When You Cancel an Order on Amazon are You Refunded?

Canceling an Order on Amazon

Amazon processes an enormous volume of orders daily—an estimated 1.9 million packages ship each day worldwide from Amazon fulfillment centers according to recent third party data.

So naturally issues come up where customers need to cancel Amazon orders they‘ve placed for various reasons:

• Changed mind
• Found better price
• Ordered wrong item
• No longer need purchase

The key is acting quickly within Amazon‘s cancellation window for the smoothest experience and no charges.

How To Cancel an Amazon Order

Follow these steps to cancel an unshipped order on Amazon:

1. Visit "Your Orders" under the "Returns & Orders" link
2. Find the order and click "Cancel Items"
3. Select cancellation reason from drop-down
4. Choose entire order or specific items to cancel
5. Click the "Cancel Checked Items" button

You will instantly receive confirmation onscreen and via email that your cancellation went through. Easy right?

Here is exactly how the process looks on Amazon‘s site:

Just be aware of Amazon‘s cancellation window covered next…

Amazon‘s Cancellation Window

Amazon allows cancellations on most items that have not yet shipped.

Once an order ships, it becomes too late to cancel. At that point your only option is to return items after delivery for a refund.

Many Amazon orders ship alarmingly fast – some within just hours for Prime items. So don‘t count on a lengthy consideration period after ordering.

Cancel any Amazon order as soon as possible if needed. Don‘t risk missing their cancellation window.

How does Amazon‘s cancellation timing compare to other major ecommerce sites?

* eBay Money Back Guarantee eligibility varies depending on seller terms
** For physical items only

While Amazon technically provides no buyer remorse period, their extremely fast shipping leaves a tiny sliver of time to cancel orders you change your mind on.

EBay notably offers 30 days from confirmed delivery – but again depends on individual sellers policies.

Meanwhile Etsy just gives you 48 hours for domestic physical goods. And Shopify cancellation rules differ by each merchant using their ecommerce platform.

Getting an Amazon Refund

The good news? When you properly cancel eligible Amazon orders prior to shipment, you get fully refunded your complete payment including:

• Item purchase price
• Any taxes
• Shipping fees

Amazon does not charge cancellation fees or restocking fees. As long as you catch orders before they ship, getting a refund is reliable and painless.

Amazon Refund Timeline

According to Amazon‘s published Refund Policy guidelines, refund processing typically takes:

• Debit card purchases: 3-5 business days
• Credit card purchases: 1 billing cycle

After Amazon initiates a refund, your bank‘s own processing can cause further delays before funds reappear in your account.

Expect Amazon refunds within 5 days after canceling an order, and up to 1 full billing cycle for credit card purchases.

How does their timing compare? Here is a data table summarizing key ecommerce platforms:

* Approximate based on stated policies

Amazon issues fast refunds – especially for debit card purchases. Etsy also promptly processes cancellations thanks to direct payment processing.

Meanwhile eBay has a drawn out buyer protection refund system if problems emerge. And Shopify merchant refund terms are customizeable.

Amazon Refund Method

When you cancel an Amazon order or return items, any refunds get issued automatically back to original payment method used:

• Credit/debit card: Refund to same card
• Gift card: Refund added to gift card balance
• Amazon Pay: Refund to Amazon Pay account

For credit card refunds, expect a delay before the adjustment appears on your statement. Debit card and Amazon Pay refunds process faster in minutes to days once Amazon releases the funds.

You can conveniently track status of any expected refunds within Your Orders. Overall Amazon makes it reliable and direct to receive your money back.

Returning Items to Amazon

What if an order has already shipped before you could cancel? As mentioned you‘ve officially missed the cancellation window at this point.

However that does NOT block you from getting a refund if you need to essentially "cancel" the order after delivery.

The solution? Initiate an Amazon return once you receive your shipment. Amazon offers free returns and refunds on most items within 30 days of confirmed delivery.

Here is the usual process to return Amazon orders:

1. Visit Your Orders and select "Return or Replace"
2. Pick reason for return
3. Print prepaid shipping label
4. Pack item securely and attach label
5. Drop off return package at UPS

Once the item shows as returned in your account, an Amazon refund will be issued typically within 3-5 business days.

Amazon Return Shipping Costs

The one snag with late refunds via returns is that you must cover return shipping expenses out of pocket including:

• Box and packing materials
• Gas to shipper drop off
• Insurance (optional but recommended)

Amazon will only cover return shipping costs if the reason is their error (like sending the wrong item). For standard buyer‘s remorse, changed mind cases, etc – you eat shipping costs.

Still between free included return labels and thousands of UPS dropoff points, sending back Amazon items is cheaper than other retailers. But not exactly "free" with the hidden out of pocket costs.

Amazon Refund Timeline

Once Amazon physically receives your return and completes inspection at the warehouse, issuance of any refund depends on original payment method:

Bank processing times can further delay funds reappearing in your account. But Amazon itself issues refunds fast once the actual return is completed at their warehouse.

Special Cancellation Cases

Certain categories like Amazon subscriptions and pre-orders have unique rules around cancellations and refunds.

Amazon Subscriptions

For physical subscriptions that auto-deliver products monthly, Amazon does permit cancelling anytime. However refundvalue depends how far into current billing cycle:

• Early cycle cancellations refund remaining balance
• Later cycle cancellations issue prorated refund

Digital subscriptions, including Prime Video channels or Audible audiobooks, offer more flexibility with the ability to turn cancellation into an immediate termination. This triggers a full current month refund.

But as third party services integrated into Amazon enrollment, broader company policy permits reasonable retention of unused digital access with no refund once delivery starts each billing cycle.

Amazon Pre-Orders

Pre-ordering upcoming releases on Amazon, especially games or gadgets, is popular. And sometimes you later change your mind about wanting an item.

The universal rule across all product categories is that Amazon pre-orders can be cancelled for a full refund at any time before release date.

Once an item ships or content access begins, you cross into regular return territory with no special treatment.

But you retain great power as a consumer up front to back out penalty free during the pre-order reservation period, however long the wait until launch.

Contacting Amazon Customer Service

Amazon‘s customer service reaches impressive scale to match company size but still delivers satisfaction:

• Calls handled annually: 300+ million
• Live chat sessions: 45+ million

If you face any trouble with cancelling orders or requesting returns, tap Amazon‘s large support apparatus:

Phone
Support available 24/7 at 1-(888) 280-4331

Email
Send customer service inquiries via Contact Us form

Live Chat
Initiate a realtime online chat session on Amazon‘s site

Be sure to have any relevant order numbers ready when you connect with an Amazon agent. This makes it easy to pull up purchase details and troubleshoot issues.

If trying to cancel an item sold through third party Marketplace sellers on Amazon, you would need to directly engage that merchant rather than Amazon support. These independent retailers handle their own return policies and customer service.

Key Takeaways on Canceling Amazon Orders

Here are the core points to remember:

• Act quickly to cancel Amazon order within narrow pre-shipment window.
• Eligible cancellations guarantee full refund including item cost, taxes and fees.
• Refunds typically process back to original payment within 5 days.
• Can return shipped items up to 30 days post-delivery for money back.
• Returns mean paying for return shipping without prepaid label.
• Special cases like subscriptions and pre-orders have specific rules.
• Amazon Customer Service there to help with any cancellation or return issues.

Understanding the contours around Amazon cancellations enables smooth experience regaining your money. Monitor order status closely and move swiftly within policy windows.

While Amazon sets a high bar in convenience for shoppers, they must balance ease of use with tight controls limiting abuse and protecting profit margins. Walk the line deftly as informed customer.