how to cancel a digital order on Amazon [ Complete Guide + FAQs]

Did you order a digital product on Amazon only to realize you no longer want it? For any reason you want to learn how to cancel a digital order on Amazon, I got you covered in this guide. I have placed orders for digital products on Amazon many times and canceled them after I realized I won’t be needing them again.

I will show you step-by-step how you can do that plus cover other things related to canceling, returning, and refunding orders for digital products on Amazon.

What is a digital product on Amazon?

They are intangible or e-products that exist in digital form. They don’t require shipping, unlike physical products where the seller will ship to your location before you can get them. Once you place an order and pay, you download them as files. Examples of digital products on Amazon are:

• E-book
• Movies
• Music
• Games 
• Software 

How to order digital products on Amazon 

Before we dive into how to cancel a digital order on Amazon, let’s first know how to place them.

You need to create an account on Amazon before you can order a digital or physical product. Creating an account is simple. Go to Amazon.com and sign up. Enter your Email address and password to create an account.  Then check your email to verify your account.

You can use your Facebook, Google, or Apple account to sign up for an Amazon account. That will save you time and stress of entering your email and password whenever you want to log in assuming you didn’t save them to Google. 

The next is to order a digital product you want. On the homepage, you can use the search bar to find a digital product you want to order or go to categories to choose a category in which the digital product you want to buy falls.

For instance, if you want to order an e-book on Amazon which is a digital product, go to the book category. Click on it and you see a list of top-selling books.  You can even sort them by category like Business & Career, Romance, True Crime, Politics, etc. When you identify the book you want to buy, click on it and you see options like Audible, Kindle, Hardcover, or Paperback. Select Kindle since you want an e-book.

Choose the quantity you want to buy. That’s it. You have placed an order for a digital product on Amazon.

How to cancel a digital order on Amazon 

Now you know how to place an order for a digital product on Amazon, let’s move to how to cancel it.

Login to your account on Amazon and locate Orders. 

Find the digital product accidentally ordered select Cancel Order.

Choose a reason for canceling your order from the drop-down arrow menu. At this point, you tell Amazon that you no longer want the digital product you initially ordered. 

Click Cancel Order. 

Why do Amazon users cancel orders for digital products?

Order cancellation is common in ecommerce stores for digital and physical products. It is not peculiar with Amazon. Buyers on eBay and Aliexpress also cancel their orders. 

But what are the reasons for it?

1. Bad user experience 

When it comes to online shopping, user experience matters. Buyers often encounter difficulties on Amazon after placing an order for digital products. It could be that the questions they ask about the digital product they ordered are not answered.

The seller doesn’t respond to critical questions days after the buyer contacts them. This is annoying and can make one cancel the order.

2. When there is a better option 

A buyer can cancel an order for a digital product if they see a better option. For instance, a book lover who is on a tight budget and wants to buy an e-book may cancel the order once someone offers them a hard copy of the same book for free.

The same is true of software. You can cancel an order for software if you discover that you can download it for free on websites that have no piracy issues. 

3. Negative review

Not all buyers on  Amazon read reviews before they place an order for a digital product. Some out of excitement have placed orders for the digital product before coming to the review only to see many negative reviews about the digital product they are excited about.

Since nobody wants to buy a product they won’t derive value from, it is better to cancel the order based on the negative reviews of previous buyers.

Refund for cancellation of digital products on Amazon 

After canceling your order, you naturally would want to get a refund for the money you paid. However, it is important you know that you won’t get a refund for some digital products you ordered and no longer want.

For example, Games, Software, Music, and Videos you ordered from the Amazon store can’t be returned after purchase. So you won’t get a refund if you ordered and paid for any of them. 

Digital educational resources you ordered and paid for can be returned within seven days of purchase only if you haven’t downloaded them. Depending on the circumstance of your order, you may get a refund within 90 days for Add-ons you bought from Amazon Luna.

You may need to contact customer service for help. Songs and albums you purchased from Amazon Digital Store through Alexa are eligible for a refund only if you returned them and requested a refund within 7 days of purchase. 

Returning digital products you received as gifts

You can purchase digital products from Amazon and gift them to others. Amazon has an option for that. 

What if someone purchases and gives you a gift? 

You can exchange it for an Amazon gift card if it is an Amazon Kindle book and you must do it before you accept the gift.

After accepting the gift, you can’t exchange it for a gift card.

FAQs on how to cancel a digital order on Amazon 

Before I conclude, let’s look at some key questions you ask that relate to canceling digital products you ordered on Amazon.

How do I return a digital item on Amazon?

Log in to your Amazon account and go to the Digital Orders tab. Click on Return for Refund which is next to the product you want to return. Choose the reason you want to return the digital item from the pop-up window. Then select Return for Refund. 

Note that Games, Software, Music, and Videos you ordered from the Amazon store can’t be returned after purchase. So you can’t get a refund for them.

How do I find my Amazon digital orders?

Log in to your Amazon account, and go to the Digital Order tab. Click on it and you see a list of all the digital products you ordered on Amazon.

How do I cancel an accidental Amazon Prime video purchase?

You can cancel an accidental Amazon Prime video within 48 hours if you haven’t attempted to watch or download it. Go to your Order, and find the accidental order you want to cancel. Select Cancel Order. Give a reason for canceling such an order. Amazon immediately removes the video from your video library as part of your refund process. 

Note: You can turn on parental control for your account from the Prime Video Settings to prevent accidental purchases.

Can you cancel a digital game on Amazon?

Digital game purchased from Amazon store is one of the digital products you can’t return after purchase. So even if you cancel it, you won’t get a refund unless it is stated before you purchased it.

Final thought on how to cancel a digital order on Amazon 

Canceling a digital order you placed on Amazon is possible but you won’t get a refund for certain products. For those products eligible for return and refund, you must adhere to the rules otherwise you won’t get a refund. I have shown you to have to go about it in this guide. It’s up to keep them in mind when making a purchase or asking for a refund for a digital product on Amazon.