How to Automatically Sync & Import the FBA Returns to Google Sheets (The Hopted Way)

Using an Amazon to Google Sheets integration like Hopted, you set up the connection once, and your data flows automatically.

Step 1.

Install the Hopted browser extension and sign in using your Google Account.

Step 2.

Securely connect your Amazon Seller Central to Google Sheets using Hopted's integration wizard.

Step 3.

In Google Sheets, from the list of available Amazon Seller Central reports, select "FBA Returns" for a specific date range. This can be as recent as the "Last 24 hours" or a custom range going as far back as 35 months. For this example, we'll select "Include records from 18 months ago".

Step 4.

Select columns that you need: Amazon Order ID, ASIN, disposition, returns reason, and other fields.

Step 5.

Set your schedule. Choose how often you want to export and refresh your Amazon FBA returns—every hour, every day, or less frequent.

Step 6.

Save your data pipeline. This will export your Amazon FBA returns from Seller Central into spreadsheets instead of dealing with CSVs. The orders in your spreadsheets will be up to data forever.

What is the Amazon FBA Returns Report?

The FBA Customer Returns report lists customer-returned items received at an Amazon fulfillment center and includes Return Reason and Disposition (e.g., sellable, customer-damaged, defective). It’s part of Amazon’s FBA Customer Concessions reports and is designed for FBA sellers.

Best for:

• Identifying high-return ASINs and top reasons (fit, defective, not as described).

• Tracking dispositions to understand loss vs. restockable units.

• Surfacing customer comments for quality feedback loops.

Note: Some customer refunds are granted without a physical return; those won’t appear here—use FBA Reimbursements reports to reconcile such cases.

This report answers the two most important questions for product quality:

1. WHY is this product being returned? (The reason column)

2. WHAT is the condition of the returned item? (The detailed-disposition column)

How to Analyze & Track Your Amazon FBA Returns in Spreadsheets

Now that you have a live feed, you can move from data entry to data analysis. This is the real power of analyzing your Amazon Seller Central data in spreadsheets.

Here are 3 "recipes" you can build immediately:

Recipe 1: Find Your "Problem SKUs"

This report answers: "Which of my products are returned the most?"

1. Create a Pivot Table from your Hopted data sheet.

2. Rows: Add SKU and Product name.

3. Values: Add Order id (summarized by COUNTA).

4. Sort: Sort by "COUNTA of order-id" in descending order.

Result: You now have a ranked list of your most-returned products. This is the first place to look for problems.

Recipe 2: Analyze Why Customers Return Your Products

This report answers: "Is my listing inaccurate? Is my product defective?"

1. Create another Pivot Table.

2. Rows: Add Reason.

3. Values: Add Order id (summarized by COUNTA).

4. AI: Write a formula =AI("Categorize this returns reason: " && Reason).

Result: You'll instantly see your top return reasons and categories. A high count of "NOT_AS_DESCRIBED" means you must fix your product listing. A high count of "ITEM_DEFECTIVE" signals a major quality control or manufacturing issue.

Recipe 3: Track the Financial Impact (Dispositions)

This report answers: "How many of my returns are damaged vs. sellable?"

1. Create a third Pivot Table.

2. Rows: Add Detailed disposition.

3. Values: Add Order id (summarized by COUNTA).

Result: This report shows you the condition of your returned inventory. You can track "CUSTOMER_DAMAGED"(often not reimbursable) vs. "DEFECTIVE" or "CARRIER_DAMAGED" (which may be eligible for reimbursement).

Common workflows this report unlocks

• Act on causes, not symptoms: pivot Reason + Disposition (sellable vs damaged/defective) to drive content fixes, supplier QA, and packaging changes.

• Pinpoint high-return ASINs/SKUs: track 7/30-day return rate trends to surface top offenders fast.

• Recover money: reconcile returns vs reimbursements/refunds to spot gaps and file claims.

• Early-warning alerts: flag sudden spikes (e.g., returns within 7–14 days of purchase) to catch quality or listing issues.

• Forecast inventory impact: quantify restockable vs write-off units by ASIN to adjust replenishment and POs.

• Mine customer comments: extract themes (fit, not-as-described, wrong item) to improve listings and reduce future returns.

FAQ about FBA returns

Q: Does it include reason & disposition?
Yes—Return Reason and Disposition (e.g., sellable/defective/damaged) are included in this returns dataset.

Q: Why don’t some refunds appear in this report?
Amazon may issue refunds without a physical return; those won’t show here. Cross-check FBA Reimbursements.

Q: What happens to Amazon FBA returns?
When a customer returns an FBA item, Amazon inspects it at the fulfillment centre. If Sellable: The item is put back into your inventory to be sold again. If Unsellable (damaged or defective): The item is marked as "Unfulfillable." You then decide whether to have Amazon return the item to you, dispose of it, or (if eligible) liquidate it.

Q: Customer damaged FBA returns. What to do?
When an item is returned and Amazon's fulfillment centre classifies it as "Customer Damaged": The item is immediately moved to your Unfulfillable Inventory. Amazon does not reimburse you for "Customer Damaged" returns. This is treated as a cost of doing business and is different from "Warehouse Damaged" or "Carrier Damaged" items, for which Amazon does take financial responsibility. You must then pay to have the item returned to you (Removal Order) or disposed of by Amazon.

Q: How to manage FBA returns?
Effective FBA return management involves 3 key actions: 1) Monitor: Set up automated exports into spreadsheets (e.g., Google Sheets) and share it across your team (see the guide above). 2) Act on Unsellable: Immediately create Removal or Disposal Orders for all unfulfillable inventory to avoid storage fees. 3) Automate: Enable Automated Unfulfillable Inventory Settings to have Amazon automatically return or dispose of these items for you.

Q: What are the Amazon FBA return fees?
Returns Processing Fee + Removal / Disposal Fees

Q: Can I connect the Amazon FBA Returns report to Excel? Yes. Hopted works as an Excel plugin for Amazon Seller Central as well. The process is identical: connect your account, select the "FBA Customer Returns" report, and set your sync schedule to pull data directly into your Excel workbook.

Q: How is this different from the Refunds report? The "FBA Customer Returns" report shows what was returned and why. Other reports (like the Settlement report) show the financial transaction of a refund. You need this report to fix product quality and listing issues.

Q: How often should I sync?
Operations usually benefit from daily syncs. Choose the cadence that matches your SLA risk tolerance.

Q: Can I analyze orders without scripts?
Yes—Hopted writes clean, normalized rows to your sheet, ready for pivots and formulas.

Q: How is Hopted different from other Amazon seller software?
Most Amazon tools force you into their rigid dashboards and pre-built reports. You have to change your workflow to fit their software. With Hopted is the opposite. It’s a flexible data automation layer that works directly inside your existing spreadsheets (like Google Sheets). Instead of forcing you to learn a new system, Hopted brings all your scattered Amazon data (sales, inventory, FBA returns, etc.) right to you. You can build the fully custom reports and automations you need, not the ones a rigid tool dictates.

Related Automation & Reports

Once you've mastered the All Orders report, you can expand your automated dashboard:

• [Internal Link -> Pillar Page] Auto-Import Your Amazon Inventory Report: Sync your inventory levels to cross-reference with your sales data.

• [Internal Link -> Pillar Page] Connect Your Amazon FBA Shipments Report: Track your inbound FBA inventory.

• [Internal Link -> PillarPage] Automate Your Amazon Settlement Reports: Simplify your accounting and reconciliation.