UnilyticFBA removal orders in India what they cost, how long they take, and when to claim
How to remove stock from an Amazon fulfilment centre: the two ways to create an order, the bulk file, what Amazon charges, how long it takes, and the 30-day and 7-day windows if units arrive short or damaged.
Every figure here comes from the Removal Order Detail report of one Amazon India business that agreed to share its data for this guide. One seller, not an average.
What a removal order is
A removal order is an instruction to Amazon to take units out of a fulfilment centre. There are two methods on the create page in Seller Central: Dispatch Receiver Address, which ships the units to an address you choose, and Dispose of, which has Amazon destroy them. In a bulk file the same choice is the RemovalDisposition column.
Three rules shape everything else. One removal order carries one disposition, so ten units to return and ten to dispose of need two order IDs. Each line has a fulfillable quantity (sellable units) and an unfulfillable quantity (units Amazon has set aside as unsellable). And a removal order cannot be used to fulfil customer orders.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA removal order fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
People reach for a removal order for four reasons: unsellable returns that need to come home, stock that is accumulating long-term storage fees, stranded inventory, and listings you are retiring. The reconciliation side, where you check that what left matches what arrived, is covered under when units arrive short or damaged.
Automatic removals
A lot of removal orders are never created by a person. Amazon's automatic removal page describes two settings, both under Fulfilment by Amazon settings.
Automated Unfulfillable Removal. When stock becomes unsellable, Amazon marks it unfulfillable and holds it for 30 days. If you have not removed it by then, Amazon may dispose of it. The page says this service is on by default, with a weekly schedule, for all sellers. You can edit the schedule, the notification email and the return address, or turn it off. It uses your main address, or a per-fulfilment-centre address if you set one, and a pin code serviceability check applies. Units lost, or damaged in the warehouse, are not eligible for removal.
Long-term storage removal. Removal orders for inventory that may incur long-term storage fees are created one to two weeks after the last day of each month. You can return everything that qualifies, or set a return price ceiling: units valued above it stay and pay the long-term storage fee, the rest come back to you.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Automatic inventory removal (amazon.in, read October 2026).
In the removal report of the business behind this guide, all 461 lines came from automatic systems: 412 from the unsellable removal system, 48 from an automated removal of fulfillable stock, and one from an automated stranded removal. Not one order was created by hand. If you do not look at the Removals report, units you did not choose to move are arriving at your return address, and each shipped unit carries a fee.
Check two things once: that the return address on the automatic setting is a place that can receive parcels, and that the weekly schedule is what you want. A removal that cannot be delivered is the one you will later be claiming on.
Creating one by hand
This is the screen flow as it appears on amazon.in in October 2026.
Start from the SKU
Go to Supply Chain, then Manage Amazon Inventory. Open the dropdown next to the SKU's Edit Listing button and choose Create a removal order.
Pick the fulfilment centre and method
Choose the fulfilment centre the stock is in. Then choose Dispatch Receiver Address, or Dispose of. The page shows the receiver address with its GSTIN, and a Change link.
Check the service speed
The page shows Standard, with the note that removal orders take 10 to 14 days to process and ship by ground shipping, and an Estimated Fees link.
Set an ID, enter quantities, review
Type your own removal order ID, or leave it blank and Amazon generates one. In each SKU's row, enter the number of saleable units in Fulfillable quantity for removal and unsaleable units in Unfulfillable quantity for removal, then press Review. More SKUs can be added from the search box at the bottom of the page.
Amazon's page also links to Fix Stranded Inventory, See automatic removal settings, and View your removal report. They all end in the same removal orders.
The bulk file
For more than a handful of SKUs, use Create a removal order with a template file (top right of the create page), or go straight to the upload page in Seller Central (you need to be signed in). It has three steps: download the template, upload your tab-delimited file, then review the status and history of your last 10 uploads.
MerchantRemovalOrderID: your own order ID, alphanumeric, 10 characters. It shows on the packing slip and ship label.RemovalDisposition: one ofreturn,expeditedReturn,disposalorpickup. The template also listsdonateandliquidateas not yet available. One value per order ID.AddressName, the address lines, city, country code (IN), state and postal code: the recipient.ContactPhoneNumberis their phone number.DestinationStateGSTNumber: required. The recipient's 15-character GST number with no special characters, orNAwhen removing only non-taxable items.RemoveFromFCCode: the fulfilment centre to remove from, for example BOM1.MerchantSKU,SellableQuantityandUnsellableQuantity: one line per SKU.
