How to manage orders - statuses, incidents and returns

How to manage orders - statuses, incidents and returns

⏱️You’ll read this article in about 14 minutes

Learn the key concepts related to order management - what they mean and how to act when they occur.

Order statuses

Orders on empik.com receive statuses depending on their progress. Here’s what each status means.

Learn about different statuses

Basic order statuses:

  • Pending Acceptance - the order is waiting for your approval.
  • Payment in Progress - the order awaits payment. If this status persists for a long time, it means the customer hasn’t paid for the order. Orders unpaid within 10 days of being placed will be automatically canceled by the system.
  • Shipping in Progress - you can process and deliver the order to the customer. For prepaid orders, this confirms the payment has been received. Cash-on-delivery orders automatically receive this status once accepted for processing.
  • Shipped - you have confirmed that the order has been dispatched.
  • Received- the customer has confirmed receipt of the order.

Additional statuses:

  • Returned – refund has been completed.
  • Rejected – the order was not accepted by you.
  • Canceled – the order was canceled.
  • Closed – the order has been fully processed and close

“Received” Status

The Received status is applied automatically only if you use one of the integrated carriers:
InPost, DPD, UPS, DHL, Poczta Polska, FedEx, GLS.

If you ship with a different carrier, the status will be assigned after a set period from the payment collection:

  • Prepaid orders: 15 days + processing time
  • Cash on delivery orders: 7 days + processing time

If you want the status to be updated sooner, contact our Support Team and provide the order number and the tracking link.

Order processing

To ensure customers receive their orders on time, you must accept and process them promptly.
Order acceptance equals entering into a sales agreement between the Buyer and the Seller. Once accepted, you cannot withdraw from fulfilling the order.
Accepted order tells the customer that their purchase is being processed.
Where to find new orders

If your store is integrated, orders may be accepted automatically, and notifications will appear in your main processing system.

If your store is not integrated, new orders must be manually accepted:

  • Seller Management Center – notifications appear upon login.
  • Email – if notifications are enabled, you’ll receive an email about the new order.

You can accept or reject the order from either place.


How to process an order
  1. Check availability
    Before accepting an order make sure you have every ordered item in stock.
  2. Accept or reject an order
    1. Log in to the Seller Management Center.
    2. Go to Stay Updated and click the new order notification.
    3. Click the order number - here you can see which products are included in the order.
    4. In the Items tab:
      1. Accept the order if you can fulfill it.
      2. Reject the order if the item is out of stock.
    5. Click Update Order to confirm your decision.
  3. Enter tracking information 
    1. Go to Shipping > Add tracking information.
      selectedImg
    2. Fill in all necessary fields (shipment numer, carriers, etc.).
AlertProviding tracking info is mandatory and reduces customer inquiries – customers can track their order in real time. 
4. Confirm shipment
After you complete all tracking information, mark the order as shipped.
It’s a final step that confirms the order has left 
Notes
No need for extra communication - Empik will automatically update the Buyer when an order has changed status. 

Receipt or invoice
  • If the customer provides a VAT number (NIP) in the order details, they are purchasing as a business, and you must issue an invoice.
  • If there is no VAT number, issue a receipt.
  • If the customer requests an invoice for a private individual after the purchase, issue it and send it directly to the customer.

If you forget to issue an invoice, the customer or Empik may open an incident. In this case, issue the document, send it to the customer, and then attach it to the order in the Seller Panel under More actions > Documents.

This type of incident doesn’t affect your performance statistics.



AlertDon’t ship Empik Marketplace orders via Allegro Delivery. It might confuse customers about the origin of their order. Such actions could be considered a violation of the terms and conditions (point 12, Appendix 4) and may result in your selling privileges being suspended.

Incidents

An incident occurs when a customer marks an order as not fulfilled, problematic or having other issues (e.g., defective product, delayed delivery).
  1. Response time: Reply within 24 hours (applies to business days) and resolve in 7 business days. If it’s a claim, resolve within 14 days and notify the customer.
  2. Funds on hold: Every incident places a hold on the funds for that order. The funds will be released once the incident is closed.



