If you JUST placed the order (within the last few minutes):
- Open AliExpress app or website immediately
- Go to “My Orders”
- Find the order you want to cancel
- Click “Cancel Order”
- Select cancellation reason
- Confirm cancellation
- If successful, payment will be refunded (3-15 days depending on payment method)
If the seller already shipped: You cannot cancel payment or order. You’ll need to refuse delivery or return the item after receiving it.
If payment is still processing: You may be able to cancel the order before payment completes, stopping the charge.
Read below for detailed instructions based on your exact situation.
Understanding Payment vs. Order Cancellation
Important distinction:
“Cancel payment” technically means stopping money from leaving your account.
“Cancel order” means canceling the purchase, which triggers a refund if payment already processed.
The reality on AliExpress:
You cannot directly “cancel a payment” that has already processed. What you actually do is cancel the order, which then triggers a refund of the payment.
Timeline:
Moment 1: You click “Pay Now” ↓ Moment 2: Payment processes (2-10 seconds) Your money goes into AliExpress escrow ↓ Moment 3: Order is created Seller is notified ↓ Moment 4: Seller ships (1-5 days typically) Once shipped, cancellation becomes much harder ↓ Moment 5: You receive item Too late to cancel, must return instead
Where you can intervene:
- Between Moment 3 and Moment 4: Cancel order easily, get automatic refund
- After Moment 4 (shipped): Cannot cancel, must refuse delivery or return
How to Cancel Payment/Order (Step-by-Step)
Method 1: Cancel Order Immediately (Within Minutes to Hours)
This is what to do if you just placed an order and want to stop it:
On Mobile App:
Step 1: Open AliExpress app
Step 2: Tap “Account” (bottom right)
Step 3: Tap “My Orders”
Step 4: Find the order you want to cancel Look under “Awaiting Shipment” or recent orders.
Step 5: Tap on the order Opens order details page.
Step 6: Look for “Cancel Order” button Usually appears below order details if cancellation is still possible.
Step 7: Tap “Cancel Order”
Step 8: Select cancellation reason Choose from dropdown:
- “I don’t want it anymore”
- “Found a better price”
- “Ordered by mistake”
- “Changed my mind”
- Or other reason
Step 9: Confirm cancellation Tap “Submit” or “Confirm”
Step 10: Wait for confirmation You’ll see a message: “Order canceled successfully”
Step 11: Check refund status Refund processes automatically to your original payment method.
On Desktop Website:
Step 1: Go to www.aliexpress.com
Step 2: Log into your account
Step 3: Hover over “Account” Top right corner of the page.
Step 4: Click “My Orders”
Step 5: Find the order Look through recent orders or use search.
Step 6: Click “View Detail” Opens full order information.
Step 7: Look for “Cancel Order” button Appears on the right side if cancellation is available.
Step 8: Click “Cancel Order”
Step 9: Select reason from dropdown
Step 10: Click “Submit”
Step 11: Confirmation appears Order status changes to “Canceled”
Step 12: Refund initiates automatically
Method 2: Contact Seller for Cancellation (If Button Doesn’t Appear)
If you don’t see a “Cancel Order” button:
Step 1: Go to the order details page
Step 2: Click “Contact Seller”
Step 3: Send message: “Hello, I would like to cancel this order. Please do not ship. Can you cancel from your side? Order number: [your order number]”
Step 4: Wait for seller response Most sellers respond within 24 hours.
Step 5: If seller agrees: They cancel from their side, refund processes automatically.
Step 6: If seller doesn’t respond within 24 hours: The order will likely ship. Prepare to refuse delivery or return it.
Method 3: What to Do If Already Shipped
If order status shows “Shipped” or “In Transit”:
You cannot cancel at this point. Your options are:
Option A: Refuse delivery
- When package arrives, tell delivery person you refuse it
- Don’t open or accept the package
- Package returns to sender
- Once seller receives it back, request refund through dispute
Option B: Accept and return
- Receive the package
- Don’t confirm receipt on AliExpress
- Open a dispute for “Don’t want anymore”
- Request return and refund
- Ship item back (you pay return shipping usually)
- Get refund after seller confirms receipt
Option C: Accept and keep (no refund) If you decide you actually want it after all.
