How to Cancel a Poshmark Order
Online shoppers sometimes change their minds about purchasing something and want to cancel their orders. This is true of Poshmark shoppers but can be tricky because Poshmark sales are considered final except in certain situations. This blog post will go over how to cancel a Poshmark order once it has been placed.
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Can I cancel a Poshmark order?
Yes, you can cancel a Poshmark order within 3 hours of purchasing a regular-priced item (via Buy It Now). Purchases made by sending or accepting an offer are final, but you can ask the seller to cancel the sale for you. You can also cancel a sale if a seller has not shipped your purchase within 7 days.
How to cancel a full-priced purchase
A regular sale is one where the buyer purchases the item at the listed price. This is done using the “Buy Now” button.
The buyer has 3 hours from the time of purchase to cancel this order. Navigate to the “my purchases” area of the website or app and select the item you purchased. Then click “problems/order inquiry” and then “accidental purchase.”
This is helpful if you ever have issues such as changing your mind about an item or an accidental purchase. There have been times that my phone has been unlocked in my pocket and through movement, I’ve almost purchased a random item.
I’ve heard of many children getting ahold of their mothers’ phones, playing around on them, and making purchases.
If you’re signed in to Poshmark often, it’s a good idea to use an active email address that you check frequently for your Poshmark account.
You’ll see the email notification that you purchased something (hopefully within 3 hours) and can decide to cancel the order if necessary.
How to cancel a full-priced purchase after 3 hours
After 3 hours, a full-priced order is considered final. The seller may ship the item or even mark the item as shipped and would expect the order to go through. If you are a buyer and still want to cancel the order, you have two options:
1 ) Ask the seller to cancel the order for you.
You can contact a Poshmark seller in multiple ways such as by tagging the user in a listing or making a bundle and commenting there. As of this writing, some users have a feature where they can write privately to the seller after making a purchase.
I don’t have the feature yet but have seen it used. Hopefully it will expand to everyone soon.
Many sellers will cancel the sale for you if asked, although sellers may decline to. The seller will not be penalized by Poshmark, so there’s no harm to the buyer or seller except the loss of the sale.
2) Contact Poshmark to request the order be canceled
You can email Poshmark customer support (support@poshmark.com) to request the order be canceled, but it’s a stretch that it will happen because
Poshmark can take a long time to respond, sometimes over 24 hours. The seller may ship the item by the time Poshmark reads the email and responds.
Poshmark’s rules ensure the seller a sale after the 3-hour window. The company may decline to interfere with the transaction.
But I have seen several times that Poshmark decides to grant the cancellation. The company may say it’s a one-time exception and will give you a refund, even if the item has already been shipped.
Poshmark may eat the cost of refunding you and paying out the seller.
The cancellation may also be done if Poshmark deems the sale to be invalid in some way:
The item was an accidental purchase
The item was purchased from a hacked account
The payment method was invalid
The sale was of a counterfeit or fake item
The sale was from a questionable account
It doesn’t hurt to email Poshmark and ask for the cancellation if you really do need your order canceled. Just be prepared that the response can go either way.
How to cancel a purchase made via an offer
Sales made through offers by either the seller or buyer are binding, so there is no window to cancel the order. Payment from the buyer is processed immediately, and the sale is guaranteed.
If you are a buyer and want to cancel a sale in this situation, your best bet is to message the seller and ask the seller to cancel the sale. He or she can do it in a few clicks without penalty, except that he or she may be upset about losing the sale.
How to cancel an order that has not shipped
Poshmark orders can be canceled if they have not shipped in 7 days. The website or app will tell you the date on which you can cancel the order.
Navigate to the “my purchases” section of the Poshmark website or app on the 8th day after purchase and click through to cancel the order.
Poshmark has many inactive closets or inactive sellers, so they may not be aware that they made a sale or may not be in a position to ship within 7 days.
Poshmark sends the seller a reminder to ship after a few days. You can also message the seller with a reminder or a question. But an inactive seller who does not get notifications or emails from Poshmark may not see any of that.
Poshmark will cancel an order after 21 days if a seller has not shipped the item and the buyer has not canceled it as well.
If you cancel your order, you should receive a full refund by whichever method you paid, whether through credit cards or Poshmark credit.
Can a Poshmark seller cancel an order?
Yes, a Poshmark seller can cancel an order at any time between when the item was purchased and before shipping it.