Where to check incidents and how to resolve them
  1. Log in to the Seller Management Center.
  2. In the Stay Updated section, locate new incidents and access the Seller Panel.
  3. Click the order number to check the reason for the incident. 
  4. There are 2 ways to resolve an incident:
    1. Automatic – occurs when you issue a refund through the Seller Panel. The incident closes automatically within 15 days. You don’t need to notify Empik. 
    2. Manual – occurs when you resolve an order issue without processing a return. Contact the customer to explain the situation, then click “Mark as resolved.” This step is necessary to release the funds for the completed order. If the customer doesn’t dispute your solution, it closes within 3 business days from the last message.
Notes
Incident notifications are also sent via email (if enabled).




Impact on quality metrics
Only incidents indicating a real issue with the order affect metrics:
  1. Item not received or delayed shippment
  2. Defective item
  3. Item not as described
  4. Incomplete order
  5. Missing components eventually received
  6. Customer received the replacement item
  7. Alternative solution found
  8. Refund issued outside Empik Marketplace
  9. Refund through Marketplace Buyer Protection
Metrics aren’t affected by following incidents:
  1. Item exchanged
  2. Invoice not recieved
  3. Customer didn’t respond
  4. Right to withdraw
  5. Incident was unjustified

Returns and annulments

When can a customer revoke an order?

Under Polish law, for online sales (distance contracts), the customer can withdraw within 14 days of receiving their order. Sellers may extend this period which makes their offer more attractive.
Non-returnable categories:
  1. Opened hygiene products.
  2. Perishable items.
  3. Digital content without physical media.
Alert
Ensure your store’s return policy reflects non-returnable items. Otherwise, law grants the customer the right to return.
Reasons for return vs commission
Seller is ought to pick a reason for a return that reflects the reality. This allows us to monitor your sales quality and determine whether you’re elligible for a commission refund. 
The commission will not be refunded if the cancellation is due to reasons within your control, eg. rejecting an order because the item is out of stock.

Returns commission isn’t charged for:
  1. Customer canceled order before shipment.
  2. Return without reason.
  3. Item not collected.
Returns commission is charged for:
  1. Customer return (late delivery, damaged item, non-compliant item, late shipment).
Returns requiring prior agreement with the customer:
Empik allows Sellers to use two additional return reasons. Using these is permitted only in exceptional cases and after prior consultation with the customer. A commission is charged for such returns.
  1. Return discussed with the customer (out of stock) - applicable when the product gets damaged, e.g., during packaging, and cannot be shipped.
  2. Cancellation by the Seller due to a serious pricing error - applicable when a statement of withdrawal from the legal effect of a declaration of intent is made under Article 84(1) of the Civil Code.
Notes
Every return reason is verified by Empik. Customer receives an email with confirmation and validation request.
How to process a return
  1. Log in to the Seller Panel.
  2. Click Orders on the menu on the left.
  3. Enter Order numer.
  4. See details and click Return in the top right corner.
  5. Choose full or partial return.
  6. Give an accurate cause for the return.
  7. Specify if you wish to include shipping costs in the return.
Notes
Polish law requires returning shipping costs after a valid distance contract withdrawal. You’re to return shipping cost that equals the cheapest delivery option.



Cash-on-delivery returns
For returns of cash-on-delivery orders:
  1. The system includes these returns in the settlement process (to charge or refund the commission accordingly).
  2. Seller must issue the refund manually to the bank account provided by the customer, as these funds do not go through the Empik payment system.
How to check the commisions charged?
  1. Log in to the Seller Management Center.
  2. Go to Finances > Order list.
  3. You’ll find the commission details in the last column, Details.

Notes
If you cancel one item in an order and the shipping cost was assigned to that item, let the customer know that their order will be shipped partially. We can then adjust the invoice to reflect the correct shipping cost.
To do this, send us the order number and the shipping cost.

Can customers cancel orders?

Customers can annul their order if it hasn’t been paid for yet or hasn’t been shipped (applies to cash-on-delivery). This applies when:
  1. Status: Payment in progress – the customer hasn’t paid for the order.
  2. Status: Shipment in progress – for cash-on-delivery orders.
If the customer asks to cancel the order after payment but before shipment, we recommend issuing a refund. In this case, no commission will be charged.

Can Sellers cancel orders?

No. According to Polish laws - once accepted, the sales agreement is binding. 
It’s forbidden to:
  1. Cancel an order without contacting the customer.
  2. Cancel due to stock issues (eg. issues with an integration)
  3. Withdraw unilateraly from the contract.
Violations are treated as a severe breach of rules and could be sanctioned. Our Customer Support contacts customers to verify the reason for the return. 

We hope this article was helpful. Your next step: Customer Service Quality.



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