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Troubleshooting & FAQs

Direct answers to the questions that come up most often. If you can't find what you need here, email support@truebooks.co.uk — the more specific you can be (settlement ID, exact error text, which screen you were on), the faster we'll get you sorted.

Connection problems

"Reconnect required" on my Amazon connection

The SP-API refresh token can no longer mint fresh access tokens. This happens when an authorisation is revoked, your Seller Central password changes, or Amazon invalidates tokens for a class of accounts. Open Settings → Account, click Reconnect on the Amazon row, and walk through the SP-API authorisation again. Your imported settlements are unaffected — only the live link is being re-established.

"Reconnect required" on my Xero connection

Same idea, different vendor. Xero's tokens can be invalidated by a password change, the Xero user who authorised losing access, or an admin revocation. Click Reconnect on the Xero row and re-pick the same tenant when Xero prompts you. Posted invoices remain in Xero throughout.

The Seller Central redirect loops or fails on return to TrueBooks

The most common cause is third-party cookies being blocked — some browser extensions and privacy settings prevent the cross-site redirect from completing cleanly. Try in a fresh private/incognito window with no other Amazon tabs open. If you see an error code in the URL, copy it and email support — it's enough to trace the failure on our side.

I connected successfully but the Amazon connection shows no marketplaces

This typically means you connected the wrong region. TrueBooks has three regional endpoints (Europe, North America, Far East) and the marketplaces a connection covers depend entirely on which one you chose during authorisation. Disconnect the empty connection, click Connect Amazon again, and select the region your seller account is registered on. See Connecting Amazon for the region-to-marketplace table.

Settlements aren't appearing

I just connected and there are no settlements

By default TrueBooks only picks up new settlements from the connection date forward. To pull in recent history, run a backfill from Settings → Settlement Settings → Automation. Full instructions in Backfill & 90-day window.

I've waited and no new settlement has arrived

Work through these in order:

1. Has Amazon actually disbursed? Settlements are generated at the close of each ~14-day cycle. If the current period is still open there's nothing to retrieve yet.
2. Is the Amazon connection healthy? Check Settings → Account. A Reconnect required status is the most common culprit — reconnect and the next auto-check will pull in whatever's waiting.
3. Is Auto Import switched on? The Auto Import toggle on the Settlements page header controls whether TrueBooks polls Amazon automatically. If it's off, new settlements won't arrive until you run a manual backfill or flip it on.
4. Try a manual backfill. If Auto Import is on and the connection is healthy, but a settlement you can see in Seller Central isn't in TrueBooks, run a backfill covering that date range. If it still doesn't appear, email us with the Amazon settlement ID — that's enough to trace it.

A settlement shows "Needs Requesting"

This status means the settlement is older than ~90 days and Amazon no longer serves the report file through SP-API. The settlement amount and date range are displayed for reference but the row is read-only until you bring the file in. Go to Seller Central → Reports → Payments → All Statements, find the row, click Request Report, wait 5–10 minutes, then run a TrueBooks backfill over the same date range. The row will transition to Not Posted once the import completes. Full walk-through in Backfill & 90-day window.

A settlement is stuck in "Processing"

Processing usually resolves within a minute or two for typical settlements. If a row has been in Processing for more than 15 minutes, that's unusual — it suggests the background import job stalled. Email support with the settlement ID and we'll restart it.

Some settlements came through but a recent one is missing

Settlement reports become available a few hours after the disbursement window closes, not at the exact close. If 24 hours have passed and it's still absent, open the Seller Central All Settlements page and confirm the row exists there. If it does, run a backfill covering the missing date. If Seller Central doesn't show it either, that's an Amazon-side delay — usually resolves within another 24 hours.

Posting problems

Xero rejects my post with a tax-type validation error

UK Xero tax types use an OUTPUT or INPUT suffix to distinguish income-side from expense-side rates. The most common error is using ZERORATED (for purchases) instead of ZERORATEDOUTPUT (for zero-rated income). Open Accounts & Taxes, find the offending row, and select the correct *OUTPUT code. Full background in UK VAT & MF orders.

I see two AUTHORISED invoices for the same settlement in Xero

This shouldn't occur on current TrueBooks (the posting service voids existing matches before creating a new one). If it has happened on an older account, run the Xero Integrity Tools at Settings → Account. Use Dry Run first to preview what would be consolidated; the live run voids duplicates and reconciles your TrueBooks records to match. See Posting to Xero for the full explanation of how duplicate prevention works.

A bulk post stalled partway through

If the progress indicator freezes for several minutes, Xero's API is likely rate-limiting the batch. TrueBooks pauses automatically when rate limits are hit and the indicator shows this. Most batches resume within a minute or two. If it's been more than 10 minutes with no progress, navigate away and come back — the batch continues in the background and the indicator picks up from wherever it stopped. If it still appears frozen on return, email support with an approximate count of how many were remaining.

One settlement in a batch failed — do I have to redo the whole batch?

No. Individual failures don't abort the rest of the batch. Once the batch completes, the failed settlement's status shows an error badge. Click the row to see the specific error, fix the underlying issue (usually a mapping problem), and post that settlement individually.

