Cancellation & Return Policy
What happens when a delivery is called off, what gets refunded, and who pays to send a package back. This policy applies to every Doveway delivery and forms part of our Terms of Service.
If the sender cancels
What you get back depends entirely on how far the delivery has progressed.
Before a traveler accepts
Open or Pending confirmationNothing to refund
You can cancel at any time, for free. Your card is checked when you post a request but it is never charged until a traveler accepts, so there is nothing to refund and no fee to pay.
Your request simply closes and any traveler you selected is released.
After a traveler accepts
AcceptedDelivery fee refunded · platform service fee retained
Your card was charged when the traveler accepted, so cancelling now returns the delivery fee to your card. The platform service fee is non-refundable at this stage, because the matching service has already been provided.
The traveler's security deposit is released and their trip capacity is freed for someone else.
During cancellation we will ask whether you have already shipped the package, because local shipping happens outside Doveway and we cannot see its status.
After the traveler inspects and accepts the item
In transitNo refund
Once the traveler has inspected the package and agreed to carry it, the delivery is considered under way, even if their flight has not left yet. Cancellation is no longer available and all fees are retained.
The delivery continues as normal. If you no longer want the item delivered to your recipient, you will need to arrange collection with them directly at the destination.
If you have already shipped the package
Local shipping to your traveler is arranged by you and sits outside the platform, so the only moment Doveway can confirm a package arrived is when the traveler inspects it. If you cancel while a parcel is already moving, here is what to do:
Not shipped yet
Nothing further to do. Keep the package.
Shipped, still in transit
Contact your shipping company to recall or reroute the parcel before it reaches the traveler.
Already delivered to the traveler
Message the traveler through Doveway and ask them to ship it back. They will return it at a time that is convenient for them, either before they travel or once they are back.
Who pays to return it:when the sender cancels, the sender covers return shipping. The traveler will tell you the cost and share the receipt. We encourage senders to add a little on top of the receipt for the traveler's time and trouble.
If the traveler cancels
A traveler has nothing to cancel until they have accepted a request; before that they simply decline the match and nothing is charged.
After accepting, at any point before delivery
Sender refunded in full · delivery fee and platform service fee
The sender did nothing wrong and no delivery took place, so everything they paid is returned to their card. The traveler's security deposit is released rather than charged, since backing out is not by itself misconduct, though cancelling often may affect a traveler's standing with future senders.
The traveler must message the sender to establish where the package is. If it has not shipped, nothing more is needed. If it is in transit, the sender should try to recall it. If it has already reached the traveler, or the traveler had already inspected and accepted it, the traveler ships it back at their own cost.
If the traveler turns the item down at inspection
Delivery fee refunded · platform service fee retained
When a traveler inspects a package and declines to carry it, we take that judgment at face value: the item did not meet the requirements. The delivery is cancelled automatically and the traveler's deposit is released.
The traveler returns the package at a time convenient for them, and the sender covers the return shipping. If you are the sender and you believe the item did meet the requirements and should not have been refused, you can raise a dispute and our team will review it.
Paying for return shipping
Return shipping is arranged and paid directly between the sender and the traveler. Doveway does not process these payments, in the same way we do not handle the original local shipping leg. Whoever is responsible pays the other back by whatever method they both agree on.
Always agree the amount in the Doveway message thread and share the shipping receipt there. Those messages are stored, so if the two of you cannot agree, our team has a record to work from when reviewing a dispute.
When things are not clear cut
No policy can anticipate every situation, and most cancellations need a short conversation between the sender and the traveler to sort out where the package is and what happens next. Use the in-platform messaging for that.
Either party can raise a dispute at any point. Our admin team reviews the evidence, including handover photos, receipts and your message history, and decides the outcome. Admin decisions may adjust refunds or charges beyond the defaults described above.
Questions about a cancellation?
Contact our support team and we will get back to you, usually within one business day. Issues affecting an active delivery are prioritised.
Contact support →