In Alomations, an Etsy order arrives on the orders screen already resolved: the design, the variant the buyer chose and any personalization text or photos are matched to it before you open it. From that row you either send the order to a production partner, with the item cost and shipping shown before you pay, or print and ship it yourself.
This is for sellers who still do Etsy order management by hand: opening each order, working out which file belongs to which listing, copying a name from the order into a design and pasting a tracking number back. That routine is where fulfillment mistakes tend to start, and it gets slower with every listing you add.
What "resolved" means for an Etsy order
An Etsy order tells you which listing sold and which options the buyer picked. It does not tell a printer which print file to use or where the buyer's name goes. Resolving an order means connecting those two worlds, so every line on the order carries what production needs.
In Alomations a resolved order line includes:
The design: the print-ready file behind the listing (designs made in Alomations come at 12 inches and 300 DPI, as a transparent PNG).
The variant: the product, size and colour the buyer chose, matched to the right blank.
The personalization: the buyer's text, attached to the design it belongs to.
The buyer's photos: for designs with a photo slot, the photo the buyer uploaded, ready to prepare.
When all four are there, there is nothing to look up. You check the order and send it on.
How an order gets matched
Orders resolve because of how the listing was made. A listing created by an Alomations run already knows its design, its template and its variants, so when Etsy reports a sale, the order pulls in with everything matched. Your shop connects through the official Etsy API, with the sign-in on Etsy's own screen, and you can revoke that access from Etsy at any time.
Listings you made by hand can join in too. In the listings manager you adopt a listing by connecting it to a design and a fulfillment product, and from then on its orders arrive resolved like the rest.
| What arrives | Where it comes from | What you check |
|---|---|---|
| Design and print file | The design attached to the listing | That the light or dark version suits the garment colour |
| Product variant | The buyer's choices on Etsy, matched to the template | Size and colour against the order |
| Personalization text | The buyer's entry in the personalization field | Spelling and length before production |
| Buyer photo | The photo uploaded with the order | Crop and quality after preparation |
| Fulfillment route | Your choice for each order | Production partner or print it yourself |
Fulfilling from the orders screen
Each order can go to a production partner straight from the orders screen. Before you pay, the item cost and the shipping are shown separately, and payment comes from your Alomations balance. Once the order is placed, the row shows which print centre has it, so you always know where it is.
Our catalog products are printed with DTF (direct-to-film) for apparel and sublimation for products that need it, and production for US orders is in the US. The products and their "from" prices are on the catalog page, with shipping quoted separately. If you would rather print an order yourself, you can print and ship it on your own instead. Custom orders have a screen of their own. When you do use production partners, Etsy requires you to disclose them in the relevant listings (Etsy on production partners).
All of this is open on every plan, including Free. The partner side is covered in more depth in our guide to fulfilling an order through a production partner.
Tracking, ship-by dates and Etsy's standards
Tracking is where Etsy's rules and fulfillment meet. "Adding tracking information is required to complete an order for US sellers", and "Orders for physical items must have a valid tracking number in order for them to qualify towards Star Seller" (Etsy on tracking). Orders also need valid tracking to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection.
That is why a production partner on Alomations cannot mark an order shipped without a tracking number, and why the tracking is posted back to Etsy where Etsy allows it. Ship-by dates still apply: items must be marked as shipped by 11:59pm on the ship date, in your shop's time zone (Etsy on processing times), so set a processing time your production route can meet. Our article on tracking numbers on Etsy covers the details.
Personalized and photo orders
Personalized orders are where manual handling breaks down most often. With a personalizable design, the editable field (a name, a date) was part of the listing from the start, so when the order arrives the buyer's text is placed into the design for you. Read it before production anyway: buyers do misspell names, and our guide to avoiding mistakes in buyer text shows what to look for.
Photo products work the same way. When a design holds a slot for the buyer's photo, the photo arrives with the order, is cropped around faces and detail, and can be redrawn in a chosen look before the print file is prepared.
Seeing where the money went
On paid plans, the profit view shows what you kept on fulfilled orders after Etsy fees and product cost, and every credit you spent is itemised. That closes the loop from listing to sale to margin without a separate spreadsheet. Our article on tracking profit per order on Etsy explains the calculation, and how it works shows where orders fit in the whole workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid plan to use the orders screen?
No. Real orders and fulfillment through production partners are open on every plan, including Free.
What happens to orders from listings I made before Alomations?
Adopt those listings in the listings manager by connecting each one to a design and a fulfillment product. Orders that come in after that arrive resolved.
Can I fulfill some orders myself and send others to a partner?
Yes. You choose the route for each order: a production partner from the orders screen, or print and ship it yourself.
Does Alomations add tracking to Etsy for me?
When a production partner fulfills the order, it cannot be marked shipped without a tracking number, and the tracking is posted back to Etsy where Etsy allows it.
See how orders arrive in your own shop with the Alomations free plan.