Every order — no matter which channel it came from — moves through the same set of statuses. Understanding this lifecycle is the key to processing orders efficiently and building flows that automate them.
The stages
Placed ─▶ Paid ─▶ Processing ─▶ Fulfilled ─▶ Shipped ─▶ Delivered
| Status | Meaning | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Placed | Order received, payment not yet confirmed | Wait for payment capture |
| Paid | Payment confirmed | Route to fulfillment (often automatic) |
| Processing | Being prepared / sent to a shipping tool | Generate a label |
| Fulfilled | Picked, packed, label created | Hand to carrier |
| Shipped | Tracking generated and pushed to the channel | Carrier delivery |
| Delivered | Carrier confirmed delivery | Closed |
| On hold | Flagged — payment, stock, or address problem | Resolve, then resume |
What moves an order forward
- Automatically from the channel — payment capture, delivery confirmation.
- By a flow — e.g. a flow pushes Paid orders to ShipStation.
- Manually — advance or hold any order from its detail page.
ℹ️ Note: An order also carries a fulfillment state (unfulfilled / partially fulfilled / fulfilled) tracked alongside the lifecycle status. That’s why partial shipments are possible.
Needs attention
Orders that can’t proceed cleanly — failed payment, out-of-stock SKU, invalid address — are flagged Needs attention so they surface at the top of the inbox instead of stalling silently. See Managing orders.
How this maps to automation
Because the lifecycle is consistent across channels, a trigger like Order paid fires identically whether the sale came from Amazon or eBay — so one flow can handle your entire order volume. See Triggers & actions.