Online shopping accounts — Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and many others — contain more than purchase history. They hold stored payment methods, gift card balances, loyalty rewards, open orders, and sometimes items that have been paid for but not yet delivered. Managing these accounts after a death requires prompt attention to protect value and prevent unauthorized use.
What Online Shopping Accounts Contain
Before closing or canceling an online shopping account, review it for:
- Open orders: Items ordered but not yet delivered, or returns in progress
- Gift card balances: Amazon gift cards and similar have real monetary value
- Loyalty credits and rewards: Cash back, points, or store credits
- Stored payment methods: Credit and debit cards that may be compromised if the account is accessed fraudulently
- Subscriptions: Amazon Prime, Walmart+, and other memberships tied to the account
- Digital purchases: Kindle books, digital music, movies — see our guide to digital assets for considerations around digital purchases
Amazon: The Most Important Account
Amazon accounts are particularly significant because they often contain:
- Amazon Prime membership (cancel to stop recurring charges)
- Amazon gift card balance (monetary value)
- Kindle library (digital books)
- Digital purchases (music, movies via Amazon Digital)
- Alexa devices linked to the account
- Subscribe & Save subscriptions
Amazon has a process for closing a deceased person's account. Contact Amazon customer service — you'll need a death certificate. Before closing, review the account for any balances, open orders, or digital content worth noting. Amazon's policies on transferring digital purchases to family members are limited — most digital purchases are licensed to the individual, not transferable.
Seller Accounts
If the deceased operated as a seller on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or similar platforms, their account may have an outstanding balance of sales proceeds. This is estate property. Contact the platform with a death certificate and letters testamentary to claim outstanding balances and close the seller account.
Open Orders and Returns
Check for any open orders immediately after gaining access to the account:
- Items ordered before death and not yet delivered may need to be redirected or refused at delivery
- Items in transit that aren't needed can be returned for a refund to the estate
- Pending returns or refunds should be completed before closing the account
Security: Removing Stored Payment Methods
If you're not immediately closing an online shopping account, remove all stored payment methods as a precaution. This prevents unauthorized purchases if the account is accessed without authorization. Update the email address to one you control, or close the account entirely.
Gift Cards with Monetary Value
Digital gift cards purchased but not used — Amazon gift card balances, store credit, platform credits — are estate assets with real value. Check account balances before closing and treat these as estate property to be included in the inventory.
For the broader picture of managing digital accounts after death, see our complete guide to accounts and subscriptions and our guide to digital assets inventory.