📉 Why The Different Numbers?

As a SellerLegend user, you may notice that your Sales Dashboard and Profit & Loss (P&L) report show different numbers — even for the same date range.

This is perfectly normal.

Each report answers a different question:

• 🛒 What was ordered, and when? (Sales Dashboard)

• 💸 What was paid out, and when? (P&L)

This article explains:

• ✅ What each report shows

• ⚖️ Why they differ

• 🧠 How to use both together

• ⏳ How Amazon’s Delivery Date + 7 Days (DD+7) policy affects your numbers

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🧭 Overview: What Each Report Shows

📊 Sales Dashboard – Order Activity View

Focuses on sales performance based on when customers place orders.

Includes:

• Total revenue from pending, partially shipped, and shipped orders

• Amazon commissions and FBA fees

• Daily estimated PPC costs (adjusted retroactively by Amazon)

Excludes:

• Non-sales-related costs (e.g. storage, labeling, subscriptions)

Timing Basis: Order Date

A sale made on July 5 appears on the Dashboard for July 5, even if it’s not shipped or paid out yet.

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💰 Profit & Loss (P&L) – Financial Settlement View

Focuses on actual income and costs based on when Amazon settles payments.

Includes:

• Settled orders and related fees

• Non-sales fees (e.g. storage, inbound shipping)

• Final billed PPC costs

• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)

Timing Basis: Settlement Date

An order placed on July 5, delivered on July 7, will typically appear in the P&L around July 14, after Amazon releases the funds.

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🔍 Why the Numbers Don’t Match

1. Order Date vs. Settlement Date

🧠 Example:
A July 1–31 Dashboard includes all July orders, even if not delivered.
But the P&L for July only includes orders Amazon settled in July — which may include June orders, and exclude late-July ones.

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2. Different Order Sets

The Sales Dashboard shows:

• More complete sales activity

• Orders that may not yet be visible in the P&L

The P&L shows:

• Only settled orders

• Potentially includes older orders from the previous month

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3. COGS Reporting Differences

This affects profitability figures when comparing the same date ranges.

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4. PPC Timing Differences

• Dashboard: Shows daily estimated PPC costs

• P&L: Shows billed PPC charges, logged when Amazon processes the payment

🧠 Daily PPC estimates in the Dashboard help track campaign impact in real time, while the P&L reflects your actual advertising spend.

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5. Returns & Refunds

• Dashboard: Assigns refunds to the original sale date

• P&L: Logs refunds based on the processing date

This causes differences in net profit and margins, depending on the report.

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6. Amazon’s DD+7 Policy

Amazon delays releasing funds until 7 days after delivery, or 30–45 days for Amazon Business invoices.

Because the Finances API only exposes released transactions, SellerLegend’s P&L won’t show these deferred orders until the funds are released.

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✅ How to Use Each Report Effectively

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🔧 Reconciling the Differences

• Match Sales Dashboard to Business Reports

• Match P&L to Payments Reports

• Don’t expect the two to align perfectly — they answer different business questions

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🧾 Managing Deferred Transactions (DD+7)

How to Check Deferred Orders:

Seller Central → Payments > Transaction View → Filter: “Deferred Transactions”

⚠️ This view is not available via API, so SellerLegend cannot reflect these orders until Amazon releases the funds.

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Estimate Deferred Revenue:

Example:

• 10 orders placed July 3–9 at $20 each

• Deferred revenue ≈ $200

• Likely released between July 10–16

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Tips:

• Build in a cash flow buffer for DD+7 delays

• Prioritize high-margin SKUs to absorb timing gaps

• Email seller-payments-experience@amazon.com if the policy impacts your operations

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🔁 What About Amazon’s Own Reports?

SellerLegend follows this same model — that’s why the Sales Dashboard and P&L don’t match, and aren’t supposed to.

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🎯 Final Thoughts

Both reports are essential — just for different reasons. Use the Dashboard for sales momentum and the P&L for financial truth.