# Orders Reading, moving, refunding and printing your orders, taking an order by phone, proofs, reviews and saved carts. Source: https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/ **Add-on** Commerce is an add-on, so not every website has it. If it is not in your menu, see [Add-ons](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/billing/add-ons/) to add it. Every sale your website takes lands here. This is where you see who bought what, move a job along, pay money back, and print the paperwork. Go to **Plugins**, then **Commerce**. The **Orders** tab opens first. This tab is your list of work to do. It holds one-time sales. It also holds a plan's first order when that order has something to ship. A plan's other payments are not here. You find those on the [Subscriptions](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/subscriptions/) tab, on the customer, and under **Reports**, then **Orders**. ## Picking a date range The row of buttons at the top picks the dates: **7 days**, **30 days**, **MTD**, **QTD**, **YTD** and **All time**. Orders opens on **30 days**. To use your own dates, fill in **From** and **To**. [Reports and the dashboard](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/reports/) explains what the short names mean. Sometimes the list says it is showing only the newest orders in the range. Pick a shorter range and search again. ## The stage tabs Each order moves through stages, like a job on a workshop board. A row of tabs sits above the list, one for each stage. | Tab | What it means | | --- | --- | | **All orders** | Every stage at once. | | **New** | Paid, and nobody has touched it yet. Every order starts here. | | **Processing** | You have started on it. | | **Awaiting Proof** | Waiting for the customer to OK a proof. Only shows when proofs are on. See [Proofs](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#proofs). | | **Printed** | The paperwork or the design is printed. | | **In Production** | You are making it. | | **Ready to Ship** | Packed and waiting to go out. It joins the Shipping queue. | | **Shipped / Completed** | Done. | You do not have to use every stage. A shop that sells from the shelf can go straight from **New** to **Shipped / Completed**. Inside an order, the last stage uses the right word for it. It reads **Shipped** when the order had a delivery address, and **Completed** when it did not. A pickup order reads **Ready for pickup** and **Picked up** instead. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/#in-store-pickup). Nothing moves on its own when a payment arrives. You move each order yourself, or tracking moves it for you. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/). Two more tabs sit apart, at the far right of the row: **Abandoned carts** and **Reviews**. They are covered at the end of this page, in [Saved carts](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#saved-carts) and [Product reviews](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#product-reviews). ### The filters and the search box Under the tabs is a **Refunded** chip. Click it to see only refunded orders. Click it again to see them all. When proofs are on, a list beside it filters by proof: **Needs proof**, **Awaiting approval**, **Changes requested**, **Denied**, **Approved** and **Auto-approved**. Next to them is a box reading **Search invoice #, email or name…**. It takes three kinds of search: - an invoice number, with or without your prefix - an email address. Type the start of it, not the middle - anything else. That looks at names in the range you picked When nothing matches, the list reads "No orders in this range." ## The list One row is one order. Newest first. There are 50 to a page, with **Previous** and **Next** buttons under the list. | Column | What it shows | | --- | --- | | **Invoice #** | The number on that order's invoice. | | **Date** | The day the order was paid. | | **Customer** | The buyer's name. With no name, their email. With neither, Guest. | | **Total** | What the buyer paid. | | **Refunded** | How much of that you have paid back. | | **Status** | Whether it is paid or refunded. This is about the money only. | | **Fulfillment** | Which stage the order is at, and its proof, if it has one. | | **Mode** | The kind of sale. | | **Items** | How many things were in the order. | | **Country** | The country the buyer gave. | Click a column heading to sort by it. Click it again to flip the order. You do not have to show all ten. **Settings**, then **Display**, hides the ones you never look at. See [Reports and the dashboard](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/reports/#the-display-tab). ## Opening an order Click any row. The order fills the screen. **← Back to orders** takes you back to the list. The heading reads **Order #** and the invoice number. **Print invoice** and **Print packing slip** sit at the top right. The order is laid out in cards: - **Customer** holds the buyer's details and the delivery details. - **Actions** holds the stage, tracking, refund and payment link controls. - **Items** lists what was bought, with the amount for each line, before tax. - **Totals** holds the money. - **Proof** shows only when the order needs a proof. See [Proofs](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#proofs). - **Related orders** shows only when this order is linked to another one. - **Notes** is your own record of the order. - **Timeline** lists everything that happened to the order, and when. - **Stripe** holds long reference codes. We may ask you for one. ### The Customer card **Name**, **Email** and **Phone** are the buyer's. **Risk** is Stripe's own guess at fraud. **Billing address** is where the card is billed. It may read **Same as shipping address**. Then comes one of these two: - **Shipping address** is where the parcel goes. - **Pick up at** names the place the buyer collects from, with its hours. A few more lines show when they apply: - **Ships on** means the buyer ships on their own UPS or FedEx account. