Amazon Order Cancellation: A Definitive Guide

Why sellers need to be familiar with Amazon order cancellation

According to MarketplacePulse, Amazon received nearly one million negative seller reviews last May 2020 alone. 49% of those reviews were fulfillment-related, mentioning keywords such as “never,” “received,” “late,” and “delivery.” If you encounter issues with fulfillment, it’s important to know how to quickly do an Amazon order cancellation. This helps to avoid a negative impact on your seller performance metrics.

Amazon order cancellation for sellers: step-by-step

There may be times you need to cancel an order due to inventory problems, customer requests, or a foreseen delay in delivery. To cancel an order any time before shipment, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Amazon Seller Account.
2. Go to the “Manage Orders” section and click on “View Your Orders.”
3. Use the search tab to locate the specific order you want to cancel.
4. Once you’ve located the order, click on the “Cancel Order Button.”
5. A pop-up page will appear. Choose the reason for cancellation.
6. Click on “Submit.”

Amazon order cancellation using the Amazon mobile app

1. Open the Amazon mobile app.
2. Go to the top left part of your screen and tap on “Your Orders.”
3. Choose the item that you want to cancel and then select “View Order Details.”
4. Tap “Cancel Items.”
5. Choose the reason for cancellation from the dropdown menu.
6. Tap “Cancel Checked Items.”

How to file an Amazon request cancellation via phone

You can call 00 1 206 922 0880 to cancel your order via phone call. You can also check Amazon’s Contact Page.

You cannot cancel an order if it was already shipped. If the customer placed a cancellation request at this point, you can just ask the customer to request for a return or refund. To find the customer’s information, go to “Manage Orders”. Under the “Orders List” you can find the SKU numbers, shipping services, status, delivery date, and the buyer information. You can also use the Order ID to find the customer’s information.

Canceling an FBA order

You can cancel an FBA order anytime as long as it still has a pending status by following these steps:

1. Log in to your Amazon seller account and contact seller support. You can also call 1 800 419 7355.
2. Give the seller support representative the Order ID of the purchases that you want to cancel.
3. You also need to provide the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) and the number of items that you want to cancel for each ASIN.
4. Provide the reason for cancellation.

Once you’ve completed the process, the seller support agent will give you a cancellation confirmation. The buyer will receive an email informing them of the order cancellation.

If you cancel an order by mistake, you need to reach out to the customer and inform him of the mistake. If the buyer wants to push through with the order, you can ask him to place a new order for the same product.

Cancel a single multi-channel fulfillment order

Multi-Channel fulfillment (MCF) is a program that allows you to store your inventory in Amazon’s warehouses and fulfillment centers. Amazon fulfills all your online orders – including those made on your website or other online selling platforms.

This feature helps you scale your business and improve customer experience. It’s more expensive than the regular FBA service, but it takes away a lot of fulfillment-related tasks off your plate.

MCF also helps you build a solid brand reputation and increase customer satisfaction. Despite MCF’s efficient fulfillment system, however, there are still times when you need to cancel an order. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Log in to your seller account and go to “Manage Orders.” Choose the Order ID of the transaction that you want to cancel.
2. Press the “Cancel this Order” option.

Cancel bulk multi-channel fulfillment orders

If you wish to cancel orders in bulk, you need to:

1. Go to the “Upload Multi-Channel Fulfillment File” page.
2. Click on “Cancel Order.”
3. Click “Download Template.”
4. Take time to review the instructions and definitions to avoid errors.
5. Type the Order ID of each MCF order you want to cancel in the Merchant Fulfillment ID column.
6. Save the file as “.text”.
7. Go back to the “Upload Multi-Channel Fulfillment File” page and click on “Cancel Order.”
8. Go to “Upload Your Cancel Order File” and click on “Browse” to find your file.
9. Upload your file and cancellation request.
10. Go to “Review File Status and History”. Then click on refresh to see the upload progress.

Sellers can only cancel multi-channel fulfillment orders while it’s still in the planning, processing, or pending stage. You can no longer cancel an order once it moves to the shipping stage.

You must also take note that out of stock orders will have an “Unfulfillable Status”. You cannot cancel these orders because Amazon will not process them and you do not have to do anything. Simply contact the customer and inform them that the item is currently out of stock.

If the customer wishes to continue with the purchase, they have to wait until the product is back in stock to place a new order.

Amazon order cancellation policy

Customers can cancel an order within 30 minutes after it was placed. Sellers, on the other hand, can cancel an order any time prior to shipment.

You will not incur fees if you choose to cancel orders due to technical errors and supply chain issues. Be warned, however, that frequent order cancellations can affect your seller performance metrics. It can also decrease customer satisfaction and negatively affect your sales.

Cancellations that have a subject line “Order Cancellation Request from Customer” will not go against your metric. If you cancel an order because of inventory issues, it’s going to affect your cancellation rate.

Amazon expects sellers to maintain a Cancellation Rate (CR) of 2.5% or lower. Having a CR of more than 2.5% can lead to account deactivation.

How to manage your Amazon order cancellation rate

Amazon’s cancellation process is quite easy, but you could easily lose your seller privileges if you have a CR of more than 2.5%.

To avoid this, you must regularly monitor your seller performance. Go to your “Account Health”, then “Shipping Performance”, and click on “View Details.” Then, select “Cancellation Rate” and click the “Download Report” button.

Ensure that you always take the necessary steps to communicate delays and cancellations as proof to Amazon:

• Place your account in vacation status if you are unable to fulfill orders;
• Always using Buyer-Seller Messaging to communicate cancellations with the buyer. Make sure you explain your reasons and request that they submit an official cancellation request.
• Whether the buyer is willing to submit one or not, always remember to follow the Standard Cancellation Process.

Know your inventory turnover and always make sure your products are in stock. have an open communication and a good relationship with your suppliers. If you’re doing order fulfillment, it’s a good to invest in reliable and advanced inventory management technology.

If your eCommerce brand or Amazon business is having a difficult time managing returns and cancellation rates, we highly suggest trying out an Amazon management agency that can provide you with advanced tools and strategies for inventory and supply chain management. Contact MarketplaceOps today and get a free consultation and strategy session.

Cover Photo by Jeffrey Czum from Pexels