A question that comes up now and then is, “How does AHS handle the sales data coming in from KDP?”
Before we get started in answering that question, please note AHS uses the actual data from service reports, such as KDP, to build an income picture. We use estimated exchange rates and KENP page rate amounts were applicable. It is the sole responsibility of the author to verify all income data directly from the service-source before making any business decisions.
To understand how we handle sales data, please do one test.
1. Do another KDP pull with the bookmarklet.
2. Refresh the AHS page.
3. Download the KDP report xls file after doing that pull.
4. Compare the data with AHS on the “Combined Sales” tab, not the “Order Tab”.
5. Compare the data with AHS in “Net Units Sold” column.
This may be different than what you’re accustomed to focusing on. So why do we ask that you focus on Combined Sales and Net Units Sold? We have a detailed explanation on our video below, but here’s the gist of it.
(Note: If you ever notice a discrepancy in the revenue # please be sure to check to see if you had any unit sales in the UK or overseas. We use current exchange rates to estimate the final revenue.)
As authors, we got out of the habit of looking at the Amazon KDP’s report dashboard. For revenue (our primary interest) it was just too clunky. But we noticed that the KDP spreadsheet contains a treasure trove of information. Two data points that stood out were the “Net Units Sold” and the “Combined Sales”. They always showed consistent information that led to the most accurate sales numbers. We noticed the “Order” numbers were all over the place and not at all accurate in estimating revenue. Why? It probably has something to do with how Amazon handles sales across countries, refunds and other payment triggers in their system.
The bottom line is that we want to provide everyone (including our own author businesses) with accurate sales data for each day. But by showing you “Orders” data like other services do, we don’t believe we’re doing that.
Still have questions? Please open a ticket and we’ll be happy to help you.