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/). - **Shipment** shows the carrier, the tracking number and the date once it has shipped. - **Boxes** lists each box's tracking number, when the order went in more than one box. - **Insurance** says the parcel is insured, and what the buyer paid for it. - **Shipping labels** lists labels bought for this order. - **Note from the customer** is what they typed at checkout. ### The Totals card **Subtotal**, **Discount**, **Shipping**, **Tax** and **Invoice total** are what the buyer paid. When the buyer used a code, the line reads **Discount** and the code. After a refund, **Refunded** and a list of each refund show up, then **Total collected**. See [Refunds](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#refunds). A pre-order that took a deposit also shows **Balance due**. See [Pre-order balances](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/orders/#pre-order-balances). ### Timeline The **Timeline** is the order's diary. The payment, each stage change, each note, the tracking, any refund. Nobody can edit it. ## Fixing the buyer's details A buyer typed their address wrong. Fix it on the order. 1. Open the order. On the **Customer** card, click **Edit**. 2. Change the **Name**, **Email** or **Phone** as needed. 3. To fill an address from one the customer saved, pick it from **Use a saved address…**. Or type it in. 4. Click **Save**. A message reads "Customer details saved." The change goes on the **Timeline**. Changing the email here only changes where this order's emails go. The customer still signs in with their own address. **Important** Tax and shipping are not worked out again. The customer already paid. The shipping address locks once a label is bought, or once the order has shipped. The form says why. To ship somewhere else after a label is bought, void the label first. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/#voiding-a-label). ## Moving an order to a new stage 1. Open the order and find **Actions**. 2. Pick the new stage from the **Fulfillment** list. 3. Look at the **Email customer** box under it. Check it or uncheck it. 4. Click **Update**. A short message says the order was marked, such as "Marked processing." **Warning** When **Email customer** is checked, **Update** sends your customer an email right away. It tells them their order reached that stage. The box starts checked or unchecked to match your settings for that stage. All stages start with it off. Look at the box before you click. See [Customer emails](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/customer-emails/). You can move an order backward as well as forward. That is how you fix a mistake. **Ready to Ship** does one more thing. It puts the order in the queue on the **Shipping** tab. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/). ## Adding tracking by hand This only shows when your store ships goods, and never on a pickup. 1. Open the order and click **Add tracking**. 2. Type the **Carrier**, such as `USPS`. This is optional. 3. Type the **Tracking number**. 4. Click **Save**. The order moves to **Shipped / Completed**. The tracking number shows on the **Customer** card, beside **Shipment**. **Warning** Saving tracking emails your customer a **Shipped** notice with the tracking number, right away. There is no box to stop it. Check the number before you click **Save**. Made a typo? Click **Edit tracking**, fix it, and save again. With a Shippo account connected, the order also has a **Buy label** button. That buys postage for you. See [Shipping](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/shipping/). ## Notes Type in the **Add a note…** box, then click **Add note**. The note is stamped with the date and time. A note cannot be empty. Notes are private, and the customer never sees them. Use them for what email forgets. "Left by the side gate." "Called, no answer." ## Refunds A refund pays money back to the buyer's card. There are two ways to do it. - **One line.** Each item under **Items** has a **Refund** button. Use it to refund some or all of that item. Its own sales tax goes back with it. - **Part of the order.** **Refund part of the order**, in **Actions**, takes an amount or a percent of the items. Use it for a late order, for example. Tax is added back line by line. **Warning** The money leaves your Stripe balance the moment you confirm. It cannot be undone. We cannot undo it either. Part refunds add up. Refund $10 twice and $20 has gone. With **Email the customer** checked, your customer also gets an email about the refund right away. Uncheck it first if you want to tell them yourself. 1. Open the order. Click **Refund** on a line, or **Refund part of the order**. 2. On a line, set how many to refund. For part of the order, pick **Amount** or **Percent of items**, and type it. 3. Check **Refund shipping pro rata** if shipping should come back too. Pro rata means the same share of shipping as of the goods. 4. On a line with stock counts, check **Return 1 to stock** to put the items back on the shelf. The number matches what you refund. 5. Type a **Reason (the customer sees this)**, if you want to. 6. Type a **Private note (staff only)**, if you want to. 7. Check or uncheck **Email the customer**. 8. Read the preview. It shows **Items**, **Tax**, **Shipping** and the **Refund** total. 9. Click the **Refund** button. It shows the amount. 