Ship a physical item
Follow physical items from To pack to Delivered, add the fan's shipping address, and mark items sent with the tracking number.
What it's for
When a fan buys a physical item (for example worn clothing or a signed photo), the request says what the item is and where it goes. The Items tab of a client works as a shipping queue, so you can see what still has to be packed, what is on its way and what has arrived. A fan's home address is private: as a Manager you see only the fan's first name and city, for example "Sam · Austin, TX, US".
Before you start
- You're signed in as a Manager.
- For a test, use a made-up address such as "Sam Tester, 1 Test Street, Austin, TX 73301, US", never a real one.
Steps
Open the shipping queue
Click Management → Clients, open a client that sells items and click the Items tab. Items are split into three tabs, each with its count:
- To pack: approved and not sent yet.
- Shipped: marked sent, not arrived yet.
- Delivered: arrived.
The columns are Item (click it to open the request), Creator, Ship to (first name and city only), Carrier and tracking (on Shipped and Delivered) and the date.
Add an item request with an address
When you sell an item yourself, pick Physical item as the Type on the request form (see Submit a content request). Fill in Item description, Size (optional) and the Shipping address (optional) box: Recipient name, Address line 1, Address line 2 (optional), City, State or region (optional), Postal code and Country (a two-letter code; it starts as US). After you submit, the Shipping card says "Address on file" with the first name and city: you can't read the full address back. On your own request, Add address or Replace address works while it is To pack.
Mark it sent with the tracking number
When the creator has posted the item, click Mark sent (see Mark a custom sent). The window Mark this item sent? asks for the Carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL or Other) and the Tracking number, which is required for every carrier except Other. The item moves to Shipped. Without an address it can't be marked sent: "There is no shipping address on file. Add it on the request page first."
What you should see
- Every row and the request page show the address only as "first name · city", never the street or the postal code. There is no Show address button.
- Empty tabs say Nothing to pack, Nothing on its way or Nothing delivered yet.
- After Mark sent, the item is on Shipped with the carrier and a tracking link.
- An administrator marks it delivered when it arrives; it then moves to Delivered.
Test checklist
Good to know
Only Administrators see full addresses by default. An administrator can give your role See and manage shipping addresses on People → Roles; you then get Show address, Edit shipping and Mark delivered too. Addresses are removed on their own about a month after the item arrives.