Amazon FBA Accounting Spreadsheet: A Real Transaction Deep-Dive

Selling on Amazon is a numbers game, but the rules are constantly changing. 

With several complex fee types, including referral, fulfillment by multiple size/weight tiers, storage, aged‑inventory surcharges, removal/disposal, returns, low‑price programs, etc., a simple "sales minus cost" calculation does not cut it. 

For serious sellers, an Amazon FBA accounting spreadsheet is the first line of defense against eroding margins. 

However, translating complex Settlement Reports into a clean, actionable dashboard is harder than it looks. 

This guide breaks down exactly how to map real transactions, handle tricky edge cases like refunds, and recognize when your business volume has outgrown manual Excel tracking.

The Amazon FBA accounting problem: Why spreadsheets are both essential and limiting

Most Amazon sellers underestimate the complexity of FBA accounting until errors cost them money. Amazon’s fee structures and settlement data are so intricate that most sellers miscalculate profit. Spreadsheets help, but only up to a point. 

Amazon charges many different types of fees, including referral fees, FBA fulfillment fees, storage fees, and advertising fees, and most sellers underestimate these costs until they run a detailed profit analysis with a proper calculator or accounting tool.

For example, a seller generating $10,000 per month who misses just 2% in fees loses $200 every month, or $2,400 per year, simply because the spreadsheet was not precise enough.

Spreadsheets are the logical starting point for most sellers because they are free, customizable, and give you direct control over your data. However, as your order volume grows, manual entry becomes error-prone and time-consuming. 

Common pitfalls with spreadsheets for Amazon FBA accounting

• Missing data: Missing or misclassifying Amazon fees
• Timing issues: Delayed reconciliation due to two-week payment cycles
• Discrepancies: Inventory mismatches between reports
• Human error: Formula errors and accidental data overwrites

Understanding the limits of spreadsheets is the first step to building a system that works.

Suggested Read: Solopreneurs: Don’t Make These Ecommerce Accounting Mistakes

What you need to get started with your Amazon FBA accounting spreadsheet

Of Amazon’s many reports, three contain the data you need for accurate accounting:

• Settlement report: Shows every transaction affecting your payout, including sales, refunds, fees, and adjustments. Find it under Reports > Payments > Statement View.

Download this weekly at a minimum; daily is better if you process high volume

• Business report: Breaks down units sold, revenue, and page views by product. Use this to spot trends and identify your top performers
  
  
• FBA inventory report: Tracks your stock levels across Amazon’s fulfillment centers. This is essential for calculating the cost of goods sold (COGS) and knowing when to reorder

Your spreadsheet should include columns for: 

• Order ID
• Order date 
• Product name or SKU 
• Sale price
• FBA fulfillment fee
• Amazon referral fee
• Shipping fees
• Refunds and returns
• Promotional adjustments
• COGS
• Inventory quantity
• Storage fees
• Net profit per unit

Now that you have your data, let us decode what those reports actually mean.

Decoding Amazon settlement reports: Real transaction walkthrough

Amazon settlement reports contain every fee and adjustment that affects your payout. Understanding your settlement report is the key to accurate accounting.

Here is a sample settlement report excerpt:

Table: Sample Amazon Settlement Report Data

Translation key for top fee types

• Principal: Actual product price paid by the customer
• Shipping: The amount the customer paid for delivery
• FBA Per Unit Fulfillment Fee: Amazon’s charge to pick, pack, and ship
• Referral Fee: Amazon’s commission, usually 8–15% of the sale price
• FBA Storage Fee: Monthly charge for inventory storage, per cubic foot
• Refund: Money returned to the customer for a return or cancellation
• Adjustment: Miscellaneous changes, such as reimbursements or reserve holds

Common surprises include storage fees that appear monthly, returns processing fees, and reserve holds where Amazon withholds a portion of your payout for potential chargebacks.

Webgility’s reconciliation engine maps all these fee types automatically, so no manual lookup is required.

With your report decoded, let us map these numbers into your spreadsheet.

Suggested Read: Amazon Seller Accounting Software Guide - Webgility

Step-by-step: Mapping real transactions to your FBA accounting spreadsheet

Map each transaction type to a specific spreadsheet column for full visibility. A repeatable mapping process ensures you capture every dollar.

Let us use an example. 

Suppose you sold a $30 gadget, and the customer paid $5 for shipping. Your settlement report shows:

• Principal: $30.00
• Shipping: $5.00
• Referral Fee: $4.50
• FBA Per Unit Fulfillment Fee: $5.06

In your spreadsheet, enter:

Table: Example spreadsheet mapping for Amazon FBA transaction

Formula example:

Net Revenue = Sale Price + Shipping – Referral Fee – FBA Fee – COGS

Populate each column with the corresponding value from your settlement report and purchase records. Use consistent SKU naming to ensure accurate tracking. Create summary rows to total revenue, fees, COGS, and profit. 

Rely on formulas so your dashboard updates automatically. But what about the tricky cases, like partial refunds or promotions?

