Have you ever been excited to receive a package from Amazon, only to get a notification that your order’s been canceled? It can be a really frustrating experience, and you may be wondering why it happened. If so, read on—we’ll examine why Amazon sometimes cancels orders.
Top Reasons Why Your Amazon Orders Keep Getting Canceled
There are several reasons why Amazon might cancel your order. Often, the item you purchased might be out of stock. Although Amazon has a gigantic inventory, some popular items sell out very quickly—and if you purchased after the sell-out point, Amazon will most likely cancel your order and provide a refund.
If the stock isn’t an issue, perhaps it was your payment method. If it was declined, Amazon can’t process your order; therefore, they’ll cancel it, and you’ll need to update your payment information to make another order.
Once in a while, your order might be canceled because the seller is no longer able to fulfill it. This could be related to the stock issue mentioned previously, or perhaps the seller has gone out of business. And, very rarely, Amazon may cancel your purchase if they suspect fraudulent activity.
If your Amazon purchases are being canceled over and over again, first double-check your account information (including the shipping address) and payment method. If everything looks correct, reach out to Amazon’s customer service to see if your account has been flagged for fraudulent activity.
How to See Canceled Orders on Amazon
There are two perspectives for wanting to see canceled orders—as a buyer and as a seller. If you’re a buyer, you may be curious if a delayed order has been canceled, or perhaps you want to double-check if your own attempted cancellation was successful. And as a seller, you’ll want to track which orders have been canceled, so you don’t ship them out on accident.
As a buyer, follow these steps:
- Go to Amazon.com and log in to your account.
- Click on “Returns & Orders” in the top right corner of the page. This will take you to the “Your Orders” page.
- On the “Your Orders” page, click the button that says “Cancelled Orders.” This section will list all of your orders that have been canceled in the last six months. If the order was older than that, you can search for it using the “Search All Orders” function.
Now, if you’re a seller rather than a buyer, you can see which of your customers’ orders have been canceled by accessing Seller Central.
Go to your Orders page, and click the “Manage Orders” button. A list will pop up with all of your recent orders. At the top of the screen, there are some options, including Shipped, Pending, Unshipped, and Canceled. Click on Canceled, and you’ll see the relevant information.
Amazon’s Refund Policy for Canceled Orders
If your order has been canceled by Amazon, you may be wondering if and when you’ll receive a refund. The good news is that, yes, Amazon does refund canceled orders. Here are the details about Amazon’s refund policy for canceled orders.
First of all, the payment must have already been made. This means that if the order was canceled due to incorrect payment details, Amazon won’t provide a refund—since you never actually paid for the item.
The next factor is whether the order has been dispatched yet. Amazon does not charge your payment method until an order has entered the shipping phase. If the seller can’t fulfill the order, it won’t be dispatched without you doing anything. The order will be canceled, and you will never be charged.
But what if you want to cancel the order yourself? If you cancel the Amazon order before it ships. it’s quite simple. Just go to Your Orders and select the item(s) from the order that you want to cancel, then confirm the cancellation. You can provide a reason for the cancellation, but that’s totally optional. Amazon will cancel the order, and you will not be charged.
And what if the order was dispatched? Well, you’ll still go to the Your Orders age, but the “Cancel Items” function will not be available. Instead, you’ll select “Track Package” and click “Cancel This Delivery.” In this case, the package should be routed back to Amazon, and once they’ve received it, your refund will be processed. If your order is delivered anyway, you’ll need to return it yourself before you can receive the refund.
It’s very important to note: these instructions are only applicable when the order is fulfilled by Amazon. If it’s fulfilled by a third-party seller, you can only cancel the order directly within 30 minutes of placing it. After that point, you’ll have to click the “Request a Cancellation” button, and then it’s up to the seller to do so.
See Also:
When Does Amazon Refund Canceled Orders?
