Partial is the order status for honest incompleteness: delivery stopped short of the full amount, and the undelivered remainder is refunded. It exists because supply is imperfect, and a system that admits that beats one that pretends.
Mid-delivery, things can break: a source dries up, the target changes (renamed handle, account set private), or a platform sweep eats the pipeline.
At that point the provider chooses its character: mark the order partial and refund the missing share, or let it hang open forever. Partial is the good outcome of a bad situation. The refund maths is simple pro-rata: ordered 1,000, received 700, refunded for 300.
Partial means delivered-in-part with the rest refunded: an ANSWER. Failed/cancelled means nothing delivered, everything refunded. Stuck forever with no status is the one that should move you to a different provider.
Our policies live where policies should: on the refunds page, not in support folklore. If an order sits wrong, support with the order id is the road.
Yes: the undelivered share is refunded pro-rata. That's what the status MEANS. Check the refund policy for the mechanics.
Most often: supply ran short mid-delivery, or the target changed (rename, private) and delivery couldn't continue. The delivered part stands; the rest comes back.
Occasional partials are supply reality handled honestly. CHRONIC partials on the same service are a signal to pick another listing; the services page always has siblings.
Related terms
Every definition lives in the full glossary, and the services behind the vocabulary are on the services page.