Skip to main content

Late orders & ship-by dates

Every order you receive has a ship-by date — the date by which the piece should leave, based on the lead time set on the product plus the order date. When a piece passes that date without shipping, it's flagged as late.

Written by The Oblist

Where you'll see "late"

  • Dashboard — a red banner: "X order(s) past the ship-by date". It can't be dismissed and disappears on its own once you've shipped (added tracking).

  • Orders list — a red ⚠ Late tag next to the affected orders.

These are there to protect your reputation with collectors and keep your account in good standing.

What to do

  1. Ship the piece and add the tracking as soon as you can — that clears the

    flag automatically.

  2. Genuinely running late? Open the order and Report a delay so we keep the

    collector informed with the right tone (see Reporting a production delay). Once we confirm a revised date, the order steps back off the late radar until then.

How "late" is calculated

  • Based on the product's lead time (e.g. "4–6 weeks") and the order date.

  • Pieces that are shipped (tracking added) or delivered are never flagged.

  • Pieces still awaiting a separate shipping arrangement (white-glove) are handled on their own timeline, not flagged as late here.

Good to know

  • Keep your product lead times accurate in your catalogue — that's what the ship-by date is built on. Too short and you'll look late when you're not.

  • A reported (and confirmed) delay is the clean way to handle a real hold-up — it's not the same as ignoring a late order.

Where to find it

The late banner is on your Dashboard; the Late tag is in your Orders list.

Did this answer your question?