Canceling Your Amazon Prime Membership? Here‘s a Seller‘s Guide to the Cancellation Policy in 2023
Hey there! As an experienced Amazon seller, I know Prime is invaluable for growing your ecommerce business on Amazon. But there may come a time when the membership no longer makes financial sense for you. If you find yourself wondering "Should I cancel Prime?" in 2023, this comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about canceling as a seller or regular Prime member.
Let me explain Amazon Prime‘s cancellation policy, how to cancel your membership, and what happens to all your seller account benefits when that Prime membership ends.
Can I cancel Amazon Prime anytime?
The good news is yes – you can cancel your Prime membership anytime without incurring extra fees or penalties.
According to Amazon‘s official terms, members can cancel after signing up for a free trial or paid Prime plan at any point during the membership. There are no cancellation fees to worry about.
To cancel, you simply need to visit Your Account, turn off auto-renewal of your membership, and confirm your choice to cancel Prime. This can be done either on the Amazon website or by calling their customer service line at 888-280-4331. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes!
Once you cancel Prime, you‘ll continue getting membership benefits like free shipping until your current billing period ends. After that, your account will revert to a free standard Amazon customer account. Easy peasy!
Now let‘s get into the details of how cancellation works as an Amazon seller, since you have a few extra things to consider…
How do I cancel Prime as an Amazon seller?
If you sell products on Amazon through an Individual or Professional seller account, here are the steps to canceling Prime:
Go to your Amazon Seller Central account and find User Permissions under Settings.
Remove Prime membership access for any team members or users that had it enabled previously.
Call Amazon Seller Support at 888-281-3847. Provide your seller ID and say you want to cancel Prime on your seller account.
Turn off Auto-renew Membership under Payment Settings in Your Account to avoid being charged again.
Confirm cancellation of benefits by the representative. They can walk you through any impacts on shipping discounts or sponsored ads.
I‘d also recommend jotting down a cancellation checklist to make sure you don‘t forget any details as a seller:
- Remove Prime access permissions for team members
- Call Seller Support line to cancel
- Turn off Auto-renew in Your Account
- Note changes to Sponsored Ads bids/budget
- Review storage fees for removing inventory
- Download final Prime shipment and storage fee reports
Following these steps will ensure your selling account is fully cancelled and prevent any surprises at your next billing cycle.
When can I cancel Amazon Prime to get a refund?
One common question is whether you can get a refund when canceling Prime. Here are the rules on receiving a refund:
Cancel within 3-5 days of signing up for an annual or monthly Prime membership to get a full refund. This includes any paid plans, not just free trials.
If you‘ve used any Prime shipping benefits, you won‘t get a refund even if canceling within 5 days.
With a free trial, you must cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged at all.
Canceling later in your membership only stops future charges – no partial refunds are given for unused time.
So in summary, you can receive a full refund when canceling within 5 days if you haven‘t used any Prime benefits yet. But no refunds are given for partial membership periods.
Do you lose everything if you cancel Prime?
Now you might be wondering – once I cancel Prime, do I lose access to all my Prime Video shows, ebooks, and other content?
The good news is you‘ll keep any digital content purchased through Prime, even if you cancel your membership. This includes:
- Prime Video – Keep purchased/rented movies and shows
- Prime Music – Keep any songs purchased
- Kindle Owners Lending Library – Keep purchased ebooks
- Prime Gaming – Keep free game downloads
However, you do lose the ability to freely stream unlimited titles from each Prime media catalog. And you‘ll miss out on special Prime-exclusive deals and discounts.
But overall, any content you‘ve already paid for is yours to keep and enjoy post-cancellation!
How much money could I save by canceling Prime?
To decide if cancellation makes sense, it helps to run the numbers on how much you stand to save annually. Let‘s compare the costs:
Prime Membership | Non-Prime Account |
---|---|
$139 per year | $0 membership fee |
Free 2-day shipping | $6 avg. shipping cost |
Free media streaming | $9 avg. media rental |
Total: $139/year | Total: $15/year |
Based on this, you could save ~$124 per year by canceling Prime! That accounts for the membership fee itself plus the value of free shipping and media you‘d otherwise pay for.