Refund Timeline After Cancellation
When you successfully cancel an order, refund timing depends on your payment method:
Credit/Debit Cards:
- Processing time: 3-15 business days
- Money returns to the same card used for purchase
- Timeline depends on your bank’s processing speed
- AliExpress releases refund within 24-48 hours, then it’s up to your bank
PayPal:
- Processing time: 3-7 business days
- Money goes to your PayPal account
- Can use immediately once it appears in PayPal balance
- Faster than card refunds typically
Digital Wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay):
- Processing time: 3-10 business days
- Refund goes to the card linked to the wallet
- Similar timeline to direct card refunds
AliExpress Pocket:
- Instant (within minutes to hours)
- Money goes to your AliExpress account balance
- Can use immediately for future purchases
- Fastest refund method
Bank Transfers:
- Processing time: 5-20 business days
- Money returns to originating bank account
- Slowest refund method
Important: The refund countdown starts when the seller confirms cancellation or when AliExpress automatically processes it, not when you click cancel.
Why You Might Not See “Cancel Order” Button
Reason 1: Seller already processed/shipped Once marked as shipped, cancellation button disappears.
Reason 2: Time window expired Some sellers set automatic processing that removes cancellation option after a few hours.
Reason 3: Order status changed If payment is still processing (rare), cancellation might not be available yet.
Reason 4: Technical glitch Try refreshing page or using different device/browser.
Reason 5: Seller disabled cancellations Some sellers don’t allow buyer-initiated cancellations (rare).
What to do: Contact seller directly through order page and request cancellation.
Special Situations
Situation 1: Payment Pending/Processing
If you placed order but payment shows “Processing” or “Pending”:
What’s happening: Your bank authorized the charge but AliExpress hasn’t fully processed it yet.
What to do:
- Wait 5-10 minutes for payment to complete
- Then cancel the order using normal method above
- The pending authorization will drop off (1-7 days)
- Or it will process then immediately refund (3-15 days)
Don’t worry if you see pending charge: It will either cancel automatically or process then refund.
Situation 2: Multiple Items in One Order
If you want to cancel only SOME items from an order with multiple products:
Bad news: AliExpress doesn’t allow partial order cancellation.
Your options:
Option A: Cancel entire order Lose all items in that order, get full refund.
Option B: Receive everything, return unwanted items
- Accept delivery
- Open dispute for items you don’t want
- Request return
- Get partial refund for returned items
Option C: Keep everything If canceling individual items isn’t worth the hassle.
Future prevention: Order items separately if you might want to cancel only some.
Situation 3: Seller Refuses Cancellation
If seller says “No” to cancellation request:
Step 1: Explain your situation clearly “I ordered by mistake” or “I found the item locally” – be polite but firm.
Step 2: If seller still refuses: You have options depending on order status:
If not shipped yet:
- Wait for item to ship
- Refuse delivery when it arrives
- Open dispute after tracking shows return to sender
If already shipped:
- Accept delivery
- Open dispute immediately
- Request return and refund
- Cite “Buyer’s remorse” or “Don’t want anymore”
Step 3: Use buyer protection AliExpress buyer protection supports cancellations for any reason before shipment. If seller refuses unfairly, you can escalate.
Situation 4: Order From Multiple Sellers
If you placed one order that includes products from different sellers:
Each seller’s items are actually separate orders in AliExpress’s system.
How to cancel:
- Go to “My Orders”
- You’ll see separate line items for each seller
- Cancel each one individually
- Some sellers might accept, others might not
Result: You might successfully cancel some items but not others.
What Happens After You Cancel
Immediate effects:
Order status changes: “Awaiting Shipment” → “Order Canceled”
Seller notification: Seller receives automatic notification that order was canceled.
Inventory restoration: Item quantity becomes available again for other buyers.
Your account: Order moves to “Canceled Orders” section.
Within 24-48 hours:
Refund initiated: AliExpress releases funds back to your payment method.
Email confirmation: You receive cancellation confirmation email.
Seller can contest (rare): If seller believes they have grounds to dispute the cancellation, they can contact AliExpress. This almost never happens for pre-shipment cancellations.
