Articles on: Cancellations and returns

Let customers cancel an order

Cancellations let customers stop an order before it ships, without emailing you. Turn it on under Features → Order cancellation. You choose whether cancellations happen straight away or wait for your approval, how customers get their money back, and whether to show an offer that keeps the sale.

What this does

Every cancellation is revenue gone. But a customer who cannot reach you does not give up — they charge it back, or they leave a review.

Giving them a button costs you the same order and saves the argument. It also gives you one chance to offer something better.

Before you start

Cancellations are in your plan. The page says if not.
The Cancel order block is added. It sits in the order's action menu, not on the page.

Turn it on

Go to Features → Order cancellation.
Turn on Let customers cancel their order before it ships.
Select Save.

Cancellations are off on a fresh install, like every other feature.

Approve first, or cancel straight away

Under Cancellation approval:

Cancel right away — The order is cancelled and refunded as soon as the customer submits the request
Require approval before cancelling — Requests wait in the Requests tab. Nothing is cancelled or refunded until you approve.

Automatic is the default and suits most stores. It is faster for the customer and needs nothing from you.

Choose approval if cancellations are expensive for you, or if you want a chance to save the sale by hand.

If you require approval, turn on Hold order until reviewed. Otherwise the order can ship while the request is still waiting.

Choose how customers get their money back

Under Refund options:

Original payment method — Their money back, the way they paid
Store credit — Credit for the refund amount, to spend later
Let the customer choose — Either of the above — they pick
Run a Shopify Flow workflow — Your workflow handles it. Account Editor issues nothing.

Store credit keeps the money with you. A refund does not. Let the customer choose is a fair middle: some will take credit, especially with a reason to.

Keep part of the payment

Turn on Charge a fee when a customer cancels and pick a Fee type:

Percentage — A share of the order
Fixed — A set amount
Shipping and taxes — Just those

Write a Note for the customer explaining the fee. A charge with no explanation becomes a support ticket.

Restocking fees do not work with the Shopify Flow refund option, because your workflow handles the money.

Set your cancellation reasons

Five reasons ship ready to use:

Found a better price
Changed my mind
Item no longer needed
Shipping cost too high
Order was incorrect

Add your own or edit these. Reasons are the point. "Found a better price" repeatedly is a pricing problem. "Shipping cost too high" is a delivery problem. Neither shows up anywhere else.

To translate them, search for cr in your language settings.

Offer something that keeps the order

This is the setting worth your time.

Turn on Show an offer when a customer starts to cancel, then add offers. You can give a gift card, free shipping, a free item, a discount, or store credit.

The customer sees it at the moment they are about to leave. Some take it, and the order stays.

Control who can cancel

Under Limit cancellations by tag, pick a rule:

Block cancellations — Customers cannot cancel if the order or their account has one of these tags
Allow cancellations — Customers can cancel only if the order or their account has one of these tags

Use Block to protect specific orders. Use Allow to open cancellations to one group only, such as a test group.

Handle requests

If you require approval, requests land under the Requests tab.

Each row shows the order, customer, refund amount, status and date. Open one to see the products, the customer's note, and the refund breakdown including any restocking fee.

Then Approve or Reject. Approving cancels the order and processes the refund. Neither can be undone.

What your customers see

Cancel order appears in the order's action menu. Customers pick a reason, see any restocking fee, and confirm.

If you set up offers, they see one before the cancellation completes. If you require approval, they are told the request is waiting.

Good to know

A rejected request blocks that order forever. Once you reject a cancellation, that order can never be cancelled through the app again, whatever your settings say. Reject only when you mean it.

Refunds are recalculated at approval time. A pending request is worked out against the live order, so an order edited while waiting refunds the right amount.

Holds are shared. Shopify allows one hold per order. If another feature still needs the order held, the cancellation hold will not release it early.

Customers cancel the whole order. There is no partial cancellation. Removing single items is an item edit.

Cancelling is not returning. Cancellation is before dispatch. After it ships, it is a return — see Set up returns and exchanges.

Troubleshooting

No cancel option — Why: The feature is off, or the Cancel order block is missing — Fix: Check Features, then the banner
Requests tab is empty — Why: You are on automatic cancellation — Fix: Expected — nothing waits for approval
Orders ship while requests wait — Why: Hold order until reviewed is off — Fix: Turn it on
One customer cannot cancel — Why: A tag rule matches — Fix: Check Limit cancellations by tag
An order can never be cancelled — Why: A previous request was rejected — Fix: Expected, and permanent
The restocking fee is not applied — Why: You are using the Shopify Flow refund option — Fix: Flow handles the money, so no fee is held back
Store credit is not offered — Why: It is not turned on under refund options — Fix: Turn on Store credit or Let the customer choose

FAQ

Should I approve cancellations by hand?

Only if you plan to act on them. Approval delays the customer and creates work. Its value is the chance to save the sale — and offers do that automatically, without the wait.

Can customers cancel part of an order?

No. Cancellation is all or nothing. To drop one item, they use item edits instead.

What happens after the order ships?

Cancellation stops. That becomes a return.

Does a restocking fee work with store credit?

Yes. The fee comes off first, and the customer gets credit for the rest.

Will customers game the retention offer?

Some will start a cancellation to see what appears. Set usage limits on the offer, and keep the discount smaller than your margin.

Updated on: 21/08/2026

Was this article helpful?

Thank you!