So you signed in to your Seller Central and noticed you have some pending orders. If you’re unsure what it means, you are in the right place. For most Amazon FBA merchants, it can become a source of concern. But don’t fret. Your stock is still safe and sound. Besides, awaiting orders aren’t the same as canceled ones.
This guide will show you what ‘Amazon orders pending’ means, the most common explanations for why it happens, and what to do when your account gets an awaiting status.
Let’s get started!
What Does Pending Order in Amazon Account Indicate?
Transactions may become ‘pending’ after successful add-to-cart and checkout actions. The platform keeps transactions on hold for up to 30 minutes to allow customers enough time to cancel their orders (Buyer-canceled transactions are in Manage Orders and are grayed out, i.e., non-actionable).
In fact, the most well-spread reason for such situations is an authorization. AMZ wants to check the shopper’s credit card information and move purchases to pending status for a bit. This process usually takes a couple of minutes, but may drag on for even up to 21 days. If a certain order status keeps pending for more than an hour, reach out to the platform’s customer support.
Once the customer’s purchase details are confirmed, the order status will become Unshipped, meaning it’s ready to be shipped out.
Other reasons why an order can go into pending are as follows:
- AMZ is preparing your item for an FBA client.
- An FBA order is awaiting if it is for multiple products, but one or more units are out of stock. AMZ could break the purchase and deliver available items if it wants to.
There is a good possibility that the order status changes to pending during long holidays like Black Friday or Christmas – bear with it, as the marketplace is currently handling the extra load and is doing its best to send goods to its clients on time.
Note that you will not be able to deliver an item until its status shifts to unshipped.
What Should You Do with Pending Amazon Orders?
Well, first, do not panic! Now that you know why it happens, you may work out a solution if required. The best measure to take in case of AMZ Orders pending is just to wait it out. Usually, they are solved quickly, and you do not have to do anything as a merchant.
In addition, if you’re not an FBA merchant, then you shouldn’t send out an order to a client that still has a Pending order status even if the buyers were to get in touch with you directly and request it. Instead, you need to wait until the problem is resolved and your order status displays as “Unshipped.”
When your goods are low on stock, and your inventory has tied up because of long delays, you might want to initiate contact with the customer to resolve the problem or cancel the purchase, so you do not lose out on other sales. Do not be too hasty to withdraw purchases, though, as too many cancellations aren’t good for your AMZ account health.
Final Thoughts
For an Amazon seller, client satisfaction is the main priority. Unfortunately, order-related problems like pending orders may get in the way if they are not fixed quickly.
Although such delays might not be your fault, especially if it is an Amazon FBA order, they influence your business in the marketplace.
Hopefully, this article has shown you an effective way to address such orders in your lineup. Check out our blog for more AMZ strategies and tips. Good luck!