How do I get my settlement files?
In Seller Central, open the Payments report and go to All Statements. Pick a date range if you want to narrow the list, then use the Download button in the Actions column for each settlement period and choose the Flat File V2 option. Amazon's own staff describe this path on the Seller Forums. [2]
Download six to twelve periods if you have them. A single file already gives you the breakdown for that payout, but the drift only shows up once there are a few periods to compare.
How do I read the results?
Check each deposit
Each period card starts with product sales and walks through every group of charges and credits to the amount Amazon says it deposited. Below the list is the check. If the lines in the file add up to the deposit total to the cent, it says so. If they do not, it shows the gap so you can look for it. The deposit total comes from the file's total-amount column and the line amounts from its amount column. [1]
Compare fee shares
The drift table and chart show each group as a percentage of product sales for every period, oldest first. Fees show as negative percentages because they reduce what you are paid. The line under the heading names the group whose share moved the most between your first and last period. That is usually the first thing worth a question to your team or your accountant.
Each currency and store gets its own section, so euros are never added to dollars and a German store is never averaged with a French one. If you drop the same settlement twice, the copy is ignored and named.
What does each line mean?
Each line in a V2 settlement file has a transaction type, an amount type and an amount description. [1] The tool sorts every line into one of the groups below using those three fields. The grouping is ours, written in plain words; open "Lines behind these numbers" on any period to see the exact Amazon labels that went into each group.
- Product sales
- Item price lines on orders: the principal plus any shipping or gift wrap the buyer paid.
- Tax collected and withheld
- Every line whose description mentions tax, plus lines Amazon types as withheld tax.
- Referral fees
- Lines Amazon labels Commission on orders.
- FBA fulfilment fees
- Per unit, per order and weight based fulfilment fees.
- Other per-order fees
- Any other fee attached to an order line, such as closing fees or shipping chargebacks.
- Promotions
- Discounts you funded on orders.
- Refunds
- Everything on refund, chargeback and guarantee claim transactions, fee lines on those transactions included.
- Advertising
- Sponsored ads charges deducted from the payout.
- Storage and inventory fees
- Charges for storing and moving your stock, like storage, placement, removal or disposal fees.
- Subscription
- The selling plan fee.
- Reimbursements
- Lines Amazon labels as reimbursements, such as payments for lost or damaged inventory.
- Reserve held or released
- Lines Amazon labels as reserve amounts, in either direction.
- Other
- Anything that fits none of the above. It is still counted, so the deposit check stays honest.
Where does my data go?
Nowhere. The page reads the files with your browser's own file reader and does the maths on your device. You don't need an account or an email address to use it, and closing the tab clears everything. If your accountant wants a copy, the print button saves the results as a PDF.
Sources
- Amazon Selling Partner API: Settlement report types, Flat File V2 settlement report. The column list, the amount-type, amount-description and amount columns, and the note that amounts use local formats such as 95,00 in the EU.
- Amazon Seller Forums: How to download payment reports, answered by Amazon staff. The All Statements download path.