(Finance API vs. Ordered Sales Attribution — and Why Amazon's Own Reports Don't Match Each Other)
Kapoq's Accounting data comes exclusively from Amazon's Finance API, which is the same data source Amazon uses to generate Payment Reports.
It does not use Business Reports, All Orders, or any other ordered-revenue views in Seller Central.
Because the Finance API follows a shipped-and-posted attribution model—not order-date attribution—the timing of revenue, fees, and adjustments will differ from what you see in other Amazon reports.
This is normal, expected, and happens for all sellers, even outside Kapoq.
This article explains:
Why Amazon's own reports never match day-to-day
How Finance API attribution differs from ordered-sales metrics
Why Kapoq's numbers align with Payment Reports, not Business Reports
What timing rules affect Finance API revenue
How deferred transactions work and where to find them in Kapoq
How to correctly interpret Kapoq Accounting
1. Amazon Orders Reports vs. Amazon Payment Reports
Before explaining Kapoq's data, it's important to understand Amazon's two conflicting attribution systems, displayed in Kapoq as Product Sales and Accounting data.
✔️ Orders Report = Order-date attribution
Shows revenue based on when the customer placed the order.
Tracks actual buyer demand
Ideal for reading sales trends and ad attribution
Does not reflect cash flow
Includes unshipped, unposted, and unreconciled orders
✔️ Payment Reports = Settlement-date attribution
Shows revenue based on when Amazon disburses money to you.
Includes only shipped and cleared transactions
Applies refunds, chargebacks, and adjustments at the posting date — not the order date
Reflects cash flow, not sales activity
Will never match Business Reports day-to-day
📌 Because the attribution logic differs, the numbers will never match on a daily or weekly basis.
Example:
Order placed: June 30
Order ships: July 2
Appears in: July Payment Report, not June Orders Report
This same timing mismatch is exactly why Kapoq's Accounting numbers look different from Amazon ordered-sales views.
2. Kapoq Accounting = Finance API = Settlement-Based Reporting
Kapoq is powered entirely by the Finance API, which matches Amazon's Payment Report logic—not Business Reports.
✔️ Kapoq shows posted, cash-flow–based transactions
An order only appears once Amazon:
Ships the order
Posts the transaction
Makes it available for settlement
This means Kapoq shows what Amazon has actually processed—not just what was ordered.
⏱️ How often does Kapoq update?
Kapoq fetches new Finance API data every hour.
However, the numbers depend on Amazon's posting rules:
Some fees/adjustments appear only after settlement periods close
Revenue appears only after shipment + posting
A portion of every order is held in deferred status before being released — see Section 3 for how this works and where to view it in Kapoq
If Amazon hasn't posted it, Kapoq can't show it yet.
This is why Kapoq may differ from real-time Ordered Sales, but will always align with Payment Reports.
3. Understanding Deferred Transactions and the Three Accounting Tabs
When Amazon processes an order, they don't release all of the money to you immediately. A portion is held back as a reserve to cover potential returns, chargebacks, and A-to-z claims. That hold-back is what "deferred" means in Kapoq.
Deferred funds typically post to Finance API on a Delivery Date + 7 Days schedule, though Amazon can hold them longer based on account health, marketplace, and program type (FBA vs. FBM, Vendor vs. Seller, etc.).
To give you visibility into both what Amazon has paid you and what Amazon is still holding, the Accounting → Margin Details page has three tabs. Each one answers a different question:
Released — "What did Amazon actually pay me this month?"
This is the cash-basis view. It shows only the transactions Amazon released from reserve and paid out during the selected month, regardless of when the original order was placed.
Use this tab when you're:
Reconciling to your Amazon payments or bank deposits
Closing the books for the month
Matching Kapoq to your Payment Reports
This is the closest match to what actually hit your bank account.
All Deferred — "What's the full historical picture of every deferred transaction?"
This is the complete historical log of every transaction that was ever deferred — both transactions still being held in reserve and transactions that have since been released.
Use this tab when you're:
Auditing the deferral history of past months
Analyzing how much Amazon typically holds back over time
Current Deferred — "What's Amazon holding from me right now?"
This is your live reserve balance. It shows only the transactions currently sitting in deferred status — money Amazon has earned for you but hasn't released yet.