Your exact savings may vary depending on how frequently you use Prime benefits like music and same-day delivery. But for most members, over $100 in annual savings is realistic when canceling Prime.
And as a seller, you save even more…
What shipping & selling benefits do you lose by canceling Prime?
One of the biggest seller concerns with canceling Prime is losing access to exclusive shipping and selling tools. Here are some of the key Prime features you‘ll forfeit as an Amazon merchant:
Prime Free One-Day Shipping – One of the biggest perks for Prime members. This can increase conversion rates substantially for eligible products.
Prime Early Access – Lets you offer Prime members exclusive early access to Lightning Deals and new product releases. This is a key way to boost initial sales velocity and reviews.
Prime Badge – The coveted "Prime" tag on listings helps drive clicks and conversion from Prime shoppers. Studies show it can increase sales by 25-30%.
Prime Customer Targeting – Options to target Prime members only with Sponsored Ads and coupons. As over 200 million shoppers have Prime, this audience is crucial for sales.
Two-Day Guaranteed Shipping – Prime automatically provides two-day shipping times on eligible items. This further builds trust and satisfaction with Prime customers.
Based on this, it‘s clear Prime provides significant exposure and sales advantages, especially for sellers. Just something to keep in mind before hitting that "cancel" button!
Should I pause instead of fully canceling Prime?
If you want to temporarily use Prime less but aren‘t ready to fully cancel, you do have another option – pausing your membership.
Amazon now lets you "pause" Prime which puts your membership on hold for up to 12 months. Pausing stops all benefits and billing without canceling your account outright.
Reasons sellers may want to pause Prime instead of canceling:
- You sell seasonal products and only need Prime at certain times of year
- You want to take a break from selling but plan to restart later
- You need to temporarily reduce business expenses
- You‘re assessing if Prime still makes sense for your sales
The one catch is that you can only pause and unpause Prime once per 12 month period. But pausing gives you flexibility if you think you may want to resume Prime again shortly.
Can Amazon ban you from Prime if you return too much?
While cancellation is easy, there is one risk sellers should be aware of – getting banned from Prime if you have too many returns or complaints.
If your account shows "excessive returns", Amazon may revoke your access to Prime benefits, sometimes with little warning. This can greatly hinder sales.
Tips to avoid getting banned as an Amazon seller:
- Keep return rates below industry averages
- Quickly resolve any customer complaints or feedback
- Follow all of Amazon‘s seller policies and stay in good standing
- Ship items properly so they aren‘t damaged (and returned)
As long as you follow Amazon‘s guidelines, you should be fine. But it‘s worth being diligent, as losing Prime can really sink your seller business.
What are some alternatives to Amazon Prime?
Once you cancel your Prime account, are there any alternatives that can provide similar benefits? A few options to consider:
Amazon‘s a la carte delivery subscriptions – Options like Amazon Delivery Saver provide free shipping on orders over $49 without the full Prime commitment.
Walmart+ – Walmart‘s $98/year membership includes free next-day delivery on qualifying Walmart orders without a minimum purchase.
Target RedCard – Provides 5% discounts on all Target purchases plus free standard shipping. No membership fee required to sign up.
eBay managed delivery – Lets you offer 1-3 day handling times with tracking to eBay buyers for a small fee per order.
While none provide the exact end-to-end benefits of Prime, these alternatives can help mimic some popular Prime perks. And they may work well for your ecommerce needs if you do decide to cancel Prime.
tl;dr – A Quick Summary of Canceling Prime:
- You can cancel anytime without fees by disabling auto-renew in Your Account
- Remove Prime access from your seller account before canceling
- Get a refund if you cancel within 5 days and didn‘t use benefits
- Keep your purchased Prime media, books, and other content
- Lose major seller perks like Prime shipping, ads, and exclusive deals
- Consider pausing instead of fully canceling if you sell seasonally
- Be diligent to avoid policy violations that could ban you from Prime
Hope this guide has covered everything you need to know if canceling your Prime account in 2023! Let me know if you have any other questions.