How do I cancel an Etsy order I don’t want to fulfill as a new seller?

Hi! If you don’t want to fulfill it, the cleanest way is to cancel the order through Shop Manager (which issues a full refund) and send the buyer a short, polite message right in the cancellation note—do it as soon as you’re sure, since Etsy can take a bit of time to fully process a cancellation.

Here’s how to cancel it properly (desktop or mobile web):

1. Go to Shop Manager → Orders & Shipping (sometimes shown as Orders)
2. Click the order to open the Order details
3. Choose More actions → Cancel (or the three dots (…) → Cancel)
4. Pick a reason from the dropdown
5. Add your message to the buyer (optional, but I recommend it)
6. Confirm Cancel order

A couple of important notes:

• Refunding and canceling are related, but not the same thing. Make sure you’re actually using the Cancel flow (or selecting “cancel” when refunding), so the order is closed out correctly.
• If the payment is still processing, Etsy may make you wait before you can cancel (this can take 24–72 hours sometimes).
• Even after you cancel, Etsy may take up to ~48 hours to fully process it, and refunds can take a few days to show up for the buyer.

Message you can send the buyer (copy/paste):
“Hi [Name], thanks so much for your order! I’m really sorry, but I’m not able to fulfill this order as placed, so I’m canceling it today and you’ll receive a full refund. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I appreciate your understanding.”

If you want to soften the impact (optional), you can add:
“If you’d like, I can message you when this item is available again,”
or
“As a thank-you for your patience, I’m happy to offer a discount if you decide to order in the future.”

One last tip: instead of deleting that listing right now, deactivate it (or put it in draft) so you don’t get another surprise order while you’re still adjusting photos and details.