diff --git a/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter.go b/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter.go
index 4b9af2de..213a5a28 100644
--- a/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter.go
+++ b/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter.go
@@ -257,6 +257,14 @@ func (e *Exporter) runArrowStream(ctx context.Context, dc doneCancel, state *str
 //
 // consumer should fall back to standard OTLP, (true, nil)
 func (e *Exporter) SendAndWait(ctx context.Context, data any) (bool, error) {
+	// If the incoming context is already canceled, return the
+	// same error condition a unary gRPC or HTTP exporter would do.
+	select {
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		return false, status.Errorf(codes.Canceled, "context done before send: %v", ctx.Err())
+	default:
+	}
+
 	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
 
 	// Note that if the OTLP exporter's gRPC Headers field was
diff --git a/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter_test.go b/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter_test.go
index 7047d740..8769d1e8 100644
--- a/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter_test.go
+++ b/collector/exporter/otelarrowexporter/internal/arrow/exporter_test.go
@@ -284,6 +284,13 @@ func TestArrowExporterTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 			require.True(t, is, "is a gRPC status")
 			require.Equal(t, codes.Canceled, stat.Code())
 
+			// Repeat the request, will get immediate timeout.
+			sent, err = tc.exporter.SendAndWait(ctx, twoTraces)
+			stat, is = status.FromError(err)
+			require.True(t, is, "is a gRPC status error: %v", err)
+			require.Equal(t, "context done before send: context canceled", stat.Message())
+			require.Equal(t, codes.Canceled, stat.Code())
+
 			require.NoError(t, tc.exporter.Shutdown(ctx))
 		})
 	}