calculations and evidence.