Sellers have more time here than buyers, and there are many reasons why they might cancel a sale.
Ran out of an item
The item was listed as the wrong size, color, price, etc.
The item was damaged or lost.
Seller changed his or her mind about selling the item
Buyers may be disappointed, but they will understand and they get a full refund.
I’ve had to cancel orders a few times as a seller and had my orders canceled a few times as a buyer.
As a seller, I’ve messaged the buyer to apologize and let them know why I canceled the order. It’s usually because I spotted some damage to the item that I didn’t see while listing it.
The buyers I’ve informed have been appreciative that I was honest about it and didn’t send them something that was worse than described.
What should I do if a buyer is asking me to cancel a Poshmark order?
As a seller, you can agree to cancel the order or decline to do so and go ahead with the sale. I recommend canceling the order if you have not shipped the item yet for several reasons:
1) It’s good for customer relations.
People change their minds, make mistakes, and make accidental purchases in life. If you haven’t already shipped the item, the customer will likely appreciate that you canceled the sale and hopefully have a good impression of you and Poshmark.
A Poshmark user I know let her child play with her phone. Her child almost purchased something, but she caught her just in time.
Although the item was maybe $10, she couldn’t afford it at that time. Her husband was out of work and it was a struggle to even buy groceries each week. She would have appreciated a seller canceling the sale.
2) Don't risk the buyer ruining the item to force a return.
I’ve heard many stories of buyers damaging items and opening a return request stating that the item did not come as described. Of course not all buyers are like this, but it’s a risk because you don’t know your buyer.
Poshmark has stated that it’s very difficult in these situations to know who is actually telling the truth. Poshmark will often side with the buyer allowing for the item’s return.
Then the seller will be out of the sale and have a damaged item that cannot be resold. It’s much easier to just cancel the sale.
3) Accept that cancellations and returns (within reason) are a part of the reselling business.
Just as brick-and-mortar stores and many other online businesses accept cancellations and returns, you’re likely to encounter them as you grow your business.
You may have to accept some as a part of selling on Poshmark. Relist the item and try to sell it again.
Are Poshmark sellers penalized for canceling an order?
Poshmark sellers are not penalized for canceling an order. I’ve heard of sellers canceling several orders over the course of a few months for various reasons and not being penalized for it.
Poshmark knows this is a part of the business. But if you cancel an excessive number of orders to the point that it flags your account in their system, then it’s possible Poshmark could do something.
If you’re concerned at all about canceling multiple orders, email Poshmark to explain or discuss your situation.
I heard about a seller who had to cancel several sales at once because her house flooded and her inventory that was in the basement got damaged. She wrote to Poshmark to explain her case, and nothing happened to her.
Should I wait to ship a Poshmark order?
If you’re a Poshmark seller and someone purchased an item at regular/full price, you should wait 3 hours before shipping the item. The buyer is allowed a 3-hour cancellation window.
If you ship before the 3 hours are up and the buyer cancels, you will have to notify Poshmark and things can get messy.
It’s possible that the item will be returned to you after being refused by the buyer. The seller could also somehow lose the item if it doesn’t get back to him or her. Poshmark may also pay out both the buyer and the seller.
If the item was purchased through an offer, there is no 3-hour cancellation window and you can ship the item right away.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cancel a Poshmark order?
As a buyer:
Go to “My Purchases”
Click on the item
Click on “Problems/Order Inquiry”
Select “Accidental Purchase”
Why do buyers want to cancel Poshmark orders?
Here are several common reasons that buyers cancel an order:
Changed their mind
Buyer’s remorse
Bought it for someone else, and it's the wrong size
Found it elsewhere cheaper
Accidental purchase
A child was playing with the phone
The phone was hacked
How do I refund a buyer on Poshmark?
When a seller cancels an order, Poshmark automatically refunds the buyer in the form that they used to pay, even Posh credits. Sellers do not have to do anything special to refund a buyer.
Sellers should not attempt to send money via another service such as PayPal or snail mail. Poshmark handles all the financial transactions related to sales and refunds.
Wrap up
Although Poshmark states that all sales are final, there are ways to cancel a sale such as during the 3-hour window for full-priced sales, asking the seller to cancel the sale, or emailing Poshmark for a special request. But hopefully those cancellations are few and far between. Happy Poshing!
