diff --git a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
index 3a3e64763..e8a1fd064 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
@@ -377,9 +377,18 @@ func (s3a *S3ApiServer) DeleteBucketHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Reque
 		}
 	}
 
-	err := s3a.WithFilerClient(false, func(client filer_pb.SeaweedFilerClient) error {
+	// Delete bucket directory first, then collection. This order ensures that if
+	// collection deletion fails, the bucket directory is already gone, preventing
+	// the "collection exists but bucket directory missing" inconsistency that blocks
+	// bucket recreation. An orphaned collection is harmless and will be cleaned up
+	// or reused when the bucket is recreated.
+	err := s3a.rm(s3a.option.BucketsPath, bucket, false, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		s3err.WriteErrorResponse(w, r, s3err.ErrInternalError)
+		return
+	}
 
-		// delete collection
+	err = s3a.WithFilerClient(false, func(client filer_pb.SeaweedFilerClient) error {
 		deleteCollectionRequest := &filer_pb.DeleteCollectionRequest{
 			Collection: s3a.getCollectionName(bucket),
 		}
@@ -393,15 +402,9 @@ func (s3a *S3ApiServer) DeleteBucketHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Reque
 	})
 
 	if err != nil {
-		s3err.WriteErrorResponse(w, r, s3err.ErrInternalError)
-		return
-	}
-
-	err = s3a.rm(s3a.option.BucketsPath, bucket, false, true)
-
-	if err != nil {
-		s3err.WriteErrorResponse(w, r, s3err.ErrInternalError)
-		return
+		// Log but don't fail — the bucket directory is already removed, so the bucket
+		// is effectively deleted. The orphaned collection will be cleaned up or reused.
+		glog.Errorf("DeleteBucketHandler: failed to delete collection for bucket %s: %v", bucket, err)
 	}
 
 	// Clean up bucket-related caches, locks, and metrics after successful deletion