Pre-orders let you sell useful extras to attendees before the event.

This could be food, merchandise, parking, packages or other items connected to the event.

Buyers can add these items alongside their tickets and pay through Tambala, which makes it easier for you to plan ahead and easier for attendees to arrive knowing what they have already bought.

What you can sell as a pre-order

A pre-order should be something that makes sense for the event.

For example:

A meal or drinks package.
An event t-shirt or cap.
A merchandise bundle.
A VIP add-on.
A souvenir or event pack.

The buyer should understand exactly what they are paying for and how they will receive it.

You can set this up at any time, even after you submit the event for approval.

Open pre-orders for your event

From your seller dashboard:

Open Event.
Select the event.
Open Pre-orders.

From here, you can create the items you want to offer and see the orders buyers have placed.

Create a pre-order item

You can create a new pre-order item or, where supported, start from a product that already exists in your Tambala store.

Using an existing product can save time when you already sell the same item elsewhere.

For a new listing, add the important information:

Item name.
Price.
Description.
Photo.
Quantity available.
Payment option.

For example:

Event T-Shirt — MWK 20,000

Includes one official event t-shirt. Collect from the merchandise desk on event day.

Keep descriptions practical. Buyers mainly need to know what the item is, what is included and how they will receive it.

Choose how the buyer will pay

A pre-order can be paid in full or, where available, using a deposit and later balance.

Full payment

The buyer pays the full amount when placing the order.

This is usually the simplest option.

It works well for ordinary merchandise, meals, parking and other items where there is no need to split the payment.

Deposit and balance

For some higher-value packages, you may allow the buyer to pay part of the price first and the remaining amount later.

If you use this option, make the terms clear.

The buyer should know:

How much is due now?, How much will remain?, When must the balance be paid?, and What happens if the balance is not paid?

Do not create complicated payment terms unless they genuinely help buyers.

Set the quantity carefully

Only make available what you can actually provide.

If you can prepare 100 meals, do not list 200 simply because you hope to sell more.

The same applies to merchandise, parking spaces, packages and other limited items.

Good pre-orders help you plan demand before the event. That only works when the quantity in Tambala matches reality.

Use clear photos

Add a good image where it helps the buyer understand the item.

For merchandise, show the actual product where possible.

For a food package, show something that accurately represents what will be served.

Avoid misleading images or photos that show items the buyer will not actually receive.

Make collection clear

Before selling a pre-order, decide how the buyer will receive it.

For example:

Collect from the merchandise desk near the main entrance.

Meal collection begins from 5:00 p.m. at the food area.

Show your Tambala order confirmation when collecting.

Add this information to the listing or event communication where possible.

The customer should not arrive at the event and then have to ask several people where their order is.

Manage your pre-order listings

As the event approaches, check that each listing is still accurate.

You may need to change the quantity, update information, replace a photo or stop selling an item.

If an item is no longer available, make it inactive rather than continuing to accept orders you cannot fulfil.

Be especially careful when changing a listing after people have already bought it.

Do not change what existing buyers were promised without communicating clearly.

Track incoming orders

Open the Orders section under Pre-orders to see what attendees have bought.

Use it to understand:

Which item was ordered.
How many were ordered.
What has been paid.
Whether any balance remains.
Who the order belongs to.

This information should become part of your event preparation.

If 80 people have ordered meal packages, the catering team needs to know that before event day.
If 40 people bought event t-shirts, those items should be prepared and organised before collection begins.

Pre-orders are useful because they turn demand into something you can plan for.

Handle balances carefully

If a buyer paid only a deposit, follow the balance status shown in Tambala.

Do not rely on a screenshot or verbal promise that the remaining amount has been paid.

If the balance becomes overdue, follow the terms attached to the pre-order and the actions available in Tambala.

Do not change the rules after the buyer has already placed the order.

If Tambala allows an overdue order to be forfeited, use that process only when the conditions of the original listing allow it.

Prepare before the event

Do not wait until attendees begin arriving to organise pre-orders.

Before event day:

Confirm the final quantities.
Prepare the items.
Organise them so they are easy to find.
Make sure staff know how collection works.
Decide where attendees should go.
Make sure the team knows how to confirm that an order belongs to the person collecting it.

If there are many orders, organise them by something simple such as order reference, buyer name or item type.

The goal is to make collection fast.

Fulfil the pre-order

When the buyer collects their item, confirm the order before handing it over.

Use the order information in Tambala or the approved collection process for the event.

Make sure the buyer receives the correct item and quantity.

Where Tambala provides a way to mark the pre-order as collected or fulfilled, update it immediately.

This prevents the same order from being handed out twice and gives you a clear record of what has already been completed.

If something goes wrong

If an item becomes unavailable, contact affected buyers as early as possible.

Do not wait until they arrive at the event.

If a buyer paid for something you can no longer provide, follow the appropriate Tambala refund or support process.

If the buyer says they paid but the order does not show as paid, check Tambala before handing over the item.

Keep payment and fulfilment records inside the platform wherever possible.

Use pre-orders to improve the event

Pre-orders can do more than increase sales.

They can also tell you what attendees want.

If a particular food package sells quickly, you have learned something about demand.

If almost nobody orders one merchandise item, you may decide not to produce as much next time.

If parking pre-orders fill immediately, you may need a better parking plan for future events.

Use the information to improve both the event and what you offer around it.

The important thing to remember

A good pre-order should answer:

What am I buying?

How much does it cost?

When do I need to pay?

Where and when will I receive it?

And for you as the organiser:

Can I actually fulfil everything I am selling?

If those answers are clear, pre-orders can make the event easier for attendees and more valuable for your business.

For the event itself, see Edit and Manage Your Events.

For ticket sales, continue with Process Ticket Orders.

For businesses and services attendees can discover around the event, see Recommend Nearby Shops.

What you can sell as a pre-order

Open pre-orders for your event

Create a pre-order item

Choose how the buyer will pay

Full payment

Deposit and balance

Set the quantity carefully

Use clear photos

Make collection clear

Manage your pre-order listings

Track incoming orders

Handle balances carefully

Prepare before the event

Fulfil the pre-order

If something goes wrong

Use pre-orders to improve the event

The important thing to remember

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