ConnectBooks used to update FBA inventory based on financial events, so inventory only changed when money moved. That led to some inventory errors:
Lost or damaged items weren't removed from inventory until Amazon reimbursed you, sometimes months later.
Refunds added units back right away, even if the return hadn't arrived yet.
Disposals and removals weren't tracked at all, since they don't create a financial transaction.
Your inventory numbers didn't match what was really in Amazon's warehouse.
What's changed
ConnectBooks now pulls from Amazon's FBA Ledger Report. It tracks the real movement of your inventory, not just when money changes hands.
Here's what that means:
Orders still reduce inventory right away when they ship.
Returns, losses and damages are updated daily, on the date the movement really happened. For example, if Amazon receives 10 returned units on January 1, ConnectBooks logs that return for January 1.
Reimbursements no longer affect inventory counts. Instead, inventory is updated on the date Amazon lost or damaged the item, not when Amazon paid you for it.
Disposals (items Amazon destroys) are now removed from inventory.
Removals (items sent back to you) are now tracked. See "Handling removals" below.
How to turn it on
Contact ConnectBooks Support, pick a start date, and you're set. Reports from that date forward use the new system. Older reports stay on the old method. The new system can't apply to any data from before you joined ConnectBooks.
2 FBA warehouses, kept apart
ConnectBooks now tracks 2 separate FBA warehouses, so your inventory shows the real state of your Amazon stock:
FBA Sellable: Your main FBA warehouse. It holds inventory that's in good condition and ready to sell.
FBA Unsellable: A separate warehouse for items Amazon has flagged as unsellable (damaged, expired and so on). These units are still at Amazon, but they can't be sold.
Keeping them apart keeps your sellable inventory clean. You never count units that can't be sold. When Amazon removes or disposes of an item, ConnectBooks takes it out of the right warehouse.
Handling removals
ConnectBooks used to miss removals. Now they are tracked.
Ask our support team to set, for each store, whether sellable and unsellable removals are taken out of inventory or kept. This is set for the whole store, not for each item.
If you use ConnectStock, removals that are kept go to a removal warehouse. You pick these warehouses when you set up your FBA warehouses (see below):
Sellable removals go to your Sellable Removal Warehouse.
Unsellable removals go to your Unsellable Removal Warehouse.
Setting up your FBA warehouses in ConnectStock
Go to ConnectStock, then Adjustments. Use Bulk Adjustment to enter your starting inventory as of your start date.
Go to Stores & Files, then Inventory Files, and click your file.
Click Edit.
Open Inventory & Warehouse and turn on Warehouse Tracking.
Click Manage Warehouses.
Open the store and set FBA Warehouse and FBA Unsellable Warehouse. Use your main FBA warehouse for FBA Warehouse, and a new warehouse for unsellable units for FBA Unsellable Warehouse. If you see Sellable Removal Warehouse or Unsellable Removal Warehouse, set those too.
Click Save.
That's it. ConnectBooks handles the rest going forward. For any changes that need to apply to past dates, contact ConnectBooks Support.
Quick comparison
Event | Old system | New system |
Orders | Reduced right away | Reduced right away |
Refunds | Added back right away | Added back when FBA receives the return |
Lost / Damaged | Adjusted only if reimbursed | Adjusted on the date it happened |
Disposals | Not tracked | Removed from inventory |
Removals | Not tracked | Sent to a removal warehouse or taken out of inventory |
Financial events | Affected inventory counts | No effect on inventory |
This applies to FBA inventory only. All other inventory works the same as before.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on the new system?
Contact ConnectBooks Support and pick a start date.
Does it change my older reports?
No. Only reports from your start date forward use the new system.
Can I choose what happens to removals item by item?
No. Our support team sets it for each store, once for sellable removals and once for unsellable removals.
Do reimbursements still change my FBA inventory?
No. Inventory changes on the date Amazon lost or damaged the item, not when Amazon pays you.