Amazon does its best to ensure that buying from them is seamless and that deliveries arrive on time. However, you may have noticed that Amazon may inform you that your order needs approval for some orders.
What does Amazon’s “approval needed” mean? Here’s a full guide.
What Does Approval Needed Mean on Amazon?
When Amazon informs you that your order needs approval, this could be because your order is still in pre-order. It could also be that you are shopping on a business account with approval policies to monitor your spending limit and restrict purchases on a particular product or from a specific seller.
Order approvals on Amazon are one way Amazon strengthens its commitment to guarantee your satisfaction and show its integrity. While you might rarely get this prompt, you should know what to do when this happens.
Keep reading to find out what you should know about Amazon approval, why some Amazon orders require approval, and more.
Why Does My Amazon Order Say Approval Needed?
Your Amazon order requests permission for approval because it is an official process to ensure that your order meets the purchasing requirements Amazon sets on some orders.
There are many other reasons why your Amazon order says “Approval needed.” These include:
- You’re making that order on an Amazon business account with an order approval policy.
An Amazon business account can have between six and ten approvers and may require approval on some or all of your orders. They include certain criteria like purchase limits, what a seller can advertise to you, where you can buy it, or what specific product you can buy.
When you place an order as a buyer, your order policy approver receives your order notification. If your order has multiple policies to work through, there might be an increase in how many times Amazon will require you to approve that order.
Suppose you don’t attend to the prompt within three to seven days. In that case, Amazon will remind the designated approver about the order status and cancel unapproved orders after seven days.
- Your package is on pre-order.
Why is approval needed when you place an order for an item on pre-order? This is because you don’t pay for the order upfront but wait for the package to arrive and become available for sale before you pay.
But sometimes, these pre-ordered items could take longer to arrive, and in the meantime, you may have gotten an alternative.
When items eventually arrive, Amazon sends you a notification for approval to check if you’re still willing to follow through with the purchase. And one reason Amazon does this could be to prevent many returns and refunds on these items.
Sometimes, you may forget they had an item on pre-order. So, when Amazon requests that you approve the order purchase, it can help you remember you have a pre-order item and decide whether or not you want to proceed with your purchase.
This approval process significantly reduces the chances of returning the order, especially because there might have been a change in price from the preorder date until they arrive and are ready for shipment.
- Your purchase record.
If Amazon notices that you often request refunds or chargebacks on previously delivered items, Amazon might require that you approve your subsequent orders.
This is because while chargebacks and refunds are signs of Amazon’s commitment to satisfying their customers, it’s bad for business. So, it is only logical for Amazon to avoid all such refunds as much as possible.
Amazon wants to confirm that you placed the order and that it was not an accidental purchase. So, Amazon may start requesting approval if you frequently return items and request a refund.
How to Fix Approval Needed on Amazon
When you get an email from Amazon requesting your approval on an order, your impulse might be to click the link in the email to approve or cancel. However, this could be risky as the email could be from fraudsters who have sent a fake email address.
There is a better and safer way to fix the approval needed prompt on Amazon.
- Log in to your Amazon account via a browser.
- Locate Returns and Orders on the top right of your screen.
- Locate the order(s) that require your approval and follow the onscreen prompts to approve or cancel.
If you see the message “approval needed please visit amazon.com/yourorders on your desktop to fix the problem,” you must access the site on your PC. Then if your orders have any associated messages, follow the prompt. If there are no related messages, contact Amazon customer support.
How Do I Approve an Order on Amazon’s App?
Amazon allows you to fix order approvals directly from the Amazon app with a similar process similar to how you would approve an order on the website. Here’s how to approve an order on the Amazon app:
- In your Amazon app, sign in to your account.
- Locate “Returns and Orders.”
- Find the order(s) that need your approval and follow the onscreen instructions to approve or cancel.
However, if Amazon prompts you to do it on your desktop, you should use your PC (not the app or desktop browser mode).
How Do I Turn Off Approval Requests on Amazon?
When you try to cancel approval requests for orders on Amazon, it means you no longer want to get permission for approval before the orders you place arrive.
However, there is no way to stop the email notification from arriving with some purchases. The reason is that Amazon sends out these notifications differently based on different reasons.
For instance, if you’re placing these orders using an Amazon business account with an approval policy, then Amazon’s policy requires that your approvers all decide on the order.
How Long Does It Take Amazon to Approve Your Order?
Usually, Amazon takes less than 24 hours to approve an order for a particular package. There might be a delay in the approval process if the product details and other information are incorrect.
These periods are usually not as long as the waiting period for when a package arrives, assuming you ordered it on pre-order. Most customers report delayed packages due to the approval process arriving between three and five days.
Conclusion
If you get an email saying that your Amazon order requires approval, it could mean that your order is in pre-order or because your purchase records show a pattern of refunds. Also, if you use a business Amazon account, that account may limit certain purchases.
