Use product statuses correctly

Why statuses matter

Product statuses are how your team keeps one-of-a-kind items moving through intake, selling, returns, and seller payout without losing track of where an item is or what should happen next.

Use statuses to answer practical questions like:

• Has this item been reviewed yet?
• Is it ready for the shop floor?
• Is it visible online, shoppable online, or in-store only?
• Has it sold?
• Is the seller ready to be paid?

For day-to-day store work, the safest approach is to move each item forward one step at a time instead of skipping around.

Use statuses by workflow

1. Intake a newly received item

When a seller submits an item, it usually starts in a request flow before it becomes active store inventory.

A typical intake path looks like this:

1. Sell Request Review The seller has submitted an item for review.

2. Accepted or Rejected You decide whether to take the item.

3. Seller Drop Off The seller brings the item to your store.

4. Draft Start building the product record.

Once the item is physically with you, move it into your inventory workflow.

2. Prepare the item for sale

Use these statuses as your working path for product setup:

Choose the right selling status

Use Listed when the item should be sellable

Use Listed when the product is ready for normal selling activity.

This is the right choice when:

• the item is ready for the sales floor
• the item can be sold now
• the item can also be sold online if you publish it correctly

For online selling, Listed works together with the availableOnline tag. Using Publish Online adds the availableOnline tag and changes the status to Listed, making the item shoppable on your site.

Use Available in Store when the item should be visible online but not purchasable

Use Available in Store when customers should be able to see the item online, but not buy it online yet.

This is especially useful for:

• upcoming drops
• launch previews
• in-store events
• avoiding double-selling while a one-of-a-kind item is available on the shop floor

When you use Available in Store, Ribbn blocks the online Buy button and shows the item as Only available in store.

Common status paths for daily operations

Standard intake-to-sale flow

1. Sell Request Review
2. Accepted
3. Seller Drop Off
4. Draft
5. Quality Control
6. Pending Publication optional
7. Listed

Launch-preview or event flow

Use this when you want visibility without online checkout:

1. Draft
2. Quality Control
3. Pending Publication optional
4. Available in Store
5. Change to Listed when online purchasing should open

Temporarily pause an item

If an item should not be sold right now:

1. Move it to Hold for a temporary stop, or
2. Move it to Archived if it should be removed from active selling workflow

Publish products online correctly

Make items fully shoppable online

To make selected products available for online purchase:

1. Go to Products > All Products
2. Filter to the products you want
3. Select the items
4. Go to Inventory & Availability
5. Click Publish Online
6. Confirm the action

This action:

• changes the status to Listed
• adds the tag availableOnline
• makes the items shoppable online

Make items visible online but not purchasable

To show products online before they can be bought:

1. Select the items
2. Go to Inventory & Availability > Status Actions > In Inventory
3. Choose Available in Store

Use this when you want customers to browse items online without opening online checkout yet.

If items are not showing online

Check these in order:

1. Confirm the item has the availableOnline tag
2. Confirm the product status is correct for your goal:
   • Listed for shoppable online items
   • Available in Store for visible but not purchasable items
3. Confirm the collection rules include Available in Store if you are using that workflow

What happens after an item sells

Some statuses are updated automatically after sale.

Sold statuses you will see

Use the right payout status

Manual payout workflow

Use Sold - Seller To Be Paid when your store pays the seller manually.

Typical flow:

1. The item sells
2. It moves through the sold stage
3. Wait until the return period has ended when required
4. Move the item to Sold - Seller To Be Paid
5. Pay the seller outside Ribbn
6. Update the item to Sold - Seller Paid

This keeps your payout records clear and makes it easy to filter which sold items still need action.

Seller self-payout workflow

Use Sold - Seller Self Pay when the seller will withdraw funds in the app.

Typical flow:

1. The item sells
2. Wait until payout is approved or the return period ends
3. Move the item to Sold - Seller Self Pay
4. Ribbn notifies the seller
5. The seller cashes out in the app

This reduces store admin work because you do not need to send the bank transfer yourself.

Handle return timing correctly

In-store sales

For in-store sales, items typically move to Sold - Return Period Open after sale. Since in-store sales do not usually require a 14-day return period, many stores can move the item onward to payout status right away unless the store has its own return policy.

Online sales

For online sales, the return period matters more. Wait until the return window has ended before moving the item to a payout-ready status if your workflow requires that.

This is especially important for one-of-a-kind items, where the same product cannot simply be replaced.

Omnichannel note for Ribbn and Shopify users

If you sell online through Shopify, keep product status management in Ribbn and order management in Shopify.

For example:

• when an item sells online, Ribbn updates the product status for inventory tracking
• refunds are handled in Shopify
• after a refund, staff must manually set the product back to Listed in Ribbn, restore quantity to 1, and re-sync it so the item can be sold again

Where to update statuses

You can update statuses in two main places:

• the Product Details view for individual items
• Bulk Edit in the Action Bar for multiple items

Bulk status actions are especially helpful for:

• moving many newly received items into Draft
• sending a group of checked items to Quality Control
• setting a drop collection to Available in Store
• moving sold items into payout statuses

Best practices for using statuses correctly

• Move items forward in order whenever possible
• Use Quality Control before online selling so condition notes are complete
• Use Pending Publication when you want to hold items for a later release
• Use Listed for normal selling readiness
• Use Available in Store to prevent online checkout while still showing the item online
• Use bulk actions carefully, especially where seller notifications may be triggered
• Keep payout statuses up to date so finance and store staff can quickly see what still needs action
• For one-of-a-kind items, be extra careful with online visibility versus online purchase settings

Quick reference

When in doubt

If you are not sure which status fits, ask:

1. Is the item still being prepared?
2. Is it ready to sell?
3. Should it be purchasable online, visible only, or in-store only?
4. Has it sold?
5. Is the seller ready to be paid yet?

Answering those questions will usually point you to the correct next status.