Can I Cancel an Amazon Order After It’s Shipped?
Ever want to return an item for a refund after it’s shipped? It can be done. Read on to find out how.
So, you’ve placed an Amazon order and since decided you don’t want it after all. Maybe you found it for a better price elsewhere, or perhaps you’ve realized that you ordered the wrong item. The trouble is, it’s already been shipped. This is one possible time when Amazon’s convenient one-click ordering might be troublesome. Is it too late? Can you cancel an Amazon order even after it’s been shipped? The answer isn’t so simple. In some cases, you’ll be able to cancel your Amazon order after it’s been shipped, but it may not be quite as easy as you’d like. Let’s dive into the process.
How to Request to Cancel an Amazon Order After It’s Been Shipped
How successful you’ll be at canceling your Amazon order after the retailer has already shipped the item depends on the seller, shipping method, and status. I’ve had cases where I could cancel an order and get a refund almost immediately, but that was only because Amazon itself was the shipper and it wasn’t out for delivery already. Here’s how you can request cancellation.
- From the Amazon web page, go to the order you want to cancel.
- Click Cancel items, and then select the items you no longer want.
- Choose a cancellation reason, then click Request cancellation.
If your Amazon order hasn’t left the Amazon Fulfillment Center or been handed off to a different shipping partner, the retailer should be able to cancel the item or items. This isn’t absolutely guaranteed, though. If it’s already out for delivery or in the hands of UPS, the US Postal Service, or basically anybody other than Amazon, the order may finish the delivery process.
What If I Can’t Cancel My Amazon Order?
If you’re unsuccessful at canceling your Amazon order after it’s been shipped, you do have other options. Amazon has a very liberal return process, it just takes a bit longer and requires a couple more steps. You can also, according to Amazon, refuse the delivery.
How to Get an Order Canceled and a Refund by Refusing Delivery
This is admittedly tricky, because delivery drivers seem to work hard at avoiding any sort of human interaction. That being said, you may be able to catch the UPS or Amazon driver as they’re arriving and refuse delivery. This is going to be easier with an Amazon driver, of course, since you can more readily get an estimate of when the delivery is going to be at your door. If you track the package as it’s out for delivery, you can track its status more precisely once it’s within 10 stops of being delivered.
Then, of course, is the trick of catching the delivery driver and informing them you would like to refuse delivery. Amazon will then cancel that item and refund the charge to your payment method within a few days.
Using Amazon’s Return Center If You Cannot Cancel an Order
If all else fails, you can use Amazon’s Online Return Center to refund an item. As long as you don’t open the item and you complete the return within 30 days (less time for certain items), you’ll get your money refunded to you. Just go to the Online Return Center, click Start a return in your orders, and follow the on-screen instructions.
4 Comments
Stephen E Vaile
June 4, 2018 at 7:24 am
I do not try to catch UPS if I am home. Which usually am not when they deliver.
So far AMAzon has accepted all returns, ordered inadvertently etc.
Their customer service has been stellar thus far, 10+ years.
John Yungton
June 6, 2018 at 6:17 am
Unopened ‘1st class’ packages can be ‘refused’ for USPS with free return shipments.
Barry
June 7, 2018 at 8:17 am
Many companies assign tracking numbers from the carrier through an interface to the carrier’s system when an order is ready for picking in the warehouse. Typically orders are picked then ‘staged’ for shipping in the distribution center–stacked ready to load onto a carrier’s trailer. Or, they may load directly onto the trailer. Then the warehouse management system (WMS) triggers a ship confirmation email to the customer.
It’s a pretty sophisticated WMS that can find a package at that point and pull it from the staging area, but it can be done.
Rod Payne
June 10, 2018 at 12:27 pm
The one time that I accidentally double ordered the same thing after getting confused with their order process .
I immediately went online but was told that it was too late to cancel . If I wanted to send the item back I could have a credit against certain items that I didn’t want or have a use for or I could have a full refund minus the delivery costs which amounted to half the price of the book I had bought so still have the book. Won’t use Amazon in future.