How to Cancel an Order

Being the middle point between the shopping cart and the fulfillment service, it's common for merchants to want to know how to cancel an order directly in Order Desk so that it will also update as canceled in the shopping cart and at the fulfillment service. 

Because every integration has different settings, requirements and API data, it isn't actually possible to "just" cancel an order in Order Desk. This is especially true if the intention is to have it also automatically cancel the order everywhere else as well.

There are, however, a few exceptions and tips for handling canceled orders in Order Desk, which will be covered in this guide.

Can I Cancel an Order in Order Desk?

Strictly speaking, there is no automatic way to cancel an order in Order Desk. Just moving the order to the canceled folder will not trigger any actions on the order unless a rule has been set up to do something specific with an order that is moved into the canceled folder.

In Order Desk, folders are places to store and organize orders. Folders can be deleted, edited, renamed, moved around and used for your own customized purposes. A canceled folder is merely a label for a certain folder and not an event or action that happens to the orders in that folder.

When an order is moved into the canceled folder, either manually or automatically by some other means, this movement does not, by default, indicate that a cancel notification has been sent back to the shopping cart or to the fulfillment service that has the order.

For more information on how folders and rules work in Order Desk, please read these guides on working with folders and the Order Desk Rule Builder.

Integration Specific Details

Each integration has its own requirements and specifications for how to cancel an order. Most fulfillment or shipping services will require canceling from their own app or by contacting them directly by phone or email.  

Some shopping carts will accept a cancelation notification from Order Desk if a rule is set up for it, such as If Order Moved to Canceled Folder, Change Order Status at Shopify to Canceled. 

Check the Order Desk help guides for more information about specific integrations, explore the actions available in the Rule Builder for your integrations, or contact Order Desk support to find out if this is possible with the integrations you are using.

For some fulfillment integrations, a Cancel Order button will appear on the order page after it has been submitted to the integration. With a few exceptions (listed below), these cancel buttons are meant to be used immediately after an order is submitted, within seconds, in case the submission was a mistake. 

Once the order has successfully transferred through to the receiving service, it will start moving through their system and will need to be stopped from their side. If you pressed the cancel order button here in Order Desk, please follow up with the service to make sure it has been canceled, unless the integration specific instructions say otherwise. 

It's recommended that any order that has already been submitted for fulfillment be checked on directly with that service to ensure it has been canceled in time. 

Integration specific instructions

Amazon Marketplace: press cancel button
Amazon MCF: press cancel button, but follow up with MCF to confirm
Bay Photo: press cancel button
BDLinx: press cancel button or use Cancel Order at BDLinx rule action
CommerceHub: press cancel button and select reason from the dropdown
MWW: if within the first minute or two after the order is submitted, press cancel button; otherwise send email
OIA Global: send email
HP Site Flow: press cancel button
Progressive Solutions: press cancel button

Resubmit an Order for Fulfillment

Unless the integration specific instructions say otherwise, to resubmit an order, you will first need to change the order number, which can easily be done by duplicating the order. This must be done so the fulfillment or shipping service sees a new order number and does not reject the order submission as one they have already received and/or canceled.

To do this, follow these instructions.