Managing Order Cancellations and Refunds

Need to cancel an order or issue a refund? We've made it simple to handle these situations directly from Big Cartel. You can manage cancellations and refunds without leaving your shop's dashboard, helping you maintain clear records and provide great customer service.

What You Can Do

• Cancel orders with or without processing refunds

• Issue full or partial refunds for orders

• Automatically manage inventory when canceling orders

• Send automatic notifications to keep your customers informed

• Keep your order history organized with clear status indicators

Canceling Orders

When you need to cancel an order, whether it's due to inventory issues, customer requests, or other reasons, here's how to do it:

1. Go to the Orders page in your admin dashboard

2. Find and click on the order you need to cancel

3. Click the Cancel Order button

4. In the cancellation window, you'll have several options:

   • Choose whether to process a refund

   • Decide if you want to restock the items (if inventory tracking is enabled)

   • Select if you want to notify the customer

   • Choose a cancellation reason from the dropdown menu

5. Confirm your choices and submit

Pro tip: Canceled orders will be removed from your active fulfillment queues (Unshipped, Shipped, or Partially Shipped) to keep your workflow clean. You can always find them under the All tab if you need to reference them later.

Processing Refunds

Whether you're refunding a canceled order or need to issue a partial refund, here's the process:

1. Navigate to the order in your admin dashboard

2. Click Issue Refund

3. Specify any amount between $1 and the total order value

4. Decide if you want to send an email notification to the customer

5. Add a reason for the refund

6. Submit the refund

Important note: While Big Cartel doesn't limit when you can process refunds, your payment processor (Stripe or PayPal) might have time limitations. Check with your payment processor for specific details.

Customer Communications

When you cancel an order or process a refund, we can automatically send emails to keep your customers informed. These emails include:

• Order cancellation confirmations

• Refund notifications with amount and timing details

• Combined cancellation and refund information when both actions are taken

• Your shop's contact information (email) for any questions

Tips for Managing Cancellations and Refunds

• Stay organized: Canceled orders won't clutter your active queues, and you can always find them under the All tab for reference.

• Keep records: Use the cancellation reason field when canceling orders or issuing refunds to maintain clear records.

• Inventory management: When canceling orders, consider whether you want to restock the items. This helps keep your inventory accurate.

• Customer service: Prompt handling of cancellations and refunds, combined with clear communication, helps maintain customer trust.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while processing cancellations or refunds:

• Verify that your payment processor (Stripe or PayPal) account is active and in good standing

• Ensure that the refund amount does not exceed the total amount paid ($1 to the total order amount)

• Check that you have sufficient funds in your payment processor account to process the refund

• Contact our support team if you need additional assistance

Have questions? Our support team is here to help!