Order cancellations

How can I cancel an order? (Standard process)

If a buyer asks you to cancel an order and you have not yet shipped and confirmed the shipment, you can cancel it in Manage Orders or use an Order Cancellation feed. To cancel an order from the Manage Orders menu, follow the steps mentioned under "Standard cancellation process that will not count against your metrics" below.

When you cancel an order, Amazon automatically updates the order status in the buyer's Amazon account and sends an email notification to the buyer.

Note:

If you have shipped and confirmed the order, tell the buyer that the order is already on its way and ask them to return it to you for a refund.
If you have already generated the shipping label, inform the buyer that you are unable to cancel the order at this stage and ask them to return the item for a refund.
If you cancel an order by mistake, you can contact the buyer through Buyer-Seller Messaging service to inform the same. If the buyer wishes, encourage them to place a new order

Both cancellations and returns are a normal part of most sales operations.

When can a buyer cancel an order?

For the first 30 minutes after the order is placed, buyers can cancel their own order using the Cancel Items button located in Your Account > Your Orders on Amazon. After 30 minutes, the buyer can request a cancellation, but only the seller can cancel the order.

If the buyer sends a message requesting to cancel an order, use the following steps:

Important: If you do not follow the cancellation process as outlined below (responding to a cancellation request generated in the system by the buyer's account), the cancellation may count against your metrics.

Note: If you cannot fulfill the order due to lack of inventory and need to cancel the order, select the reason as no inventory. Do not contact the buyer and request that they submit a cancellation request.

Standard cancellation process that will not count against your metrics:

You receive the cancellation request through the Buyer-Seller messaging service that contains the specific subject line: "Order cancellation request from Amazon customer…"

To cancel an order requested by a buyer, follow these steps:

From the Orders drop-down, select Manage Orders.
Find the order referenced in the email notification and click Cancel order in the Action column.
Note: The Cancel order button is available only for Unshipped orders.
On the Cancel order page, select the reason for cancellation as Buyer Canceled.
Click Submit.
After you cancel the order, you and the buyer will receive separate email confirmations that the order has been canceled.

Note: Additional communication to or from the buyer might change the subject line of the original communication.

Non-standard cancellation process that might count against your metrics:

You receive the cancellation request that does not include the standard subject line "Order cancellation request from Amazon customer…"

To avoid canceling an order in a manner that impacts your metrics, use Buyer-Seller Messaging and request the buyer to submit an official cancellation using the standard process. Use the following instructions in your response: You can find the order in your Amazon account by clicking Your Account > Your Orders > Request Cancellation

Partial cancellation

Occasionally, you may need to cancel part of an order with multiple items and refund the items that are canceled. For a partial cancellation, upload an Order Adjustment Feed.

Important: You must be an Amazon MWS developer in order to send a Feeds request.

For details, see Cancel an order or multiple orders.

Automatic cancellation

Amazon will automatically cancel orders if seven days have passed since the expected shipping availability date and you have not yet shipped and confirmed the shipment.