Save time: if your AliExpress order has been cancelled, before or during shipping, the best thing to do is to contact the seller by going to this section and clicking on “Contact seller”.
Chances are that they will give you a proper explanation of what could've happened.
If this is not the case, we'll discuss all the possible cases below and what you can do to get a refund.
Shipment cancelled
Maybe the shipment has already left the seller's warehouse and suddenly the tracking shows “order cancelled”. In these cases, it is usually accompanied by the message “exception parcel handling in sorting center” in the tracking.
This happens for several reasons: it may be that the courier (in China) has not picked up the order or the shipment has been bounced in Chinese customs. The latter often happens when you buy fake products.
Again, the best thing to do is to contact the seller and ask them what happened. To contact them, just go to this section (your order list) and click on “Contact seller”.
If they give you a new tracking number and they update it on your order, there is no need to open a dispute.
But if they don't give you a new tracking number, they don't answer or if you have the slightest suspicion, don't hesitate: open a dispute (here) and AliExpress will refund your money in full.
Order cancelled automatically
As you can see at checkout, there is a maximum “processing time” for the seller to ship the product. One of the most common reasons for an order to appear as cancelled, is that the deadline has arrived without the product being shipped, so the order has been automatically cancelled.
In this case, the money will be returned to your account automatically (without the need to open a dispute), but you still have time to prevent the shipment from being cancelled, which may interest you, especially if you have applied a coupon or discount and do not want to miss the opportunity.
What you should do is contact the seller (from here) and ask them if they're having any problem with the shipment: it may be a lack of stock, or you are buying at a complicated time like Christmas, sales or Chinese New Year, when most sellers close their store temporarily and although you can buy, they do not send their orders.
What you can do is reorder the product and, if the cancellation date is approaching, extend the processing time so that the seller has more time to ship it and you can avoid its cancellation again.
If, on the other hand, you prefer to get your money back or you don't trust the seller, then best thing to do is request the cancellation of the order or wait until the preparation time runs out.
At that moment, AliExpress will cancel the purchase and start a refund process that will take a few working days.
Order cancelled by seller
Sometimes the seller runs out of stock, they can't ship your order or simply they don't want to so. In that case, they can cancel the order unilaterally without giving you any explanation, and your money will be refunded automatically.
However, the seller is penalized for cancelling the order, so sometimes they ask you to cancel the order.
Now we'll help you determine if you should do it.
What do I do if the seller asks me to cancel my order?
There are times when the seller does not want to send you the order because they have seen that you used coupons to get the product for cheaper. In that case, they usually ask you to cancel the order alleging “other reasons”, because if they cancel the order, they will be penalized.
You should know that you are under no obligation to accept the cancellation of the product, and in fact we recommend you not to do so if:
- You think you got a good price and you don't want to give it up.
- You are not in a hurry to receive the product (because it may happen that in the end, they do cancel it, and the refund will take a few days to reach you).
If you are not going to accept the cancellation, click here and mention that you are not going to cancel, and that if they want to cancel, they can do it.
In most cases, the seller will insist a little but will end up sending you the product.
On the other hand, if you can find the product within other sellers at the same price and you don't want the ordeal to take forever, click on “Cancel order” and choose “Other reasons”:
And within a few days of cancelling the order, you will receive a refund.
Order closed due to security reasons
Another option is that the order appears as “closed” for security reasons. The most common is the famous “We have to cancel this order due to security issues. Please place the order again or delete the coupon and try again.”
This usually happens when you are trying to use a welcome coupon but have ordered the shipping to an address that has been used before. AliExpress considers this as fraud (you are creating multiple accounts to use the welcome coupon multiple times) and cancels your order.
If you want to finalize that purchase, you will have to place the order again and remove the welcome coupon.
Another reason for cancellation is that an error message has appeared in the payment and AliExpress asks us to verify our identity and card. This happens when the platform has doubts about whether we are the owners of the card and account.
Although this is not usual, if it is our turn, we will have to make a claim to Alipay and send the documentation.
You can find the complete list of errors in our AliExpress error codes article.
Other cancellation reasons
Finally, there are two other reasons why an order may appear as “closed”. The first is that AliExpress can freeze an order if it detects that the seller is unreliable. Nowadays, as more and more sellers' stores are being checked, it is more difficult for AliExpress to close a store and freeze orders.
In our AliExpress reliable sellers guide you can find tips and recommendations to know if a seller is reliable.
It is also possible that an order is cancelled if you haven't paid it. In this case, the platform will give you a few days to make the payment but if you do not pay, the order will be cancelled without you having to do anything else. Simply let the payment time continue to run.
The seller can see if you have unpaid orders but cannot send them, so they may send you a message reminding you that you have not yet paid for your purchase.
Do I have to request a refund?
As we have told you, it depends on which of the above is your case: if the cancellation has been made before or after the seller has shipped the product.
If it says “The seller has shipped your order” and at the same time it says “Order cancelled” in the tracking, then you have to act. We recommend you to do this:
- Talk to the seller to ask for explanations.
- If you are not convinced by the explanations, open a dispute (here is a step-by-step guide).
However, if the seller has not sent the order and you have received a “Closed” message, an automatic process of refunding your money will be initiated. You don't have to do anything.
If you have paid with credit card, the refund will be sent to your credit card balance as a money back movement, and in general, in all payment methods the refund will be sent to you through the same payment system you have used.
In our AliExpress refund guide we explain in more detail how refunds work for each payment method.
You will be able to follow the status of your refund by going into the details of your order, accessing the “Payment” or “Finance” tab where you will see 3 dots. When all 3 are orange, the refund process will be completed and in a few days you will have the money in your account.
