Checklist: how to run an order sold in DMs, from the sale to the delivery

An order sold in DMs goes through a dozen small steps, spread over several days and usually done from memory. Skip one of them and you've just created the question you'll be answering three times. Here is the full list, in order, to keep within reach.

Before you accept the order

• Is the item actually available, in the right size and color? Check before the buyer pays, not after.
• Is the timeline clear? Give a realistic range for preparation and delivery, not your best-case scenario.
• Have you agreed on shipping costs and delivery method? Home delivery or pickup point, tracked or not.
• Did you write down the buyer's name or handle, and which app the conversation happened on? A month from now, you won't remember.

These checks take two minutes, and they prevent the worst thing that can happen in a DM sale: a buyer who paid for an item you no longer have, or for a delivery date you can't hit. It's better to lose a sale by saying no than to lose a customer by saying yes too fast. An honest timeline, even a long one, is easy to keep; a timeline that's too short turns into a broken promise before the package has even left. And because DM conversations scroll away quickly, the details you agree on here are the ones you'll most need to find again later.

Right after the sale

• Confirm the order in writing, restating the item, the size and the timeline you promised.
• Double-check the full shipping address: street number, apartment or unit, door code, and a phone number if the carrier asks for one.
• Create the order and send its link right away, even without a tracking number yet: that's the method laid out in the guide to tracking orders without a store.

Before shipping

• Photograph the item, its details, its label and its packaging — the full walkthrough is in “Order Photos Before Shipping: Show Buyers Their Order Without a Shared Folder”.
• Upload the photos to the order page and let the buyer know they're ready to look at.
• Wait for their approval if the item comes in variants: size, color, finish.
• Pack for the worst case: a package passes through several sorting centers and can be flipped, stacked or rained on.

On shipping day

1. Photograph the sealed packageWith the shipping label clearly readable. It proves this exact package is the one that left.
2. Keep the drop-off receiptThe receipt from the post office or pickup point: you'll need it if you ever have to file a claim.
3. Paste the tracking number into the orderThe buyer's page then updates on its own, at every scan the carrier records.
4. Let the buyer knowA short message with the carrier, the expected delivery window and the link.

While the package is in transit

• Check your packages in transit once a day, starting with the ones that have stopped moving.
• If a package sits still for several days, tell the buyer before they notice it themselves — see “Package Late, Stuck, or Lost: What to Tell Your Customer, and Which Proof to Keep”.
• Answer questions by pointing to the order link, rather than with a summary that will be out of date tomorrow.

After delivery

• Make sure the buyer actually received the package, and that they're happy with it.
• Keep the photos and the drop-off receipt for a few weeks, long enough to cover a possible return or disagreement.
• Write down what went wrong so next time goes smoother: packaging that was too thin, a timeline you underestimated, a question that keeps coming up.

This last step is the one sellers skip most often, because the sale feels finished. Yet it's exactly where the next one starts. A buyer whose order went smoothly, and who got a quick note from you after delivery, is far more likely to come back — and to recommend you to friends, which counts double when you sell without a store and your growth depends on word of mouth across social apps. Your notes matter too: the question that came up three times this month is the line to add to your next confirmation message.