The normal order journey

Most product orders move through a journey like this:

Confirmed → Processing → Ready for Pickup / Out for Delivery / Courier or Tambala Handover → Delivered or Picked Up → Completed

The exact middle stages depend on how the customer chose to receive the order.

Main order statuses

Status	What it means	What you should do
Confirmed	Tambala has confirmed the order and the required payment.	Check that you have exactly what the customer ordered, then start processing it.
Processing	You are preparing the order.	Pick, inspect and pack the correct products.
Ready for Pickup	A customer pickup order is prepared and waiting for collection.	Keep the package safe until the customer arrives.
Out for Delivery	The package has left for delivery to the customer.	Follow the delivery and keep the customer informed if there is a problem.
Dropped At Courier	The package has been handed to the courier.	Take a picture of the receipt and sticker placed on the package - Keep any useful tracking information. This is usually as much as the seller can do, but they can follow the order until the customer receives it.
Available for Collection	The package is waiting at a courier or collection location for the customer.	Wait for the customer to collect it and follow up if necessary.
At Tambala Pickup Point	The package has been handed to a Tambala Pickup Point.	Tambala market staff will complete the order from here.
Delivered	The order has reached the customer.	Make sure the delivery record is correct and follow any remaining completion steps shown in Tambala account including taking a picture of the order delivery.
Picked Up	The customer has collected the order.	Tambala market updates this for Tambala pickup points. If seller followed up with courier, they may also update this.
Completed	The normal order process has finished.	No fulfilment action is normally needed. Check Payments & Payouts for your earnings.
Cancelled	The order will no longer continue through normal fulfilment.	Open the order to understand why it was cancelled and whether any further action is needed.
Refunded	Money connected to the order has been returned to the customer.	Do not fulfil the order. Check the refund details if you need to understand what happened.

The exact wording you see may vary slightly depending on the fulfilment method and current Tambala process.

Payment status is different from order status

An order also has a payment status.

These two things are related, but they do not mean the same thing.

The order status tells you what is happening with the product and fulfilment.
The payment status tells you what is happening with the customer's payment.

Always check the payment information before starting fulfilment.

Payment statuses

Status	What it means	What you should do
Pending	Tambala has not yet confirmed the payment.	Wait. Do not fulfil the order yet.
Paid	The required payment has been confirmed.	Continue with the order according to its current status.
Failed	The payment did not complete successfully.	Do not fulfil the order.
Refunded	The payment has been returned to the customer.	Do not send the order. Check the refund or cancellation details if necessary.

Do not use a payment screenshot or message from the customer instead of the payment status shown in Tambala order detail page.

Statuses depend on the fulfilment method

Not every order will pass through the same middle stages.

A pickup order may follow:

Confirmed → Processing → Ready for Pickup → Picked Up → Completed

A seller-delivery order may follow:

Confirmed → Processing → Out for Delivery → Delivered → Completed

A courier order may include stages showing that the package has been handed to the courier or is waiting for customer collection.

Tambala Pickup Point and Tambala Market Delivery orders may also have their own handover and delivery stages.

This is normal.

The important thing is that each status should reflect what has actually happened.

Do not update a status early

Never move an order forward because you expect the next step to happen soon.

If the package is still being packed, it is not Ready for Pickup.
If it is sitting in your shop, it is not Out for Delivery.
If it is still with the driver, it is not Delivered.
If the customer has not arrived, it is not Picked Up.

Accurate statuses help the customer understand their order and give you a reliable record if there is a problem later.

If a teammate updates orders

Teammates should use order statuses in exactly the same way as the owner. Make sure everyone involved in fulfilment understands what each status means.

This is especially important when several people prepare, dispatch and hand over orders. A status should have one meaning across the business. See Team & Access for how to give teammates the appropriate order permissions.

If an order seems stuck

Sometimes an order may remain at one status longer than expected.

Before changing anything, open the order and check what has actually happened.

If payment is still pending, wait for payment confirmation.
If the package is still with a courier, check the courier or handover information.
If the customer has not collected, do not mark the order collected simply to move it forward.
If the status clearly does not match reality and you cannot correct it yourself, use the appropriate Tambala support process.

If the order cannot continue normally

A status problem may actually be an order problem.

For example, the product may be unavailable, the customer may be unreachable, the delivery may fail or the customer may ask to cancel.

Do not force the order into the next status.

Use Solve Product Order Problems to decide what to do or contact Tambala market support immedietly.

The important thing to remember

Order statuses should tell the truth about where the order is.

When you see a status, ask:

What has actually happened?

What does the customer now expect?

What is the next real action?

Keep the status aligned with reality from the moment the order is confirmed until the customer receives it.

For the full order journey, see Process a Product Order.

For preparing the package, see Prepare and Pack an Order.

For delivery and collection, see Fulfil an Order.

If the order cannot continue normally, use Solve Product Order Problems.