Use this tab when you're:
Forecasting upcoming payouts
Checking your reserve balance at a point in time
Understanding what's still in the pipeline
Quick way to remember the difference
Tab | What it shows | Mental model |
Released | Transactions paid out in the selected month | Past — settled |
Current Deferred | Transactions currently held in reserve | Present — pending |
All Deferred | Every deferral, past and present | The full ledger |
📌 Note: When a deferred transaction is released, it posts to the release date, not the original order date. For example, an order placed in April that's released in May will appear in your May Released tab — not retroactively added to April. This is why the Released tab reflects true cash flow timing rather than order timing.
If you'd prefer to view your P&L by order date instead, see the Margin Details — Ordered Date View article.
4. PPC Advertising Spend — Why Kapoq Differs From Campaign Manager
Kapoq's PPC totals come from posted ad invoices in the Finance API, not live spend.
Why they differ:
Source | What it shows | Timing |
Campaign Manager | Real-time ad spend | Immediate |
Finance API | Posted ad invoices | Can lag days or weeks |
Example:
If Amazon posts two invoices in October:
£600 for Sept 28–Oct 11 (posted Oct 12)
£400 for Oct 12–Oct 25 (posted Oct 26)
Kapoq shows £1,000 in October, because that's when Amazon posted those invoices — regardless of service dates.
This is correct Finance API behavior.
Where to verify
Seller Central → Advertising Invoices
Seller Central → Transactions Report
Over longer periods, posted invoices and Campaign Manager spend converge closely.
5. Gross Sales (Kapoq) vs. Product Sales (Orders Report)
Many sellers compare Kapoq's Gross Sales to Seller Central's Product Sales — but these two metrics come from different systems and were never meant to match.
Attribution model comparison
Metric | Source | Attribution Logic |
Gross Sales (Kapoq) | Finance API | Shipped + posted revenue |
Product Sales (Orders Reports or Business Reports) | Ordered Sales | Order-date attribution |
Why they differ
Finance API (Kapoq)
Shows revenue only after shipment, posting, and settlement availability
Reflects true cash flow
Includes refunds & adjustments at posting date
Orders Report
Show revenue on the exact order date
Reflect sales activity, not cash flow
Include unshipped or pending orders
Deferred posting: A common source of confusion
Amazon delays some transactions until they're released from reserve (see Section 3 for a full breakdown of how this works and where to view it in Kapoq).
This often pushes revenue into the next month.
Example:
Orders Report: £1,383 in October ordered Product Sales
Kapoq: £990 in October Gross Sales
The difference is explained by:
Unshipped orders
Deferred transactions policy and posting
Refund/adjustment postings
Different attribution systems
Important:
Compare Kapoq Gross Sales only to Amazon Payment Reports—not to Business Reports.
6. Why You Will See Timing Gaps and Mismatches
Because Amazon uses two different attribution models:
Ordered-sales systems (Business Reports, All Orders, Sales Dashboard)
Settlement-based systems (Finance API, Payment Reports, Kapoq)
Daily and weekly totals will never match between them.
This is normal.
Typical causes of mismatches:
Shipments occurring days after order placement
Deferred posting (delivery + 7 days)
Refunds posting on different dates than the original order
Settlement cycles closing mid-week
Amazon holding certain fees until next posting period
Kapoq reflects cash flow timing, not order timing.
7. How to Use Each Report Correctly
To avoid confusion, think of each Amazon data source by its purpose:
Orders Reports → Demand / Sales Activity
Use for:
Tracking sales trends
Ad & campaign attribution
Operational performance
Order-date analysis
Not suitable for:
Accounting
Cash reconciliation
Payout forecasting
Payment Reports / Finance API (Kapoq) → Cash Flow
Use for:
Reconciliation
Accounting
Cash planning
Bank deposit matching
Not suitable for:
Daily sales trend analysis
Advertising performance attribution
Market demand evaluation
8. The Correct Mental Model
Kapoq = Finance API = Cash-flow reality
Kapoq shows:
What Amazon has actually processed
What Amazon has posted
What Amazon will disburse
Actual refunds, adjustments, and fees — at the date Amazon applied them
Kapoq does not show:
Real-time ordered revenue
Order-date attribution
Business Reports metrics
If you compare Kapoq to Amazon's ordered-sales data, differences are not just normal—they are guaranteed.
9. Need Help Reconciling a Specific Account?
If a number looks unusual, large, or inconsistent with expectations, our team is happy to help.
We can walk through your:
Finance API postings
Payment Report timelines
Deferred transactions
PPC invoice postings
Just reach out through the app and we'll review it with you.