10. Your browser asks you to confirm, and names the amount. Click OK. A message reads "Refunded" and the amount. The reason goes to the customer in their email, on their account page and in Stripe. The private note stays on the order, for staff only. ### After a refund The items list shows how many of each line came back, such as "1 of 2 refunded". The **Totals** card lists each refund. It shows the amount, the date, and the split between goods, tax and shipping. It also shows the bank's reference number, such as **ARN** and a number. A customer can give that number to their bank to trace the refund. It can take up to a week to arrive. Until then it reads "Reference pending (banks take up to 7 business days)". **Total collected** is what the order took in, after refunds. **Status** turns to refunded only when the whole total is back. When nothing is left, **Actions** reads "Fully refunded." A refund you make in Stripe turns up here on its own. Do not do it twice. A plan's renewal payments are not refunded here. They are refunded in Stripe. Write to us and we will walk you through it. ## Taking an order by phone A customer calls and wants to buy. You build the order here, and your website emails them a link to pay. You never type their card. Nobody can. This is also how you send a quote: a price you set yourself. 1. On the **Orders** tab, click **New order**. 2. Under **Customer**, type their email in **Customer email**. If they have bought before, pick them from the list that drops down. 3. Type their name in **Name (optional)** if you like. 4. Under **Items**, pick a product from **Choose a product…** and set how many. If it has choices, such as a size, pick them. 5. Click **Add a product** for each extra product. 6. Click **Add a custom item** for anything not in your shop. Give it a **Custom item name** and a **Unit price**. 7. Under **Shipping & note**, pick a **Shipping** choice: **No shipping charge**, one of your rates, or **Custom amount…**. 8. Type a **Discount code** if they get one. 9. Write a line in **Note for the customer (optional)** if you want to. 10. Check the **Totals** box on the right. 11. Click **Send payment link**. A message reads "Payment link emailed to" and their address. Nothing is charged, and nothing counts as a sale, until they pay. When they do, an ordinary order lands in your list. Plans cannot go on a phone order. A customer who wants a plan buys it on your website. ### Custom items and discounts A custom item can have a negative price. That takes money off the rest of the order, as a discount by hand. The order total can never go below zero. **Details, one per line (optional)** adds lines of detail under a custom item, such as sizes or colors. ### Asking for an address Check **Collect shipping address** to make checkout ask where to send it. It is checked for you, and locked, when the order has a shipping charge or a product that ships. ### Attaching files You can attach a mockup or a spec sheet for the customer to download. 1. Build the order, then click **Save draft**. 2. Under **Files for the customer**, click **Attach files**. PNG, JPG or PDF, up to 25 MB each, and up to 10 files. 3. Click **Send payment link**. Saving a draft locks the customer, items and shipping. The draft waits under **Awaiting payment** until you send it. ### Awaiting payment Links that have not been paid yet show in a box above the list. It is headed **Awaiting payment**, with a count. Click an amount to see what is on it. Each link shows when it expires. A link lasts 30 days. After that it stops working and drops off the list. Customer lost the email, or you typed the address wrong? Click **Resend link**. **Important** **Resend link** sends a new link and kills the old one. The old link stops working at once. That is on purpose. A link sent to a wrong address can no longer be used. ## Adding items to a paid order A customer paid, then wants one more thing. You do not change the paid order. You add a second one, linked to it. 1. Open the paid order. 2. Click **Add items**, near the bottom of **Actions**. 3. The page reads **Add items to this order**. Fill it in the same way as a phone order. 4. Click **Send payment link**. The customer gets a link for the extra items only. When they pay, a new order appears. Both orders show it under **Related orders**. Until then, the extra lines show on the first order with a clock and the words "awaiting payment". To take items off an order, use a refund instead. ## Pre-order balances A pre-order can take a deposit up front. See [Products and Plans](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/products-and-plans/#stock-and-availability). The rest is owed later. The order's **Totals** card shows the **Balance due**. When the item is ready: 1. Click **Request balance**. 2. Your browser asks to email the customer a link for the balance. Click OK. A message reads "The balance link is on its way." When they pay, the balance lands as its own order, linked to this one. ## Proofs A proof is a picture of the job for the customer to OK before you make it. This is for custom work, such as printing. Proofs are off until you turn them on. See [Commerce settings](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/settings/#proofs). An order needs a proof when its product has **Requires proof approval** checked. The order then has a **Proof** card. Stages after **Awaiting Proof** wait until the customer says yes. ### Sending a proof 1. Open the order and find the **Proof** card. 2. Drop your proof files into the box, or click **Choose files**. PNG, JPG or PDF, up to 25 MB each. 3. Write a **Message to the customer**, if you want to. 4. Click **Send proof**. 