Orders

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 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 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.
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.

Nothing moves on its own when a payment arrives. You move each order yourself, or tracking moves it for you. See 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 and 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

A pre-order that took a deposit also shows Balance due. See 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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Where invoice numbers come from

An invoice number is a prefix plus a number. You choose both under Settings. See Commerce settings.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.