A seller in r/FulfillmentByAmazon reported four inbound FBA boxes stuck in “In Transit” limbo for nearly two weeks between Hagerstown and Middletown, PA — with UPS capping liability at $100 per package despite thousands of dollars of manufactured goods inside. Stalled inbound shipments are one of the most common (and most expensive) operational headaches in FBA, so it’s worth understanding the process and the limits before you’re the one filing the claim.
What happened in the thread
- Four packages shipped into an FBA facility, scanned at an intermediate location, then sat with no further movement.
- Amazon Seller Central showed status “In Transit”; UPS tracking showed “on their way” — neither system flagged a problem.
- The seller attempted a UPS claim and was told liability was limited to $100, the default declared value.
- The seller didn’t recall a field for declaring value anywhere in the Seller Central shipping workflow.
Why the $100 cap happens
- Amazon Partnered Carrier (UPS) rates are discounted precisely because they carry standard default declared value — typically $100 per package.
- The Seller Central inbound workflow does not surface a declared-value field for partnered UPS small parcel shipments, which is why most sellers never realize they’re underinsured.
- Amazon knowing the retail value of your shipment does not translate into carrier liability. Those are two separate contracts.
Practical steps when a shipment stalls
- Wait out the reconciliation window. Amazon generally won’t investigate an inbound shipment as missing until a set period after the expected delivery date. Filing too early usually results in a “still in transit” auto-response.
- Open a case with Seller Central Support, not just the carrier. Reference the shipment ID, the last carrier scan, and the number of units per box.
- Document everything now: packing lists, box content declarations, unit counts per box, cost of goods, and photos of the packed boxes if you have them. Reconciliation claims stand or fall on this paperwork.
- Pursue the carrier trace separately. A UPS package trace can locate a mis-scanned or mis-sorted parcel even when a monetary claim is capped.
- Understand the two possible outcomes: if units are eventually received, the discrepancy resolves itself. If they’re never scanned in, you pursue an Amazon reimbursement for lost inbound inventory — which is typically based on your cost or Amazon’s valuation, not the carrier’s $100 cap.
Preventing a repeat
- For high-value inbound shipments, consider using your own carrier account (non-partnered) where you control declared value and insurance.
- Consider third-party shipping insurance for inbound freight; it’s usually cheaper than the exposure.
- Split high-value SKUs across multiple shipments rather than concentrating thousands of dollars of inventory in four boxes.
- Keep a per-box manifest with unit counts and COGS as a standing habit — it’s the single most useful artifact in any reconciliation case.
How Squatio helps
Squatio can’t move a stuck parcel, but the real damage from a stalled shipment is usually downstream: your listing goes out of stock, rank slides, and ad spend keeps burning against inventory you can’t fulfill.
- Use Squatio Decode (ASIN lookup, listing visibility & Sentiment IQ review analysis) to monitor how your listing’s visibility and buy box status shift while the shipment is in limbo, so you know exactly how much rank you’re losing and how hard you’ll need to push once units land.
- Use Squatio Optimize (PPC intelligence) to identify which campaigns to throttle during a stockout and which to reactivate first when inventory is finally received — protecting budget instead of paying for clicks that convert to nothing.
For sellers who’ve been through inbound reconciliation: did Amazon eventually receive the units late, or did you have to file a lost-shipment claim — and what documentation did support actually accept?