This depends on your refund payment method. If Amazon cancels your order, and you’ve already paid for it (this only happens if it has entered the shipping phase), the refund will start to process right away—but how long it takes depends on how you’ll receive the funds. You can check the list: below for specific timeframes:
- Credit card: 3-5 business days
- Amazon.com Gift Card: 2-3 hours
- Checking account: Up to 10 business days
- Debit card: Up to 10 business days
- SNAP EBT card: Up to 10 business days
- Gift Card balance: 2-3 hours
- Promotional Certificate: No refund will be issued
- Shop with Reward Points: Up to 5 business days
- Pay in Cash: Up to 10 business days
- Pre-paid credit card: Up to 30 days
How to Check on a Refund Status
Thankfully, the process of checking on your refund status through Amazon is really simple. You’ll start by logging in to your Amazon account and then heading to the Your Orders window. Find and select the order that you had in mind. Then, next to the order, you’ll see a button that says “View Return/Refund status.”
How Can I Get My Canceled Order From Amazon?
If Amazon has canceled your order, it can be frustrating to wait for a refund when all you really want is the product you purchased. But the good news is that there are a few things you can do to try to retrieve your canceled order.
Contact Amazon Customer Service
Your first step should be to contact Amazon customer service. They may be able to provide more information on why the order was canceled and offer solutions to retrieve the item. You can get in touch with Amazon customer service through their website, by phone, or through their live chat service.
Check With the Seller
If you purchased from a third-party seller on Amazon’s marketplace, and the Amazon seller canceled your order , it’s worth contacting the seller directly to see if they can provide any information on the cancellation or offer a solution to retrieve the item. You can usually find the seller’s contact information on the product page under “Sold by.”
Check Your Order Status
Once in a while, an order might be canceled simply due to a technical glitch. In such cases, the order might be considered to be “In Progress” and can be retrieved by checking your order status. To do this, log in to your Amazon account, click on “Orders,” and locate the canceled order. If the order status is still listed as “Preparing for Shipment” or “Shipped,” there may still be a chance to retrieve the item, even if you’ve gotten a cancellation notification. You can reach out to Amazon customer service—or if the order is fulfilled by a third-party seller, you can reach out to them directly.
Place a New Order
If all else fails, your best option may be to place a new order for the item. Before doing so, it’s important to check that the product is still in stock and available for immediate shipping. Make sure to double-check your shipping and payment info as well! You may also want to consider purchasing directly from Amazon rather than a third party to reduce the risk of cancellation.
In some cases, Amazon may offer a discount or promotional credit for the inconvenience caused by a canceled order. It’s worth asking customer service if any compensation is available.
What If You Canceled an Amazon Order But Were Still Charged?
Did Amazon cancel your order without a refund? There are a couple of reasons why this may happen. For instance, perhaps Amazon already processed and shipped the product before you canceled it. In that case, Amazon might not even acknowledge the cancellation, instead shipping the order as usual. If this happens, it’s important to contact Amazon customer service and present your case along with proof that you canceled the order in time.
Another possible reason is that there has been a miscommunication between Amazon and your bank regarding the cancellation of the order. In this scenario, it’s likely that your bank has reserved the money for the transaction. To resolve this issue, it may be necessary to contact your bank.
How to Cancel Digital Amazon Services
The last thing we will examine about Amazon cancellations is their digital services. You see, Amazon offers more than just physical products like clothing and electronics. It also has a digital services division called Amazon Digital Services; this includes subscriptions for things like music streaming, eBooks, and additional TV channels. Kindle Unlimited, Audible, and Amazon Cloud Drive all fall under such digital services.
If you want to cancel your Amazon Digital Services, you’ll log in to your account and go to the “Memberships and Subscriptions” section. There, you’ll just select the service and confirm the cancellation. If you cancel a subscription, you may still have access until the end of the billing cycle, and refunds for unused months are not always possible, particularly if the subscription was activated with a gift or bundle. You can also cancel digital orders like Kindle books or videos within a certain timeframe. If you have any questions about Amazon Digital Services or canceling your subscription, Amazon provides a helpful FAQ section.
For more help with Amazon-related topics, keep an eye on the PIRS Capital blog!
I work with companies that sell products on platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Ebay, Etsy, etc. I understand that every business is unique and thats why I form genuine relationships with owners so I can help them reach their goals and find success through our working capital solutions.