Suggested Read: How To Map Products via .CSV File in Webgility Desktop

Handling tricky scenarios: Promotions, partial refunds, and multi-currency transactions

Manual spreadsheets are most vulnerable to errors in edge cases. Edge cases like partial refunds and promos can break manual spreadsheets. 

Here is how to handle them:

• Partial refunds: If a customer keeps the product but receives a partial refund, reduce revenue by the refund amount without changing inventory counts.
  For example, if you refund $10 on a $30 sale, subtract $10 from revenue in a “Partial Refund” column. Adjust your net revenue formula accordingly
  
  
• Promotional discounts: If Amazon or a third party runs a promotion, record the discount in a separate “Promotion Fee” column. Remember, Amazon often calculates referral fees on the pre-discount price, so your actual margin may be lower than expected
  
  
• Multi-currency transactions: When selling internationally, track the foreign currency amount, the exchange rate, and the USD equivalent. Record any conversion losses in a “Currency Adjustment” column
  
  
• Returns and reimbursements: If Amazon reimburses you for lost or damaged inventory, record this as a positive adjustment, not as a sale. Use a
  “Reimbursements” column to keep these separate from regular revenue
  
  
• Reserve holds: If Amazon withholds a portion of your payout, track this in a “Reserve Hold” column. Your available cash will be lower than your reported payout, affecting your cash flow

Channie’s, an Amazon seller, saved over 60 hours per month by automating these edge cases at scale.

Once you have handled edge cases, you are ready to calculate true profit.

Calculating true profit with your Amazon FBA accounting spreadsheet

Accurate profit tracking requires a complete formula. True profit means factoring in every fee, refund, and cost, not just sales minus Amazon payout.

Net profit formula:

Net Profit = Sales – FBA Fees – Amazon Referral Fees – Refunds – COGS

Using the earlier example:

• Sales: $30.00
• FBA Fees: $5.06
• Referral Fees: $4.50
• Refunds: $0.00
• COGS: $15.00

Net Profit = $30.00 – $5.06 – $4.50 – $0.00 – $15.00 = $5.44

Track COGS using actual purchase invoices. For inventory valuation, most sellers use weighted average cost, which smooths out price fluctuations and is easier to calculate in a spreadsheet. 

If your gross margin is under 40%, review your pricing, COGS, or fee structure.

Webgility tracks true margins down to the SKU, no matter how many channels or products you sell. But what if you sell on more than just Amazon?

When FBA is not your only channel: Managing multi-marketplace accounting

Multi-channel selling multiplies accounting complexity: 

• Adding another channel means double the manual entry, increased risk of inventory mismatches, and more fee types to track
• Reconciling payouts to orders becomes a challenge, especially when each platform has its own fee structure and payout schedule
• Tracking inventory across channels is difficult, and errors can lead to overselling or stockouts

For example, Epic Mens, a multi-channel seller, saved over 80 hours per week after automating multi-channel accounting with Webgility. Manual spreadsheets simply cannot scale to handle the volume and complexity of multi-marketplace operations.

Webgility syncs all channels to one accounting system in real time, eliminating manual entry and reducing errors.

Scaling beyond spreadsheets: What fast-growing FBA sellers do next

Automation is a growth milestone, not a fix for spreadsheet failure. Top sellers automate their accounting because their business has outgrown manual processes.

Signs it is time to automate:

• Processing over 500 orders per month
• Selling on multiple channels
• Spending 10+ hours per week on manual entry
• Experiencing frequent reconciliation errors

Automation delivers real-time reconciliation, error reduction, faster closes, and SKU-level margin tracking. For instance, PartyMachines reduced manual work by 8–16 hours per week. 

How Webgility helps

Webgility provides real-time sync across Amazon, Shopify, eBay, and more. It automates order, fee, and payout mapping, tracks SKU-level profitability, and integrates with QuickBooks and NetSuite. 

Trusted by over 5,000 ecommerce businesses, Webgility is a strategic partner of Intuit and offers official integrations with leading accounting platforms.

Take control of your Amazon FBA finances

You now have the tools to track true profit and avoid costly errors. 

Mastering spreadsheets gives you visibility and control over your Amazon business. However, manual data entry will eventually become a bottleneck that threatens your growth.

Webgility solves this by connecting Amazon Seller Central directly to your accounting software. It automatically captures every fee, refund, and adjustment from your Settlement Reports and maps them to your books with line-item precision. 

Book a demo today to see how top sellers automate their Amazon accounting.

FAQs

How do I track Amazon FBA fees accurately in my spreadsheet?

List every fee type, including referral, fulfillment, storage, and adjustments, in separate columns. Use Amazon’s settlement report as your source and update your spreadsheet regularly for accuracy.

What is the best way to handle partial refunds in my FBA accounting?

Subtract the refund amount from your revenue without changing inventory counts. Use a dedicated column for partial refunds to keep your calculations clear and accurate.

Can I manage multi-channel sales in one spreadsheet?

It is possible, but manual spreadsheets become error-prone with multiple channels. Automation tools can sync data from all platforms and reduce manual entry.

When should I switch from spreadsheets to accounting automation?

If you process over 500 orders per month, sell on multiple channels, or spend over 10 hours weekly on manual entry, automation can save time and reduce errors.