As an Amazon seller, managing inventory is one of the most critical aspects of your business. When an inbound shipment, or part of a shipment, goes missing, it’s essential to submit a claim promptly to recover your lost products. Amazon has specific requirements for the proof of purchase (PoP) documentation you need to provide to ensure your lost inbound shipment claim is processed and reimbursed. While Amazon's guidelines can be challenging and require follow-ups, adhering to them is essential for a successful case. The goal of this article is for sellers to know what these requirements are, and then let TrueOps do the rest!
What is a Proof of Purchase?
A Proof of Purchase (PoP) refers to documentation that verifies you own the missing items. This documentation is vital for Amazon to validate your claim and begin the reimbursement process.
A manufacturer is only required to provide Amazon a signed packing slip of the specific shipment in question as proof of purchase, and we generate these on the client’s behalf.
A reseller is required to provide Amazon with an invoice or a store receipt as proof of purchase.
What does NOT qualify as Proof of Purchase?
A packing slip will not act as a proof of purchase for a reseller (these only work for manufacturers).
Proforma/Commercial Invoice - Amazon does NOT accept Proforma Invoices as a valid proof of ownership. Proforma invoices are sent to a customer before those items are paid for by the buyer, and therefore do not prove that a purchase for those units was completed by the buyer.
Order confirmation - Amazon does not accept order confirmations without the accompanying delivery confirmation/receipt as valid proof of ownership as it does not indicate a completed purchase.
Delivery confirmation - Amazon does not accept delivery confirmations without the accompanying order confirmation with item descriptions, quantities, etc. as it does not break down individual units/quantities. If the delivery confirmation meets all requirements as listed below, it can be used.
Invoice Requirements
For invoices to be considered proof of purchase with Amazon, they must have the following information:
Date of Purchase
Must be prior to the Shipment Created date, which can be found on the Shipment Summary Page
Product Titles of the Missing ASIN
The name of the ASINs with a discrepancy do not 100% have to match the item description on the invoice, but needs to be easily and clearly identifiable as the item in question. The item can also be linked via SKU numbers or other clear identifiers. You can always ask TrueOps for a second opinion!
ASINs for an item with a specific size (of which many sizes are sold) need to have the size in the description on the invoice that matches the size of the item or product title on Seller Central, or it cannot be validated and Amazon will not approve it.
If the invoice is longer or units are hard to identify, we recommend highlighting the relevant units and/or writing in the ASIN to make them more identifiable to our team, as well as Amazon!
Quantity purchased
The units expected for the item in the shipment must be at least the same quantity purchased in the invoice. If it is not, a second invoice accounting for all units should be provided. The invoice may exceed the expected units.
Full name and address of the invoice issuer
Amazon requires the full name and address of the issuer (manufacturer/wholesaler) on each invoice.
There are times when the full name and address of the invoice issuer can be omitted, such as email invoices indicating a purchase was completed on a webstore such as Target, Amazon, etc.. This is a gray area for Amazon; they still may refuse an invoice for this reason.
Full name and address of the buyer
Amazon requires the full name and address of the purchaser on each invoice.
The purchase price is not required and can be concealed
Invoices provided here cannot be used to confirm the reimbursement value. To have the sourcing costs updated, you must do so from the Sourcing costs page
If the invoice does not meet all the above criteria, it will not be accepted by Amazon as valid proof of purchase/ownership.
Receipt Requirements
Resellers may purchase items from online or brick-and-mortar stores for resale on Amazon. Brick-and-mortar receipts do not usually contain the full name and address of the buyer - which is acceptable. Online stores sometimes do not contain the full name and address of the receipt/invoice issuer, which may be acceptable depending on the invoice. Please note that this is a gray area for Amazon; they may still refuse an invoice for this reason, but we do our best to submit these as a valid PoP so long as all other requirements are met.
Online or brick-and-mortar store receipts still ALWAYS require:
Date of Purchase
Product Titles of the Missing ASIN
Quantity purchased
Full name of the receipt issuer
Full name and address of the buyer (for online purchases)
The purchase price is not required and can be concealed.
Partial Claims
If there are units missing that need Proof of Purchase but invoices do not account for all units, or there are no invoices for any of the units, we may still submit a partial claim for other discrepancies - you just need to contact us to request this!