Changes to Amazon FBM Order Cancellation Requests: June 2022

As of May 23, 2022, a new Order Cancellation Request process has been rolled out to FBM sellers.

The changes are expected to be fully implemented by June 3^rd, so don’t panic if you have yet to see them within your own account. Let’s break down what the changes are, and what FBM Sellers can expect forward.

What is a cancellation request?

If you are selling FBM (Fulfilment by Merchant) on Amazon, (meaning orders are getting fulfilled directly from your warehouse, not Amazon’s) - you're probably already familiar with a cancellation request. Aside from that, if you've ever shopped online, chances are you have made a cancellation request yourself.

However, for anyone who is not familiar with it, a cancellation request is when a customer places an order, but has decided they no longer want or need it, and therefore would like to cancel it.

What has changed, and what do FBM sellers need to know?

Before, FBM order cancellation requests have been made by sending a message to the seller.

Now, customers no longer need to message the seller and instead must submit a request through the Amazon website or the app (the same way FBA cancellation requests work).

Why did Amazon make these changes?

We can only speculate as to why Amazon made these changes – it is likely that it was done for a couple of different reasons. One being that this removes a lot of interaction that sellers are expected to handle daily. Since Amazon requires sellers to respond to all messages within 24 hours, taking away a good chunk of those inquiries will certainly result in less customer interaction overall. This means less time spent responding to messages, and a better chance of hitting the customer service metrics.

Secondly, it was most likely changed to streamline the customer experience. There are still many customers who don’t realize that there are 3^rd party sellers on Amazon – and when they run into extra hassle compared to their usual buying experience, it creates frustration. This change will alleviate some of that frustration for both sellers and customers.

With the constant updates in online marketplaces, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest changes. If you are a client looking for additional information, contact your strategist or if you are interested in learning more about how Retail Bloom can assist your brand efforts in online marketplaces, schedule a consultation with our team. 

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