Orders
Every purchase becomes an order in Shop > Orders, with the buyer, the items, what they paid and where it is up to.
The statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Placed but not paid. Normal for cash on delivery, bank transfer or invoice. |
| Paid | Money received. Card orders arrive here automatically. |
| Processing | You are picking, packing or preparing it. |
| Shipped | It has left you. |
| Delivered | It arrived. |
| Cancelled | Called off. Cancel before shipping, not after. |
| Refunded | Money returned to the buyer. |
Move an order along by changing its status. The buyer is emailed on the changes that matter to them, so the status is not just for your own tracking.
A typical flow
- Card order: arrives Paid -> you set Processing -> Shipped -> Delivered.
- Cash or transfer: arrives Pending -> money arrives -> you set Paid -> onwards as above.
Refunds
When a customer wants their money back, refund the order rather than deleting it.
Refunding a card order returns the money through Stripe. Refunding a cash or transfer order records that you refunded it - you still hand the money back yourself. Either way the order moves to Refunded and stock is returned.
Returns
With Enable returns & withdrawals on in Settings > Shop, buyers can request a return from their order and you approve or refuse it in Shop > Returns.
Customers
Shop > Customers lists who bought what. If Let customers create accounts is on, buyers can see their own history in My Account on your site.
Good to know
- Do not delete orders to tidy up. They are your sales record, and refunds and returns need them.
- An order records the price at the time it was placed. Changing a product's price later does not alter past orders.