A technical glitch on February 27, 2026, prevented thousands of Amazon users across Europe from completing purchases or viewing order histories, with frustrated customers awaiting answers as the outage persisted.
Amazon shoppers across Europe and beyond found themselves unexpectedly stranded at the virtual checkout on Friday, February 27, 2026, as a widespread outage left thousands unable to pay for items or even view their past orders. The disruption, which began around 10:50 AM and escalated rapidly through the afternoon, sparked frustration, confusion, and a flurry of online complaints as users realized they couldn’t complete purchases on one of the world’s largest retail platforms.
According to Down Detector, a service that tracks real-time outages and problems with major websites, reports of issues with Amazon UK alone had already reached over 1,420 by midday. By 3:20 PM, the number had climbed to more than 1,600, indicating that the problem was not only persistent but spreading. The majority of complaints—67%—centered on the checkout process itself, while 24% related to the Amazon app and 5% to the website interface.
Shoppers attempting to add products to their baskets and proceed to payment were greeted with a now-familiar error message: “We’re very sorry, but we’re having trouble doing what you just asked us to do. Please give us another chance – click the Back button on your browser and try your request again.” For many, that retry proved fruitless, as the glitch continued to block their attempts to finalize purchases.
The impact wasn’t limited to the United Kingdom. Social media erupted with similar complaints from users in Spain, France, and Italy, suggesting that the outage was international in scope. One Down Detector commenter shared, “I’ve already spoken with them on Amazon cs via live chat they have confirmed they are having issues affecting some people globally.” While Amazon itself had yet to release an official statement by late afternoon, this confirmation from customer service hinted at the breadth of the disruption.
For many consumers, the outage was more than a minor annoyance. Several reported that not only could they not check out, but their order histories had vanished entirely from their accounts—raising concerns about whether recent purchases had been lost or delayed. One frustrated user wrote, “All my orders have gone,” while another lamented, “Lets me get right through the order process and then errors out with a 500 error.” The sense of helplessness was palpable, with shoppers left to wait and hope for a swift fix.
According to National World, the technical hiccup began to snowball as the day wore on, with reports pouring in from a growing number of affected regions. The issues appeared to have started at around 10:50 AM, as noted by Down Detector, with the number of complaints rising steadily into the afternoon. By 1:36 PM, the tally of users experiencing trouble had already reached 1,420, and there was little sign of immediate resolution.
Social media, as always, became a sounding board for disgruntled customers. One X (formerly Twitter) user summed up the collective mood: “i haven’t been able to buy anything from Amazon today.” Another echoed the sentiment, saying, “Not letting me place an order after adding items to the cart! Tried to do prepaid and COD (cash on delivery) mode as well.” The inability to complete purchases, regardless of payment method, made it clear that the issue was not confined to a single payment provider or user group.
For Amazon, a company that prides itself on seamless, 24/7 service, such outages are rare but not unprecedented. According to The Sun, the last significant outage detected by Down for Everyone occurred earlier in February and lasted for about an hour. While that incident was relatively short-lived, Friday’s disruption stretched over several hours and affected a much broader range of users and functions—including order history and checkout—amplifying its impact.
As the afternoon progressed, Down Detector’s live tracking charts painted a stark picture: complaints peaked during typical lunchtime shopping hours, a period when many users might be placing orders for next-day delivery or taking advantage of flash sales. The timing couldn’t have been worse for both shoppers and the retailer itself. For many, Amazon is a go-to for everything from groceries to electronics, and any interruption—no matter how brief—can have ripple effects on daily routines and even small businesses that rely on the platform for essential supplies.
The technical nature of the error remained unclear as of Friday evening. The error message itself—apologizing for the trouble and urging users to try again—offered little insight into the root cause. Speculation abounded on social media, with some wondering if the issue was related to a software update, a server overload, or even a cyberattack. However, without an official statement from Amazon, such theories remained just that: speculation.
What was clear was the widespread frustration among users. Many took to Down Detector’s comment section to express their irritation and seek updates. One person simply wrote, “I tried a few times to checkout and not letting me so will have to wait it out and hopefully they sort it out rather quick.” Another added, “Lets me get right through the order process and then errors out with a 500 error.” The lack of communication from Amazon’s official channels only added to the uncertainty, leaving users to rely on crowdsourced updates and anecdotes from others in the same predicament.
For Amazon’s reputation, the incident serves as a reminder of the challenges that come with operating a global e-commerce platform at massive scale. Even the most robust systems are not immune to glitches, and when they do occur, the effects are felt instantly by millions. The company’s ability to respond quickly and transparently in such moments is critical—not just for restoring service, but for maintaining the trust of its vast customer base.
By the end of the business day, there was still no official word from Amazon on the cause of the outage or an estimated timeline for resolution. For now, shoppers could only refresh their browsers, cross their fingers, and hope that the world’s biggest online store would soon be back to business as usual.
Friday’s outage may be a blip in the grand scheme of Amazon’s operations, but for thousands of would-be buyers, it was a stark reminder of just how dependent modern life has become on digital platforms—and how quickly things can grind to a halt when those systems falter.
