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Viewing PPC Costs On the Profit and Loss Screen ​

The Two Ways To Pay Amazon For PPC Costs ​

Amazon allows you to pay your PPC costs in one of two ways:

  1. Settlement account — costs are debited from your settlement account and deducted from your bi-weekly payout
  2. Credit card — costs are debited from a designated credit card

If PPC charges are taken from your settlement account, Amazon shows the payment under Ads Payment in the Other Amazon Fees section of the P&L.

If PPC charges are taken by credit card, nothing will show in the P&L, as Amazon bills your credit card directly and does not report these charges to SellerLegend.

If I Pay By Credit Card, Does the P&L Show My Real Profit? ​

No. The P&L does not include your credit card PPC charges, since Amazon does not report them to SellerLegend.

However, SellerLegend independently calculates your daily PPC expenditure regardless of your payment method. If you pay by credit card, SellerLegend offers the option of showing these daily calculated PPC costs in the P&L as a substitute for the missing Ads Payment amount.

Important Differences Between Billed and Daily Calculated Costs ​

Settlement Account (Billed Charges) ​

  • Ads Payment charges are retrospective — when Amazon charges you today, the costs relate to a prior period
  • Amazon charges you when your PPC costs exceed an arbitrary credit limit specific to your account (typically around $500 for US accounts)
  • You will see PPC charges slightly above $500 at seemingly random intervals
  • The credit limit may increase if your PPC spend frequently exceeds it

Credit Card (Daily Calculated Costs) ​

  • Calculated PPC costs show daily in the P&L — actual incurred costs for each specific day
  • Monthly totals will differ from your credit card statement because:
    • Credit card charges are retrospective (a July 1st charge covers June spending)
    • SellerLegend sums actual daily costs from the 1st through the 31st
  • As daily PPC charges are added to your P&L to compensate for missing credit card charges, your P&L will no longer be reconcilable to the Amazon Payments Report

PPC Cost Display Options ​

In the P&L screen, click the Settings button at the top of the screen. You will see 3 options:

Shows charges as reported by Amazon. This is the default and recommended option.

  • Use this if you pay PPC through the settlement account
  • Charges appear on the expense line Other Amazon Fees: AdsPayment

Shows both retrospective billed charges and daily incurred charges.

  • This effectively doubles your PPC charges — use sparingly and temporarily
  • Useful only to quickly compare billed against incurred charges before switching back
  • Billed charges appear under Other Amazon Fees: AdsPayment
  • Daily calculated charges appear under Product Expenses: PPC

Option 3: Show Daily Calculated Charges ​

Shows daily incurred charges as calculated by SellerLegend.

  • Use this if you pay PPC through credit card, but be aware of the reconciliation implications above
  • Daily charges appear on the expense line Product Expenses: PPC

When Is Option 2 (Dual) Justified? ​

  • Switching payment methods — when moving from settlement account to credit card, you lose the PPC cost in the P&L. Option 2 lets you see calculated costs as a substitute.
  • Credit card failures — if your credit card fails temporarily and Amazon reverts to deducting from the settlement account, Option 2 shows both methods during the transition.
  • Frequent switching — some sellers alternate between settlement and credit card payments (e.g., to earn credit card rewards). Option 2 captures PPC expenditure for both methods.