This guide explains the complete order lifecycle on CDON — from receiving a new order to fulfilling it. Whether you use the CDON Merchant Center or the API, the rules and deadlines are the same.
Order Lifecycle
Every order on CDON goes through the following states:
| State | Description | Available Actions |
|---|---|---|
| CREATED | New order received. Awaiting your action. | Accept, Cancel |
| ACCEPTED | You have accepted the order. Must be fulfilled within the delivery time. Only applies to certain merchants who have been granted the right to use this status. | Fulfill, Delivery Note |
| FULFILLED | Item shipped. Customer receives tracking confirmation. | Refund (if needed) |
| NOT_FULFILLED | Order cancelled. Customer refunded. | None — final state |
Important: Once an order reaches FULFILLED or NOT_FULFILLED, the state cannot be changed.
Fulfillment in CDON Merchant Center
For manual merchants, the entire fulfillment flow happens in the Orders tab of your Merchant Center:
Review the order
Check the order details: article, quantity, price, and shipping address. Note the Fulfillment Deadline shown on the order.
Fulfill the order
Click FULFILL to confirm that you have shipped the item. The order moves to the Fulfilled state.
Add tracking information
Select your carrier from the dropdown (PostNord, DHL, DB Schenker, Budbee, Instabox, GLS, DPD, Posti, Posten Bring, etc.) and enter the tracking number. The customer will receive a delivery confirmation with the tracking link.
Tip: You can also generate a Delivery Note before fulfilling by clicking the DELIVERY NOTE button on the order.
Fulfillment via the API
Integrated merchants handle orders through the Orders API. The flow is the same: retrieve the order, update its state, and submit tracking information.
- Tracking information can be provided during fulfillment in the same API call, or in a separate call after fulfillment.
- Each order contains only one SKU, with possible quantity > 1.
Tracking Requirements
When the value of an order row meets or exceeds the threshold specified by CDON, you must provide valid shipment tracking information at the time of fulfillment. This includes:
- The carrier name — must match an entry on the CDON Carrier Whitelist.
- The Tracking ID — must correspond to the carrier and be in the correct format.
Important: You are responsible for ensuring that the carrier name and Tracking ID are registered correctly and consistently. If you attempt to fulfill/ship an order and register tracking information from a carrier that is not on our whitelist, the fulfillment will be rejected. Incorrect or missing tracking information may result in warnings or penalties.
Delivery Responsibilities
You bear sole responsibility for ensuring that the customer receives (or is able to collect) the ordered product within the delivery timeframe communicated at the time of purchase. This includes:
- Ensuring the customer receives notifications from the carrier regarding parcel location and availability for collection.
- Such notifications must be facilitated through your chosen carrier or logistics provider by SMS.
Note: CDON does not provide customer email addresses to merchants. You must ensure that delivery notifications are handled via your carrier’s SMS service.
Critical Rules
72-Hour SLA
It is recommended that you ship orders within 72 hours of receiving them. This is the point at which you mark the order as fulfilled.
7-Day Auto-Cancellation
Orders that are not handled and therefore not fulfilled within 7 calendar days are automatically cancelled and refunded to the customer. This protects the customer experience and is enforced regardless of the reason for the delay. Any orders dispatched after cancellation are not the responsibility of CDON. Consistently missing this deadline will negatively impact your merchant performance score.
No Partial Fulfillments
You must fulfill the total quantity of an order. If a customer orders 4 items, you must ship all 4 or cancel the entire order. You cannot ship 2 out of 4.
No Post-Fulfillment Edits
Once an order is marked as FULFILLED, it cannot be cancelled or modified. This includes delivery time updates. Make sure you are ready to hand over the package to your carrier at the time of fulfillment.
Missing Shipments
If a customer reports a missing shipment, the case is assessed against the delivery timeframes published in the Merchant Help Center. Here is how the process works:
- If the delivery timeframe has not yet elapsed, the customer cannot create a missing shipment errand.
- Once the delivery timeframe you promised for the article has expired, the customer can report a missing shipment errand in Reclaimit.
- You may only reject a missing shipment claim if you can provide verifiable proof of delivery (e.g., proof that the product was received by the customer or made available at a pickup point).
Important: A tracking number confirming dispatch alone does not constitute sufficient proof of delivery. Without verifiable evidence, you must provide a replacement shipment or a full refund.
Any carrier investigation must not delay the resolution beyond the timeframes specified in the Merchant Help Center. If you fail to act in time, CDON reserves the right to assume control of the matter and resolve it — including issuing a refund to the customer on your behalf. Any costs incurred by CDON may be invoiced to you or deducted from your payouts.
Cancelled Orders & Payouts
Financial impact: You do not get paid for cancelled orders. Whether you cancel an order yourself or it is auto-cancelled after 7 days, no payout will be issued. This is why it is critical to keep your stock levels up to date and fulfill orders promptly.
High cancellation rates will also negatively impact your merchant performance score, which can lead to fees, trial periods, or in severe cases, suspension from the platform.
CDON’s Right to Assume Control
CDON reserves the right to assume responsibility for customer-related matters on your behalf whenever it deems necessary. This includes managing customer service, delivery, returns, and refunds. If CDON steps in:
- Any costs and expenses, including a reasonable service fee, may be invoiced to you or deducted from your payouts.
- For products within the price range specified in the Merchant Help Center, CDON may issue a full refund to the customer on your behalf.
Best Practices
- ✓Ship orders within 72 hours of receiving them.
- ✓Keep your stock quantities up to date to avoid cancellations.
- ✓Always provide a tracking number with a valid carrier from the CDON Carrier Whitelist.
- ✓Ensure your carrier sends SMS notifications to customers about parcel availability.
- ✓Set realistic delivery times per market (max difference of 3 days between min and max).
- ✓Monitor the Fulfillment Deadline shown on each order in Merchant Center.
- ✓Respond to missing shipment errands promptly — a tracking number alone is not proof of delivery.
- ✓In unforeseen situations where you need to reach your customer, contact order@cdon.com with the order number and we will help you further.