Posted total doesn't match my Xero bank deposit by a few pence

Two expected causes:

• Rounding. TrueBooks aggregates lines per category and back-calculates tax from the gross-inclusive total. Sub-half-pence amounts drop off and very occasionally produce a 1p shift. This is within normal rounding tolerance and won't cause a VAT return discrepancy.
• FX conversion. If your Xero organisation's base currency differs from the settlement currency, Xero applies a daily exchange rate when you reconcile. The settlement total in its source currency ties to the penny; the base-currency equivalent may differ by a small amount depending on the rate.

If the difference is larger than a few pence, open the settlement in TrueBooks and use Preview to see the exact line breakdown, then reconcile against the Xero invoice. A meaningful discrepancy is worth emailing us about — include the settlement ID.

Rollback failed — Xero won't void the invoice

Xero won't void an AUTHORISED invoice if it's been reconciled against a bank statement line, matched to an overpayment, or allocated to a credit note. You need to unreconcile the invoice in Xero first, then retry the rollback in TrueBooks. If you're unsure how to unreconcile in Xero, Xero's own help centre has a step-by-step guide under "Unreconcile a transaction."

VAT & numbers

My VAT return doesn't match the TrueBooks VAT Audit figures

The VAT Audit page reflects only what TrueBooks has imported and classified — it won't include manual Xero entries, non-Amazon sales, or prior-period corrections you've posted directly in Xero. Use it as a cross-check, not as the canonical filing figure. Legitimate reasons for a gap include: other-channel activity in Xero, cross-border sales that sit in the 20% bucket (see UK VAT & MF orders for why), and rounding. A difference of more than a few pounds that none of those explain is worth investigating with your accountant and flagging to us.

Why do some sales show zero VAT in the settlement?

Those are Marketplace Facilitator orders — Amazon collects and remits the VAT to HMRC on your behalf. You receive the net amount; the VAT never passes through your hands. TrueBooks classifies them as ZERORATEDOUTPUT — they appear in Box 6 of your VAT return as turnover, but not in Box 1 as output tax, because you didn't collect it. Full detail in UK VAT & MF orders.

The VAT Audit shows a large number in "Other" — what's in it?

The "Other" category captures settlement rows whose amount-description didn't match any of the classifier's known patterns. This is always worth investigating — email us the settlement ID and we'll check whether the row should be mapped somewhere specific. Often it's a new Amazon fee type we haven't seen before; once identified, we add it to the classifier and re-run it against your affected settlements.

Auto Import & Auto Post

I turned on Auto Import but nothing is happening

Auto Import polls Amazon on a regular cycle — typically every few minutes. If you just flipped the toggle, the first check fires automatically, but it can take a minute or two to register. Also confirm your Amazon connection is in Active status (not Reconnect required) — a broken connection prevents the poll from running regardless of the toggle state.

Auto Post is on but not every settlement was posted automatically

Auto Post fires after each settlement finishes importing. If a settlement came in with a Failed status (a classifier or import error), it won't be auto-posted until the failure is resolved. Check the Settlements list for any rows with error badges and resolve them individually. Settlements that were already in Not Posted state before you turned Auto Post on aren't automatically swept up — use Post to Xero in the action bar (select all eligible rows) to send those in bulk.

Can I have Auto Import on but Auto Post off?

Yes — the two toggles are fully independent. With Auto Import on and Auto Post off, new settlements arrive in TrueBooks as Not Posted and wait for you to review and post them manually. That's a good pattern if your accountant prefers to spot-check each settlement before it hits Xero.

Account & billing

How long is the free trial?

30 days from the date you sign up. Full access throughout — you can connect Amazon and Xero, import settlements, post to Xero, and use analytics. No card is charged during the trial. If the trial ends without a subscription, your workspace goes read-only: you can view everything already imported but you can't post new settlements until you subscribe. Your data is retained indefinitely.

Can I get more time on my trial?

Yes — email support@truebooks.co.uk. We're happy to extend trials for accounts mid-evaluation, especially if you're waiting on a settlement to arrive or working through a mapping question with your accountant.

How does billing work?

TrueBooks uses elastic, volume-based pricing with no fixed plan to pick. At the end of each calendar month, we count the total orders processed through your settlements that month and charge the matching tier automatically. Pricing starts at £9.99/month and steps up only when your order volume genuinely exceeds the current tier. Full tier table and details in Plans, pricing & billing.

I received an upgrade notification — what does that mean?

Your order volume for the current month has exceeded the tier you're currently on. TrueBooks sends the notification at least 7 days before the automatic upgrade takes effect, so you have time to review the next tier's pricing. If your volume was a temporary spike (Black Friday, a one-off promotion), the count will likely normalise next month and you can downgrade manually from Settings → Billing once it does — TrueBooks doesn't automatically downgrade when volume drops.

My payment failed — what happens now?

TrueBooks retries failed payments on the 3rd and 7th day after the initial attempt. If the payment still fails after the final retry, your workspace moves to paused mode and you'll receive an email explaining the issue. Updating or replacing your payment card in Settings → Billing triggers an immediate retry — you don't have to wait for the next scheduled attempt. Your data and settings are preserved throughout.

How do I cancel?

From Settings → Billing → Cancel subscription. Your workspace stays active until the end of the current billing period, then moves to read-only. There are no cancellation fees and no lock-in. Settlement data and posting history are retained; if you come back later, everything picks up where it left off.

Still stuck?

Email support@truebooks.co.uk. We're UK-based and aim to reply the same working day. The more specific you can be — settlement ID, exact error message, which page you were on, what you'd just done — the faster we can get to the root cause.