Ecommerce

When Does Amazon Charge You? – Read This Before Ordering In 2024

Published on: 08 September 2022

Last Updated on: 28 March 2024

when does amazon charge you

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If you have frequently been trading on Amazon, then you must have wondered, ‘When does Amazon charge you?’ at least once in your life. Today, we are here to discuss when Amazon actually charges you. So, without wasting any more time, keep reading to find out when Amazon charges you.

When Does Amazon Charge You? 

So, When Does Amazon Charge You?

So, when does Amazon charge you? When you choose to pre-order something from Amazon, they never charge you immediately. Rather, Amazon will charge you some days before the shipment of your order or when it is actually about to leave the final warehouse. This is a common practice since pre-orders actually give you a guaranteed delivery date.

Similarly, Amazon often charges you for pre-ordering items that have not been launched yet. This is one way to keep track of your pre-orders and forecast when you will have to pay for them from your card. Amazon ships to nearly a hundred countries and obtains thousands of orders every day.

The company, in fact, needs a card during checkout, but you can technically avoid adding any amount of money to your Amazon account. Instead, you can choose to add your credit or debit card information to make payments. Amazon will charge your selected card automatically for the purchase when the shipping process starts. If your account lacks enough money for the payment, you might receive an email mentioning the transaction hasn’t gone through. 

Then, you can accept the updated shipping date. While shopping again, you must find out all the transaction details. In several cases, Amazon charges you at the time of shipping, but there are examples when the company self can delay the payment. If you aren’t sure about the given timing, make an accurate decision related to your purchase. 

What Kinds of Charges Does Amazon Charge? 

The reason why most of us end up wondering, ‘When does Amazon charge you?’ is because sometimes there’s this unknown Amazon charge. You end up spending so much time communicating with the support team and explaining these unknown charges to them. Sometimes, you get a refund or a gift card of sorts, and sometimes, you just don’t get anything back.

So, let’s find out what types of charges Amazon typically charges users.

1. Pre-orders

Pre-orders

If you have ever wondered when Amazon charges for pre-orders, then you have come to the right place. There are so many of us out there who love obtaining the greatest and latest in the market, sometimes even before they have been launched. This is where pre-ordering something makes a lot of sense.

While Amazon doesn’t charge you before the product is actually shipped, you can always take advantage of Amazon’s guarantee. This feature actually ensures that you will get the best possible price. And not just that – you will also get a refund in case there’s a price drop before release. Since you must pay the charge at the time of shipment, you can easily track your purchase. 

2. Backorders

Backorders

The moment it is all about selling anything on Amazon, your backorders can become a nightmare. In fact, Amazon can simply suspend the account if you keep canceling backorders. In addition to that, back ordering might also have a negative effect on vital metrics such as a late shipment rate and on-time delivery rate. 

What happens during a backorder is that a user orders a product that is out of stock. The concerned vendor completes the order and subsequently shipped to the user. The seller will then charge the user for the product backorder. This charge is technically not reflected in the user’s accounting records.

This happens because the user’s order has just been placed and has not yet been produced. So, when the product finally arrives at Amazon, it isn’t shipped immediately to the user. This is a little different from the issue of Amazon charging you for pre-orders! 

Know More: 5 Ways To Start An Ecommerce

3. Subscriptions

Subscriptions

Have you bought any items from Amazon recently? If you have, then you must have noticed how the billing has been done in a way you didn’t expect. This is, of course, applicable to the ones who have opted for digital subscriptions with Amazon. You can consider opting for a subscription if you receive products from Amazon very frequently.

Amazon’s digital subscription can vary in terms of the amount charged, and you might not know about these additional charges. Remember that one time you were facing the ‘Amazon charged me twice’ issue? This could be a probable reason. While disputing the charge, you must cancel or even pause all the digital services you no longer need! 

4. Placement Fees

Placement Fees

When you choose to sell products on Amazon, it is possible that you might come across placement fees. Generally, placement fees are charged per product and deducted from the actual selling price. However, these fees can be calculated before the inventory is picked out. Our advice? Don’t ever be shocked when you come across such charges.

Amazon happens to be a great selling platform that handles the majority of the advertising and marketing. Check out the tips mentioned below for reducing the placement fees on Amazon – this is how you can earn more revenue from selling on Amazon:

  • See if you can opt for a fulfillment center if you own multiple warehouses. 
  • Determine which kind of selling plan you would want to use.
  • Review all your listings with care.

Frequently Asked Questions!! (FAQs)

Check out the most common questions about Amazon charging you mentioned below:

Q1. Does Amazon Charge Right Away? 

Ans. If you place an order with Amazon and opt to pay with a credit card, you won’t get charged for your order until the order actually enters the whole shipping process. However, if you actually place an order with a third-party seller, the seller might actually charge you when you are purchasing.

Q2. Does Amazon Prime Charge before the Expiry Date? 

Ans. Yes, any Amazon Prime voucher distributed right before prices changed is technically applicable now. This will also stay applicable after the whole limited period ends, subject to an expiry date. The new Amazon Prime membership is available at $14.99 per month and $139 per year.

Q3. How Do I See What Amazon Is Charging Me For?

Ans. Follow the steps mentioned below to find out how Amazon is charging you! 
1. Go to your account on Amazon and select the “Your Account” option. 
2. Then move to “Your Payments.”
3. Now click on “Transactions.”
This way, you will be able to check your transactions on Amazon, including what you paid for and all the details of the concerned transaction.

Q4. Can Your Credit Card Be Actually Charged Before a Product Is Shipped? 

Ans. In spite of what you believe or what people have told you, it is technically legal for any third-party merchant to actually charge you for some products before they have been shipped. So, it’s highly possible that your credit card got charged before the shipping procedure even began.

And It’s a Wrap! 

From unexplained charges to Amazon marketplace charges, as technology evolves, it’s better to keep up than wonder when does Amazon charge you or something of that sort. Now that you have a fair idea of Amazon’s charges and related pricing, you can trade on Amazon without many worries. 

Meanwhile, consider sharing your experiences and thoughts in the comments section below! 

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Barsha Bhattacharya

Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.

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