Check Your Numbers: Sales Disappearing From KDP Dash

[Shoe]

I don't think this relates to the other thread on sales (focused on the UK, I think).

Earlier today I audited my April 15 - May 15 numbers as reported on the KDP dashboard. The audit involved comparing total sales showing on the CURRENT dash to my manual record of sales, taken from the KDP dash every morning. In sum, 101 sales have disappeared (varying from 0 to 8 a day). I've never noticed a discrepancy like this before (and in the past attributed any shortcomings to "returns"--which I never correlated assuming I was right).

Anyone else notice sales missing?

[PaulineMRoss]

I've noticed something similar. Like you, I keep a manual record of sales and borrows/pages read in my own database program. I don't update the numbers every day, more like every 4-6 days, and any day-to-day losses would be invisible. When the new KU rate is issued mid-month, I go back and update all the numbers for the previous month at once. There are always reductions in numbers of sales - a few a day. However, the revenue from sales is almost always unchanged. My guess is that it's just end-of-month housekeeping, sweeping out any registered sales where the money wasn't paid, or possibly returns. I honestly don't think there's anything sinister about it.

[Shoe]

I honestly don't think there's anything sinister about it.

Nor do I, but the number of missing sales is worrying. Usually, it's fifteen total or less.

[LMareeApps]

I just checked mine.  They've deleted all the UK orders that didn't go through to completed sales from end April/beginning May.  I guess trying to figure out the glitch got too hard so they're going with the 'delete and deny' approach instead.

[Simon Haynes]

I download the "previous month's royalty report" About 2 days after the end of each calendar month. When I import that into my software, it replaces the 'month to date' figures from the regular KDP dash. Every month, I lose about US$100 from the sales for the previous month. I can actually watch the figure decline immediately after importing the file.

I get maybe 1 ebook refunded a month, so it's not that. I've just put it down to differences between the estimates on the dashboard and the actual money Amazon received for those sales.