Amazon Reports: The Art of Keeping Sellers in the Dark 🎨

You're not alone if you see some funky discrepancies between your Business Reports and Payments Reports. Blame it on Amazon's shiny new Delivery Date Policy & Deferred Transactions policy update from November 1st.

What this policy is about: Amazon holds onto your funds under a “Delivery Date + 7” reserve policy.

So, if you sell an item on January 1 and deliver it on January 6, your funds won’t be available for disbursement until January 14 (seven days after the DD).

Amazon does this to ensure there are enough funds for potential refunds, claims, or chargebacks.

This change makes P&L tracking an absolute nightmare. Instead of clear, accurate reporting, we’re left piecing together sales data with delivery date + 7 and fees like a treasure hunt. (Spoiler: The treasure is delayed payouts.)

Now, I understand this change is meant to protect customers and Amazon from chargebacks and other similar issues. Amazon wants more money in the bank, but introducing discrepancies that leave sellers scratching their heads raises a bigger question: Why not ensure clarity and consistency before rolling out changes?

After all, accurate reporting is the foundation for sellers to thrive on the platform.

🚨 Pro Tip: Check out the "Deferred Transactions" section in your Payment Reports to see what’s being withheld. Just don’t expect the report to align because… math is hard, apparently.

Amazon, we love you (most of the time), but maybe it’s time to consider a "transparency update"