Amazon sales reports lagging?

If you think there's an issue with your account you should contact Amazon. Apparently this has happened before (found via google):

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/02/2012/is-amazon-having-royalty-reporting-problems/

JoyceH said:

Come on, someone here must publish on Amazon!

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It's only been two hours since your first post. Not everyone who reads/posts on this site checks it that often. I usually check once or twice a day.

Lags in reporting are common, especially around the end of a month or the beginning of a month, but they can occur any time. They will catch up on your reports and you will suddenly see several sales at one time. There is no "normal" reporting time.

The June monthly report of sales will be posted in your reports by July 15th. The weekly report is updated late Saturday evening.

My best advice is to take a deep breath and check your reports once or twice a day until you see that the sales have shown up.

First off, relax. Amazon only promises to update by the 15th of each month. Yes, I publish on Amazon so this I know.

Second, after you've been with Amazon for awhile the report tends to get updated somewhat more often, but it usually lags by 2-3 days in my experience, but not always. Rankings tend to update in real time, but since I only check rankings after I've made a sale this can be terribly misleading.

Third, relax. Obsessively checking your rankings and sales numbers is something that takes you away from your real job - writing (if you're a writer). Check once a day. Check once a week or once a month. I know how tempting it is to check every chance you get, but it's unproductive (goes to check his own report).

JoyceH said:

Two hours?! Look again. My first post was two days ago.

As for "The weekly report is updated late Saturday evening." - for which week? The week just ended? The last week I'm seeing is the one ending 6/23. That's what I'm asking, is that normal. Has your week ending 6/30 posted?

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You are correct. I was looking at the time, not the date.

Yes, my week ending 6/30 has posted. Yes, it posts for the week that has just ended.

M.Macabre and FOTSGreg are dispensing good advice.

The six-week report updates at midnight Pacific time on Saturday night as it clicks over to Sunday morning.

The 6/30 report should have posted. But, Amazon had a major slowdown over the weekend, with several anomalies throughout the KDP system. I suspect they were deploying new software.

If you're concerned by the lack of a weekly report, you should write to support, but be aware that there won't be a 6/30 report posted if they don't have sales listed for the previous week.

You should also be aware that the lag between a sale being posted on the Month-to-Date Unit Sales report and when the Amazon Sales Rank changes on the book's public page varies from five to twelve hours ... or more.

The spreadsheet that Amazon uploads around the 15th is supposed to be the definitive answer. But the only real data that you're ever going to have is how much money is deposited in your bank account .... two months after the month of the sale.

If you're talking hard-copy POD books, those won't post until after the books have been printed and shipped.

Relax.

One additional thought. If the giveaway copies you bought were sent as gifts to whoever won them, the sale won't post until the recipient actually downloads the book. That might explain the lag.

Amazon along with other web based business had severe problems on 6/30 due to a major storm that tore through the east cost. A lot of telephone companies and Internet providers lost power to some of their servers on the east coast.

As of today, some of them are still experiencing problems with slow speeds, accessibility and cloud storage problems. I know, I live in the areas affected...

Lastly, checking your Amazon rankings and sales reports, even on a daily basis, will drive you crazy trying to figure out where you are. The report on the 15th is the definitive report...

Relax, chill out, continue with your writing...