Walmart Shortens Automatic Order Cancellation Window to 4 Days

In an email sent to current Walmart marketplace sellers, the company said it will be shortening its automatic cancellation window from 6 days to 4 days. This new policy will go into effect on June 6, 2023.

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The automatic cancellation window begins after the Estimated Ship Date (ESD) and sellers will need to provide a tracking number for their customer no later than 4 days after the ESD.

If an order is not shipped or tracking has not been updated after the 4th day of the ESD, the order will be automatically cancelled, and it will negatively impact a seller’s Cancellation Rate Performance metric, the email warned.

Avoid Automatic Cancellation by Walmart

To avoid being caught out by this new policy, Walmart suggests:

• Sellers update orders as soon as they have handed off the package(s) to the carrier
• If an item is unavailable, sellers should immediately cancel the order before the ESD
• In the event sellers miss the ESD, they are encouraged to upgrade the shipping by opting for a faster service, which will aid in ensuring that the order arrives within the estimated delivery time

This new policy applies to self-fulfilled orders.

One way to avoid this problem altogether is to enroll in Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), which offers fast order fulfillment and avoids delays and poor customer service experiences.

For sellers who do not wish to join WFS, they can avoid auto-cancellations using Walmart’s Performance Alarms, which tracks order status and can send notifications to sellers to avoid cancellation and refunds.