Save the file as tab-delimited text. A file can carry up to 1,000 lines; a longer list may time out. Amazon's own tip is to upload a test file with one item first. If an upload shows errors, the processing report tells you what to fix.
Some problems only appear after the file uploads, when you track the order: a pin code Amazon cannot deliver to, a SKU Amazon does not recognise (the order shows as Order Unable to Process), or a SKU with no stock.
Unilytic can build this file from the Dashboard for you. It fills in the template headers and your quantities per SKU, and you upload the result in Seller Central.
What it costs
Amazon charges a removal fee for every unit removed. These are per-unit fees, before tax, and Amazon adds 18% GST. Prices include delivery.
- Standard size: self pickup ₹10, standard shipping ₹10, fast shipping ₹30, disposal ₹0.
- Heavy and large: self pickup ₹100, standard shipping ₹100, fast shipping not available, disposal ₹0.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA removal order fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Three details matter. Disposal is ₹0 a unit, so there is no fee and no GST to pay on it. Since 1 May 2026 the fee is charged as each unit is removed, instead of after the whole order is processed. And an item counts as heavy and bulky if it is in a listed category such as a washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, television or large furniture, weighs more than 22.5 kg, is longer than 183 cm on its longest side, has a girth over 300 cm, or ships in several boxes or needs installation.
The page also says pickup removal is temporarily closed, and points you to standard removal to a ship or return address instead.
In the report behind this guide, 414 lines carried a fee and every one was exactly ₹11.80 per shipped unit, which matches ₹10 plus 18% GST. Units that were cancelled were not charged. You can find the charges in the Payments report: on the Transaction View tab choose Service Charge and look for FBA Removal Order: Return Fee.
How long it takes, and cancelling
Amazon's create page says removal orders are typically fulfilled within 10 to 14 business days, and that in the peak removal period from October to December, processing can take up to 30 days. While an order is inside those timeframes, Amazon says you do not need to contact Seller Support. The page itself says "days" in one place and "business days" in another, so plan on the longer reading.
Order statuses appear under Manage Orders (use Advanced Search with the removal order ID): Planning, Pending, Processing, Completed and Cancelled.
On one account, an order could be cancelled while it was in Planning or Pending, and not once it was Processing. Amazon's help text describes it the other way round. Treat the Cancel this order button on your own order as the authority, and do not count on cancelling once the status moves to Processing. Mandatory removals that Amazon initiates itself cannot be cancelled at all, and compliance-related removals cannot be cancelled once created.
If an order's status is still Planning or Pending, you have time to change your mind.
When units arrive short or damaged
Amazon pays for units lost or damaged in a removal shipment, but only if you claim inside a short window.
- Shipment, or units in it, lost: claim within 30 days of the removal order ship date.
- Units delivered short, damaged or swapped: claim within 7 days of delivery.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA lost inventory reimbursement policy (amazon.in, read September 2026).
For a lost removal, first check whether the units came back into your inventory. In Reports, Fulfilment, open the Inventory Ledger, choose Full Details view, filter by the FNSKU and the dates, and look for the units being received back around the date the tracking ID says they returned to the origin. Amazon's claim page still describes this report with an older name, Information View, which no longer appears on the screen; the Summary View and Full Details view are the two options now. If some or all of the units were not added back, file within 30 days.
For a lost shipment you need the removal order ID and the tracking ID. For units missing from a delivered box Amazon asks for the removal order ID, the tracking ID, an image of the full shipping label showing the tracking ID and weight, a proof of delivery stating that units were missing, images of all sides of the outer carton (for signs of tampering), and an image of the contents with the quantity clearly visible. For damaged units, Amazon's damaged inventory policy asks for the FNSKU or LPN label, the shipping label or packing slip, the outer carton, and one or two images of the damage, with the units grouped and counted if there are several.
Amazon may require a continuous unboxing video: all sides of the closed box, the shipping label, the outer box being opened, every unit and its LPN or FNSKU label, and all six sides of each item. A video in two parts, or one with pauses, is not accepted. Decide before the box arrives who opens removal boxes and with what phone. A claim without the evidence can be rejected at Amazon's sole discretion.
Two limits to know. Self-pickup removals are not reimbursed: once the stock leaves the fulfilment centre in your hands, the safe handling is yours. And a claim is paid at fair market value less fees, not at your cost price, as described in the FBA reimbursement guide. To file, use the Contact us link on Amazon's policy page, or start from the Seller Central help centre.
