Need to cancel a transaction? Things happen, and we’re here to help.

We want to avoid cancelations whenever possible. Please make sure to only purchase an item or create a listing when you are able to complete the transaction.

How cancelations work

Buyers can request to cancel an order before the seller confirms they’ve shipped the item.

Once the request is made, sellers have 24 hours to either confirm shipment or approve the cancelation request. If you already shipped the item, you can confirm shipment by tapping “I shipped it” from the Order Status page. If you haven’t shipped the item, you can accept the cancelation request.

If you accept the cancelation request or don’t confirm shipment within 24 hours of the buyer’s request, the order will be canceled and we’ll refund the buyer to their original form of payment.

If you confirm shipment but there are no tracking updates for 15 or more days from the date of purchase, the order is eligible for immediate cancelation at the buyer’s request. To confirm shipment or check for tracking updates, visit the Order Status page by going to your profile > Selling > In progress.

We want to keep the marketplace fair for everyone. Frequent cancelations may result in a warning or account limitation.

Canceling a sale

Need to cancel an order and refund the buyer?

Though it should be avoided as often as possible, sometimes canceling is necessary. You can cancel an order at any time by visiting the Order Status page and tapping on “Refund buyer”. Note: Keep in mind that if you cancel a transaction or accept a cancelation, you won’t get paid for the order -- even if it’s already been delivered to the buyer.

Buyer cancelations

Depending on the situation, the cancelation process can be slightly different.

Here's what you need to know:

24 hour cancelation requests

Buyers can request to cancel an order before you’ve confirmed that you’ve shipped the item.

Once a request has been made, we’ll send you a notification asking you to either confirm shipment or accept the cancelation. To view and respond to open cancelation requests, visit your Order Status page.

Once a cancelation request has been made, you’ll have 24 hours to respond to the request. If don’t respond or confirm shipment of item within 24 hours, our team will approve the cancelation request.

Immediate cancelations

Once you’ve confirmed the order has shipped, we want to allow enough time for a package to be delivered. However, if there is no evidence that the item is in transit, we want to make sure the buyer will be refunded on time.

Immediate cancelations can be made if there has been no tracking updates for the item regardless of whether or not you have confirmed shipment. In order to prevent these types of cancelations, we ask that all orders, even the ones you choose to ship with your own postage, are shipped using a tracking number. That way we can verify that the item is in transit.

Mercari cancelations

Occasionally, Mercari may need to cancel a transaction to keep both the buyer and seller safe.

This can happen when a prohibited item is sold or one of the users engages in prohibited conduct. For more information on these types of items and behaviors please visit our Prohibited Items or Prohibited Conduct policies.