Within 3-15 days:
Refund appears: Money shows in your bank account, PayPal, or AliExpress balance depending on original payment method.
Can You Cancel After Confirming Receipt?
Short answer: No.
Once you click “Confirm Receipt,” you’re telling AliExpress:
- Item arrived
- You’re satisfied
- Release payment to seller
After confirmation:
- Payment goes to seller
- Buyer protection ends
- No cancellation or refund possible
What you can do:
- Contact seller directly
- Ask for voluntary refund (seller can choose to accept or decline)
- Leave negative review if item was not as described
Prevention: Never confirm receipt until you’ve:
- Received the item
- Inspected it thoroughly
- Verified it matches the listing
- Decided you’re keeping it
Fees and Penalties for Cancellation
Good news: AliExpress doesn’t charge cancellation fees.
What you pay:
- Nothing for pre-shipment cancellation
- No penalties
- No restocking fees
- Full refund of everything you paid (item + shipping)
What seller might do:
- Some sellers might be annoyed (especially frequent cancellations)
- Might leave negative feedback (rare)
- Might refuse future orders from you (very rare)
What AliExpress might do:
- If you cancel orders very frequently (dozens per month), they might flag your account
- Excessive cancellations could lead to account restrictions (rare)
- Normal occasional cancellations are fine
Best practice: Don’t abuse cancellations. Only cancel when you genuinely need to.
Alternative: Dispute Instead of Cancel
If cancellation isn’t possible but item hasn’t arrived yet:
Wait for delivery deadline to pass, then:
Step 1: Wait until buyer protection is close to expiring
Step 2: Open dispute for “Item not received”
Step 3: Request full refund
Step 4: Provide evidence:
- Screenshots showing expected delivery passed
- Tracking showing no delivery
- No communication from seller
Step 5: AliExpress mediates Usually rules in favor of buyer for non-delivery.
Result: Full refund, same as canceling.
When to use this:
- Seller won’t cancel
- Item is taking too long
- You don’t want to wait anymore
Prevention: Think Before You Buy
To avoid needing to cancel:
Before clicking “Buy Now”:
- Verify item details carefully
- Check seller ratings and reviews
- Confirm shipping address
- Review total cost including shipping
- Make sure you actually want/need the item
- Compare prices with other sellers
- Read return policy
Use “Add to Cart” instead of “Buy Now”:
- Let items sit in cart for a day
- Review when you’re less impulsive
- Remove items you decide you don’t want
- Only checkout when you’re certain
Check buyer protection terms:
- Understand refund policies
- Know cancellation windows
- Be aware of what’s covered
Quick Decision Tree
Just placed order (within minutes): → Cancel immediately using “Cancel Order” button → Get refund in 3-15 days
Placed order hours/days ago, not shipped yet: → Cancel using “Cancel Order” button → If button missing, contact seller → Get refund in 3-15 days
Order already shipped: → Cannot cancel → Refuse delivery OR accept and return → Get refund after item returns to seller (2-4 weeks total)
Already confirmed receipt: → Cannot cancel → Contact seller for voluntary refund (unlikely) → Or keep the item
What If You Change Your Mind After Canceling?
If you canceled but now want the item:
Bad news: Once an order is canceled, you cannot “un-cancel” it.
What to do:
Step 1: Check refund status If refund already processed, it’s too late.
Step 2: Contact seller immediately Explain you want to un-cancel if possible.
Step 3: Seller’s options:
- If they haven’t processed cancellation yet, they might restore the order (rare)
- More likely, they’ll say to place a new order
Step 4: Place a new order Search for the same item and order again.
Important: Price might have changed. You can’t guarantee same price/availability after canceling.
Takeaway
Cancel AliExpress payments by canceling the order before the seller ships. The “Cancel Order” button appears in “My Orders” section for orders that haven’t shipped yet. Click it, select a reason, confirm, and your refund processes automatically within 3-15 days depending on your payment method.
If the order already shipped, you cannot cancel – your only options are refusing delivery or accepting and returning the item. Never confirm receipt until you’ve inspected items and decided to keep them.
Cancellation is free, penalty-free, and you get a full refund. Act quickly – the sooner you cancel after placing the order, the more likely you’ll succeed before the seller ships.