Orders: Overview

Orders overview

Quick Summary: An order records where a shipment goes, what it contains, and how it should be shipped.

Overview

Every product you ship through FedEx is recorded in an order. An order includes the destination, items, courier, and shipping service. After you approve it, the warehouse picks and packs the items, and the carrier ships the package.

Use the Status and any visible Exception to understand where an order is and what it needs next. The exact path depends on the order type and your account setup.

Quick start

  1. Open Orders.
  2. Use the + menu to create an order or upload several orders. Choose Normal Order, or another creation option shown for your account.
  3. Enter the destination, items or package details, and shipping information.
  4. Click Save. The order appears as Incomplete or Pending Approval.
  5. If the order needs approval, complete the approval action unless eligible orders are approved automatically. Select the order in the list and use Approve.
  6. Follow the order through Pending Fulfillment and later statuses.
  7. Open the order or use Tracking when a tracking number is available.

Buttons for creating, editing, and approving orders appear when your access allows them. A read-only user can still view orders and their statuses.

How orders work

The order lifecycle

The most common path is:

Create → Approve → Warehouse Processing → Shipped → Delivered

In status terms:

Stage What Happens Status You May See
Create You submit order details Incomplete or Pending Approval
Approve You or an automation rule approve it Pending Fulfillment
Fulfillment The warehouse picks and packs the items Out for Pick Pack, Packed (Awaiting Courier), or Labels Generated
Ship The carrier collects the package Fulfilled
Deliver The carrier reports delivery Tracking shows Delivered

Orders can also show On Hold, Canceled, Rejected, or another status specific to their order type. See Order Statuses for the complete reference.

Order types

Available order types depend on your account setup:

Type or surface Description
Stock Items ship from warehouse inventory
Crossdocking Items move through the warehouse without long-term storage
Parcel Forwarding Packages are forwarded from one address to another
Air Freight Create from the + menu when the option is shown
Inventory Transfer Shown when enabled for your account
Crowdfunding or Master orders Shown as separate order lists when enabled
FIC orders Managed from FIC Orders when enabled

Note: FIC-only accounts create child orders from FIC Orders. Their Sales Orders list does not show the normal create or bulk-action controls.

What's in an order

Orders commonly contain:

  • Destination address for the shipment
  • Order lines with item SKUs and quantities, or package details for some order types
  • Courier and shipping service
  • Customs information for international shipments, when required
  • Shipping labels, commercial invoices, packing slips, or other available documents

Optional fields can include:

  • Source address or ship-from location
  • Insurance details
  • Tags for organization
  • Priority for urgent orders
  • Importer or exporter addresses for customs clearance
  • PO number or other customer reference

The visible fields vary by order type, destination, and your account settings.

Ways to create orders

Method Best for Details
Manual One-off orders Create an Order
CSV or Excel upload Bulk orders Create an Order
Store integration Syncing orders automatically Integrations Overview
API Custom systems API Overview

Key concepts

Statuses vs exceptions

  • Status shows the order's current stage, such as Pending Fulfillment or Fulfilled.
  • Exception explains what is blocking the order, such as No shipping option or Validation error.

An order can show both. For example, an On Hold order can have a No shipping option exception when no courier matches the shipment.

See Order Statuses for the full list.

Approving orders

Orders generally need approval before fulfillment or label preparation. The exact gate depends on your account and order type.

  • Approve manually with Approve. [pref som_via_automation_rules]
  • Approve automatically with Automation Rules when eligible orders meet your rules. [endpref]

An account hold, unavailable stock, missing courier or shipping option, or invalid order data can prevent approval. The order page shows the visible reason. Fix the stated issue before retrying approval.

Tracking

Tracking becomes available after a tracking number is associated with the order:

  • Open the order to view its tracking and available documents.
  • Use the tracking number or status in the order list when one is shown.
  • Open the tracking timeline to review carrier checkpoints.

For the full tracking workflow, see Order Tracking.

If tracking is missing, the tracking number may not be available yet. Tracking can also take time to update after the order is shipped.

Detailed guide

Order list

Use the order list to find orders, compare their status, and export the rows you need. Search and filter options depend on your access and portal version.

See Order List for columns, filters, search, sorting, pagination, and exports.

Order detail page

Click an order to review its destination, items or packages, shipping information, tracking, documents, and available actions.

See Order Details for the full page reference.

Creating orders

You can create one order manually or upload several orders. The available fields and required values depend on the order type and destination.

See Create an Order for manual creation, bulk upload, and field requirements.

Bulk actions

Bulk actions apply a supported action to selected orders. Available actions depend on order status, account configuration, and your access.

See Bulk Actions for the action list.

Labels and documents

Open an order to find its available labels, commercial invoices, packing slips, and other documents. Some document options depend on order status and your access.

See Labels & Documents for availability and download steps.

Workflows

Check an order's status

When: You need to know where an order stands.

  1. Open Orders.
  2. Search for the order by the identifiers available in your list.
  3. Open the order.
  4. Review Status, active exceptions, and available actions.

Result: You can see the current stage and the next supported action.

Resolve an exception

When: An order has an exception that needs your attention.

  1. Open Orders and filter by Exceptions.
  2. Open the affected order and read the exception.
  3. Resolve the stated cause:
  4. Out of stock — review item availability and choose the next supported action shown on the order.
  5. No shipping option — choose a supported shipping option or contact your Account Manager.
  6. Validation error — correct the order data when editing is available.
  7. Retry approval after the cause is resolved.

Result: The order can continue processing, or the page shows the remaining blocker.

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Solution
Order stuck on Incomplete Required information is missing or invalid Edit the order, complete the flagged fields, and save it
Order shows On Hold An exception or account condition is preventing progress Read the exception and account message, resolve it, then retry approval when allowed
Order cannot be approved The order, account, stock, courier, or your access does not meet an approval condition Fix the visible blocker or ask your company administrator for the required access
Can't find an order The order does not match the current search or filter, or it may be archived Clear filters, search by a known identifier, or include archived orders when that option is available
Order was Rejected The order could not be processed as submitted Review the reason, correct the order when possible, or create a replacement order
Tracking not showing No tracking number has been supplied, or the carrier has not updated it yet Check the order again later; contact support if no tracking number appears after handoff

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