The photographs and video you would want on a removal are the same habits as the returns evidence checklist. Set them up once and they cover both.
Reading the removal report
The Removal Order Detail report lists every removal order and its items, so you can reconcile what you asked for against what was removed. In Seller Central it sits under Supply Chain, Supply chain report, Removal order information. Through the Selling Partner API the report type is GET_FBA_FULFILLMENT_REMOVAL_ORDER_DETAIL_DATA; a second report, GET_FBA_FULFILLMENT_REMOVAL_SHIPMENT_DETAIL_DATA, carries shipment tracking and leaves out disposed items and cancelled returns.
order-id: the removal order ID. One order has one line per SKU.order-source: who created it. Seen: Seller-configured Automated Unfulfillable Removal System, Seller-configured Automated Fulfillable Removal System, Automated Stranded Removal System.order-type: return or disposal. Every line in the file was Return.order-status: seen Delivered, Completed and Cancelled.disposition: Sellable or Unsellable.requested-quantity,shipped-quantity,cancelled-quantity,disposed-quantity: what the order asked for, what left, what was taken off, and what was destroyed. Shipped is what you are charged for, and what to count when the box arrives.removal-fee: rupees charged on the line. In this file ₹11.80 per shipped unit, GST included.
The reconciliation is one sum per line: requested equals shipped plus cancelled plus disposed plus in-process. When shipped is higher than what reached your shelf, that is the gap to look into, inside the 30 and 7 day windows above. One thing to watch: the timestamps in the file carry a +02:00 offset, not Indian time, so a request near midnight can show a different date from the one in Seller Central.
Receiving removals in Unilytic
Unilytic's warehouse module has a removal order flow. You scan the Box ID on each box that arrives, then the LPN or FNSKU on each unit, and Unilytic looks up what Amazon says the unit is and records its condition, with photographs for damaged units. It rejects a Box ID it has already received, so the same box cannot be counted twice.
Unilytic does not file claims for you. It gives you the box-level and unit-level record to claim from. Scanning returns at your own warehouse is covered in local warehouse returns.
Questions sellers ask
What is an FBA removal order?
A removal order tells Amazon to take your units out of a fulfilment centre and either send them to an address you choose (return) or destroy them (disposal). On amazon.in you create one from Manage Inventory, from a template file, or Amazon creates it for you through the automatic removal settings. A removal order cannot be used to fulfil a customer order.
How much does an Amazon removal order cost in India?
Per unit, before 18% GST: for standard-size items ₹10 for standard shipping, ₹30 for fast shipping and ₹0 for disposal; for heavy and large items ₹100 for standard shipping, with disposal at ₹0. Fast shipping is not available for heavy and large items. In one business's removal report every shipped unit was charged ₹11.80, which is ₹10 plus 18% GST.
How long does an Amazon removal order take in India?
The create page says removal orders are typically fulfilled within 10 to 14 business days, and that during peak removal periods (October to December) processing can take up to 30 days. Amazon says there is no need to contact Seller Support while the order is within those timeframes.
Can I cancel a removal order?
In the testing we did on one account, an order could be cancelled while its status was Planning or Pending, but not once it was Processing. Amazon's own help text describes this differently, so check the Cancel this order button on your order. Mandatory removals that Amazon starts itself cannot be cancelled.
What is automated unfulfillable removal on Amazon India?
Unsellable stock in a fulfilment centre is set aside as unfulfillable and Amazon holds it for 30 days, after which it may dispose of it. Amazon's page says automated unsellable removal is on by default, set to weekly, for all sellers, and sends the stock to the return address you set. You can change the schedule and address, or turn it off, in the Fulfilment by Amazon settings.
How do I claim for a lost or damaged removal order?
Claim a removal that was lost in transit within 30 days of the removal order ship date. Claim units delivered short, damaged or swapped within 7 days of delivery. You need the removal order ID and tracking ID, and Amazon may ask for a continuous unboxing video. Self-pickup removals are not reimbursed.
FBA reimbursements in India
Amazon now pays some losses without a case - but its report only shows what it paid, never what it missed. How to read the reimbursement report, what Amazon pays for a lost unit, and how to find what is still owed.
Reimbursements & claimsHow to read the Amazon Inventory Ledger
The bank statement for your FBA stock: the two views, the columns and event types, how to reconcile a SKU, and the three traps that make stock look lost when it is not.