5. Your browser asks you to confirm, and names the email address. Click OK. A message reads "Proof sent." The customer gets an email with a private link. They do not need to sign in. Before they say yes, the customer sees a preview with your logo across it. They can download the real files only after they approve. **Copy proof link** copies the link, so you can send it another way. **Resend** emails a new link, and the old one stops working. ### What the customer can say | They choose | What happens | | --- | --- | | **Approve** | The order can move on. | | **Approve with notes** | The order can move on. Read their notes first. | | **Request changes** | Send a new round with the changes. | | **Deny** | Nothing goes ahead. Send a new round, or cancel and refund. | Each round is kept on the card, with the customer's answer and any files they sent back. The card also lists each time the proof page was opened. If you set a deadline in your settings, the proof can be approved automatically when it passes. The card says when. **Reopen** takes back an approval, so the customer must OK it again. **Warning** You can move an order past **Awaiting Proof** without an OK. Your browser asks you to confirm first. The move is written on the order. Only do it when the customer told you yes another way. ## Artwork on an order When a customer uploads files at checkout, such as a logo, they show under **Items**, grouped by the question they answered. **Replace** swaps a file. **Add a file** adds one more. Old versions are kept under **Artwork history**. The customer can also change their own files from their account, until they approve the proof. Customer files are deleted 180 days after the order is finished. The order says when that happened, and keeps the file names. ## Working on many orders at once Check the box at the left of each order you want. A bar appears, counting what you picked. | Button | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Print invoices** | Opens one invoice per order, ready to print. | | **Print packing slips** | Opens one packing slip per order. | | **Set stage…** | Moves every picked order to the stage you choose. | | **Clear** | Unchecks the lot. | Each print button carries the count. **Print invoices (3)** prints three. You can pick up to 100 orders at once. **Warning** **Set stage…** acts the moment you choose a stage. There is no confirm box. It also follows your email settings. If a stage is set to email the customer, every picked customer gets that email. See [Customer emails](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/customer-emails/). The same bar shows on a customer's recent orders and under **Reports**, then **Orders**. ## Printing invoices and packing slips An invoice is the bill. A packing slip is the list that goes in the box. The file opens in a new tab as a PDF, ready to print. One order per page. **Important** A packing slip shows no prices at all. No line price, no total, nothing. That is on purpose. It is safe to put in the box, even when the order was a gift. An invoice carries your business name, the invoice number, the bill to and ship to details, every line, the totals, and a PAID, PARTIALLY REFUNDED or REFUNDED stamp. What goes at the top and bottom of both is set on the **Settings** tab, under **Store**. See [Commerce settings](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/settings/#invoices). ## Where invoice numbers come from An invoice number is a prefix plus a number. You choose both under **Settings**. See [Commerce settings](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/settings/#invoices). Numbers are never reused and never handed out twice. Raising the starting number later does not renumber anything you have already sold. ## Saved carts A saved cart is a checkout someone started and did not finish. Your website can email them a reminder with a link back to their cart. This is off until you turn it on. See [Commerce settings](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/settings/#abandoned-carts). Click **Abandoned carts**, at the far right of the stage tabs. Chips filter the list: **All**, **Open**, **Reminded**, **Recovered**, **Purchased**, **Expired** and **Opted out**. | Status | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Open** | No reminder has gone yet. | | **Reminded** | A reminder went, and another is on the way. | | **Recovered** | They bought, through a reminder's link. | | **Purchased** | They bought, without a reminder's link. | | **Expired** | No reminders left, and no sale. | | **Opted out** | They asked for no more cart reminders. | Carts stay on the list for about 30 days after their last activity. Click a row to see what is in the cart today. Two buttons act on it. - **Send reminder 1** (or 2, or 3) sends the next reminder now. Your browser asks you to confirm. - **Delete** removes the saved cart. It cannot be undone. A customer who opted out stays opted out. ## Product reviews Customers who bought a product can review it. Reviews are off until you turn them on. See [Commerce settings](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/settings/#product-reviews). Nothing is public until you publish it. Click **Reviews**, at the far right of the stage tabs. The number on it is how many reviews are waiting. Reviews of plans wait on the [Subscriptions](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/commerce/subscriptions/) tab instead. Chips filter the list: **Pending**, **Published**, **Hidden**, **Reported** and **All**. The list opens on **Pending**. Each review shows the product, the stars, the name, the date and the order it came from. | Button | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Publish** | Puts it on the product page. The public sees it right away. | | **Hide** | Takes it off the product page. It is kept. | | **Delete** | Removes it and its photos for good. | | **Reply** | Adds your answer under the review, on the product page. | **Warning** Hide a review only for spam, abuse or personal information. Never hide one because of its rating. The panel says the same. Holding back bad reviews can break US rules on reviews. Your first reply emails the customer. **Edit reply** and **Remove reply** change it later. A shopper can report a review. A report never takes a review down by itself. Look at it, then hide the review or click **Dismiss reports**. If a customer edits a review you published, it comes off the page until you publish it again. **Contact support** Contact us if: - an order you know was paid is not in the list - a refund will not go through - an invoice number repeats, or looks wrong Email [support@lookoutridgeit.com](mailto:support@lookoutridgeit.com). [Getting support](https://docs.lookoutridgeit.com/help/getting-support/) says what to put in the message.