Orders and Processing

Order Statuses

All orders will be emailed to the vendor administrator of the seller account.

Surplus Eco Store offers various order processing statuses to help you manage and track the progress of orders on the platform. These statuses provide information about the current stage of each order, allowing you to take appropriate actions and keep your customers informed. Here are some common order processing statuses used:

1. Processed: the payment was received.
2. Complete: all work on the order was completed.
3. Open: the order was placed and created in the store database, but it hasn’t been processed yet.
4. Failed: the payment transaction failed.
5. Declined: the order was canceled by the store administrator.
6. Backordered: the order hasn’t been processed yet, as it contains out-of-stock items.
7. Canceled: the order was canceled by the customer.
8. Awaiting call: the order was placed when the customer sent a call request. This status is associated with the Call requests add-on.

That is how order statuses are assigned:

• A customer places an order, and the order is placed with the Incomplete status which does not change the inventory.
• If the customer uses an online payment method, a positive response of the payment gateway will change the order status to Processed. If the response is negative, no new order will be created, and the customer will be offered to place the order again.

By utilising the appropriate order processing statuses, you can effectively manage your orders, communicate with customers, and ensure a smooth fulfillment process.

Return Requests

All return requests received my your customers must confirm to the terms you have stipulated for your microstore.

We do recommend that you communicate with your buyer to ensure a smooth and respectful customer experience.

Managing Returns

The Orders → Return requests page contains the list of product return requests. You can sort or filter the list according to different parameters. To filter the requests, use the search panel to the right of the list.

To handle a particular request, click the gear button corresponding to the request and choose Edit. This will open the request details (split into four tabs):

• Return products information—the list of products from the request that are or will be approved for the return.
• Declined products information—the list of products from the request that are or will be declined for the return.
• Comments—the comments about the requested return; the customer will be able to see these comments.
• Actions—the actions that you can perform on the return request.

Change a Request Status

1. Go to Orders → Return requests.
2. Click on the ID of the request.
3. Switch to the Actions tab.
4. Select a new status from a drop-down list.
5. If necessary, choose to recalculate the original order.
6. If necessary, select to notify the customer and the order department.
7. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Decline/Approve Individual Products

If a request consists of multiple products but you are going to accept only few of them, you can decline the products by excluding them from the list of approved returns.

To decline a product or several products at a time:

1. Go to Orders → Return requests.
2. Click on the ID of the request. You’ll see the Return products information tab.
3. Tick the checkboxes of the products for which you’d like to decline the return.
4. Click the Decline products button above the list.

The products declined for return will be moved to a separate list. To approve a declined product:

1. Switch to the Declined products information tab.
2. Tick the checkboxes of the products for which you’d like to approve the return.
3. Click the Accept products button above the list.

The products will appear in the list of products approved for the return.

Print a Packing Slip

You can print a packing slip for requested product returns.

To print a slip for an individual request:

1. Go to Orders → Return requests.
2. Click on the ID of the request.
3. Click the gear button in the upper right part of the page.
4. Choose Print slip.

To print packing slips for several requests at a time:

1. Go to Orders → Return requests.
2. Tick the checkboxes of the requests.
3. Click the gear button in the upper right part of the page.
4. Choose Packing slip bulk print.

How to issue a refund

How to process orders

To process orders in Surplus Eco Store Marketplace, you can follow these general steps:

Access the Admin Panel: Log in to your Vendor store's admin panel using your admin credentials.

Navigate to the Orders Section: Once logged in, navigate to the left menu or sidebar of the admin panel and click on "Orders / View Orders" section.

View the Orders: In the Orders section, you'll find a list of all the orders placed by customers. You can sort and filter the orders based on various parameters like order status, date, or customer name.

Review Order Details: Select the specific order you want to process by clicking on the "order number". This will display the order details, including the customer's information, shipping address, payment status, and ordered products.

Update Order Status: Surplus Eco Store provides different order statuses to help you track the progress of each order.

Generate Invoices and Packing Slips: Surplus Eco Store marketplace allows you to generate invoices and packing slips for the orders. These documents can be printed to include with the shipment by clicking on the Gear Wheel in the upper right corner.

Update Shipment Tracking: Once the order has been shipped, update the shipment tracking information in the order. This allows customers to track their orders and provides transparency throughout the process.

Create detailed full shipment: Click on this link in the lower right side of the order to enter the shipping information in the open window:

1. Quantity: In the upper right side drop down menu check the number of items you are shipping (full shipment or partial shipment)
2. Shipment Method: Select the shipment method you are using
3. Tracking Number: Enter the Tracking number
4. Carrier: Choose the shipping carrier
5. Comment: in the comment section you can write any notes regarding the order
6. Order Status: Change the order status to completed
7. Send shipment notification to customer: Check this box for to keep customers informed about the progress of their orders. Surplus Eco Store automatically send email notifications to customers at different stages, such as order confirmation, shipment updates, or delivery confirmation.
8. Create: At the end click  on the create button to create your detailed shipment.

By following these steps, you can effectively process orders in and maintain smooth operations in your store inside Surplus Eco Store marketplace.

How to Communicate with Customers

Surplus Eco Store provides a built-in communication board for sellers and customers to communicate with each other. The communication board allows you to have conversations, address inquiries, and resolve issues with your customers efficiently. Here's how you can use the seller-customer communication board:

• Log in to your CS-Cart seller account.
• Navigate to the Orders tab on the left menu.
• Locate the specific order for which you want to communicate with the customer. You can search for orders using filters or browse options.
• Open the order details by clicking on the order number or a similar link. 
• Click on the gear in the upper right corner and choose "Contact Customer" from the drop menu
• Type your message in the provided text field. You can include relevant details, answer customer inquiries, provide updates, or address any concerns they may have.
• After composing your message, review it for accuracy and click on the "Send" or "Submit" button to send the message to the customer.

Receive and reply to customer messages: As the customer responds, you will receive their messages in the communication board. You can continue the conversation by replying to their messages following the same process.

Maintain timely communication: Check the communication board regularly and respond to customer messages promptly. Keeping the communication active and addressing customer queries efficiently helps to provide good customer service.

Note: Remember to use the communication board as the primary method of communication with customers within the Surplus Eco Store platform. This ensures that all conversations are properly documented and easily accessible for reference.