Orders & Fulfillment

This guide covers everything you need to know about managing orders on CaratX — from the moment a buyer checks out to the moment payment arrives in your account. --- ## Order Lifecycle Every order moves through a fixed sequence of statuses. You cannot skip steps or go backward. ``` pending → confirmed → processing → shipped → delivered ↓ ↓ ↓ cancelled cancelled (cannot cancel once shipped) ``` | Status | What it means | Your action | |--------|---------------|-------------| | **Pending** | Order placed, payment received | Acknowledge the order | | **Confirmed** | You have acknowledged it | Prepare the item for shipment | | **Processing** | Item is being prepared | Add tracking info and ship | | **Shipped** | Tracking number recorded, package in transit | None — wait for delivery confirmation | | **Delivered** | Delivery confirmed | None — payout process begins | | **Cancelled** | Order was cancelled | None — inventory automatically restored | ### What each status requires - **To move to Confirmed**: Click "Acknowledge Order" on the order page. - **To move to Shipped**: You must provide a tracking number and carrier before the system will accept the transition. Both fields are required — you cannot mark an order shipped without them. - **To move to Delivered**: Click "Mark as Delivered" once the buyer has received the package. --- ## How Inventory Works with Orders This is the most common question from sellers. CaratX uses a two-phase inventory system — a reservation phase and a fulfillment phase. ### Phase 1: Reservation (order placed) When a buyer places an order, the system immediately increments `qty_sold` for each item purchased. This is a soft reservation: - Your item's **total quantity** (`quantity`) does not change yet - Your item's **available quantity** = `quantity - qty_sold` - The item will appear as less available to other buyers immediately **Example**: You have 3 rings in stock (`quantity = 3`). A buyer orders 1. Your available count drops to 2 instantly (`qty_sold = 1`). The ring is no longer available for someone else to add to their cart. ### Phase 2: Fulfillment (order delivered) When you mark an order as Delivered, the system permanently decrements inventory: - `quantity` is reduced by the ordered amount - `qty_sold` is also reduced by the same amount (releasing the reservation) - Net effect: your total stock count decreases, reservation is cleared **Example (continuing above)**: You mark the order delivered. Now `quantity = 2`, `qty_sold = 0`. Available = 2. The permanent stock level reflects reality. ### Cancellation: reservation released If an order is cancelled at any point before shipment, the reservation is released: - `qty_sold` is decremented back to its pre-order value - `quantity` is unchanged — no permanent stock reduction - The item becomes available to buyers again immediately **Example**: The buyer cancels before you ship. `quantity` stays at 3, `qty_sold` goes back to 0. Available = 3 again. ### Summary table | Event | `quantity` | `qty_sold` | Available stock | |-------|-----------|-----------|-----------------| | Order placed | unchanged | +1 | decreases by 1 | | Order delivered | -1 | -1 | unchanged | | Order cancelled | unchanged | -1 | increases by 1 | --- ## Shipping an Order When an order is in **Confirmed** or **Processing** status, a "Add Shipping Info & Mark as Shipped" button appears on the order page. You must provide: 1. **Shipping carrier** — select from the dropdown (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, etc.) 2. **Tracking number** — the tracking code from your carrier Both fields are required. The system will reject the transition if either is missing. Once submitted, the order moves to **Shipped** status and the ship timestamp is recorded. The buyer can use the tracking number to monitor delivery. **After shipping, you cannot cancel the order.** Cancellation is only available before the shipped status. --- ## Cancelling an Order ### When you can cancel Cancellation is available on orders in **Pending**, **Confirmed**, or **Processing** status. Once an order reaches **Shipped** or **Delivered**, it cannot be cancelled — contact CaratX support if an exceptional situation arises. ### How to cancel On the order page, open the "More Actions" dropdown and select "Cancel Order". You will be prompted to provide a cancellation reason. This reason is logged and may be visible to the buyer. ### What happens to inventory The moment an order is cancelled, inventory reservations are released automatically: - `qty_sold` is decremented for each item in the order - Items become available to other buyers immediately - No manual inventory adjustment is needed ### Best practices - Cancel promptly if you cannot fulfill an order — prolonged reservations prevent other buyers from purchasing - Always provide a clear cancellation reason; it is logged and visible to admins - Contact the buyer via the "Message Customer" button before cancelling when possible --- ## Split Orders When a buyer purchases items from multiple sellers in a single checkout, CaratX automatically creates a separate order for each seller. The buyer sees one checkout experience; you only see your portion. **What this means for you:** - You receive one order containing only your items - Your order has its own order number, status, and tracking - You are responsible only for your items — another seller's delay does not affect your order - Your payout is calculated on your order total independently **What you will see:** Orders marked as split orders display a note on the order detail page indicating it is part of a multi-seller purchase. The buyer's shipping address is the same across all split orders. --- ## What Sellers Can and Cannot Do ### You can - View full order details: buyer info, shipping address, items, pricing breakdown - Acknowledge, ship, and mark orders as delivered - Add or view tracking numbers and carriers - Cancel orders that have not yet shipped - Print the packing slip and invoice - Message the buyer directly from the order page - Flag an order for admin review ### You cannot - Modify item prices or order totals after checkout - Change the buyer's shipping address - Process refunds directly (contact CaratX support) - Override order status (e.g., jump from Pending to Delivered) - View or manage other sellers' orders - Cancel an order that has already been shipped --- ## Payout After Delivery Once an order reaches **Delivered** status, the payout process begins. Your payout is subject to a holding period defined by your seller tier (typically 30 days after delivery). Platform fees are calculated and locked in when the order is confirmed. See **[07 — Payments & Payouts]** for the complete payout schedule and remittance process.