Best Practices for Order Fulfillment
09/16/2025
Key Points
- Orders must meet specific timeframes for readiness and dispatch to avoid delays and penalties.
- Sellers can choose between using TikTok Shop’s logistics services or their own Logistics Service Provider.
- Secure and compliant packaging is crucial to ensure product safety during transit.
Overview
Efficient order fulfillment is essential for timely deliveries and customer satisfaction. Whether you're shipping products yourself or through TikTok Shop's services, following these guidelines will help you meet service standards and avoid common shipping mistakes.Watch the video below to learn all about best practices for fulfilling your orders!
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
SLAs define the maximum number of business days for orders to reach specific stages within the fulfillment or shipping process (e.g. Ready to Ship or Dispatch).Staying within the SLAs below will help to avoid delays and penalties:
- Standard Shipping
- Dispatch or Ready to Ship (RTS) SLA Cut-Off: Orders must be shipped within 3 business days from the order date, with a cut-off time of 11:59 PM PST.
- Deliver-by SLA: Deliver within 6 business days of the order date.
- Made-to-Order, Backorder, and Custom Handling Time Shipping
- Dispatch or Ready to Ship SLA Cut-Off: Orders must be dispatched within the handling time set by the seller.
- Deliver-by SLA: Deliver within the handling time plus 5 additional business days.
- Pre-Order Shipping
- Dispatch or Ready to Ship SLA Cut-Off: Orders must be shipped within 1 business day after the Pre-Order closure date.
- Deliver-by SLA: Deliver within 6 business days of the pre-order closure date.
- Order Handling Capacity
- Sellers using the Order Handling Capacity feature will receive one additional business day for orders that exceed their daily order capacity.
Auto-Cancellation SLA
To protect customer experience, customers will be given the option to cancel an order if it has not been marked "Transit to Ship" within the designated handling time. Additionally, unless specified by the customer, TikTok Shop will automatically cancel orders in the following situations:- Standard Shipping: If the order is not marked as "To Ship - Awaiting Collection" or "Ready to Ship" (i.e., tracking information hasn't been added in Seller Center) after 7 business days from the order date.
- Made-to-Order, Backorder, and Custom Handling Time Shipping: If the order is not marked as "To Ship - Awaiting Collection" or "Ready to Ship" after 4 business days from the Dispatch SLA.
- Pre-Order Shipping: If the order is not marked as "To Ship - Awaiting Collection" or "Ready to Ship" after 5 business days from the Dispatch SLA.
Shipping Types
Sellers have three different shipping types to choose from:- Ship by TikTok or TikTok Shipping: Sellers choose a Logistics Service Provider (LSP) from TikTok Shop's list in Seller Center.
- Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping: Sellers choose their own LSP as long as they are supported by TikTok Shop as outline in Ship by Seller User Guide. This option may only be available to selected sellers.
- Fulfilled by TikTok (FBT): TikTok warehouses handle the storing, picking, packing, and shipping of orders, as outlined in the Fulfilled by TikTok article.
Best Practices for Shipping
Shipping Price
Sellers set their own shipping prices before orders are made. These charges must be directly related to the delivery of the items, including but not limited to:- Shipping service costs
- Handling costs (e.g. packaging materials and insurance)
- Costs for delivery confirmation or additional services (e.g.certificates of mailing and certified mail)
- Additional fees for handling and packaging
Once payment is confirmed, the order status will change to “To Ship - Awaiting Shipment.” At this stage, sellers should:- Double-check the order for any issues or discrepancies. Mistakes here can lead to delays.
- Ensure order is being shipped according to the shipping service level chosen by the customer.
- Ensure the package weight and/or dimension aligns with the label postage.
- Download or print the packing list from Seller Center. Use this to ensure you are selecting the right products from your storage or warehouse for shipment.
- If you can’t fulfill an order, cancel it and notify the customer.
Proper packaging is key to ensuring your product reaches the customer safely. Follow the steps below to verify everything is packed securely:- Comply with all applicable laws and regulations related to product packaging materials.
- Choose the right packaging that fits the product without excess space. Secure items to prevent movement during transit.
- Use quality packaging materials that provide adequate protection.
- Ensure that packaging, invoices, and other documentation are unbranded and only identify your shop.
- Clearly label special items (e.g.liquids, fragile items, breakables, perishables, hazardous materials and batteries). Ensure the packaging follows your LSP instructions and notify them if special handling is needed before shipping.
- Ensure compliance with LSP requirements and notify them if special handling is needed.
- For fresh and frozen food products, use proper insulation to maintain optimal temperatures during shipping.
- Use cartons with sufficient protection for products that meet the requirements of your LSP.
- Large-sized dunnage, such as air pillows, whole sheets of paper, sheet foam, or bubble wrap, offer quality protection.
- Seal cartons securely using durable packing materials.
- Maximize space by packing multiple units in a single carton whenever possible without damaging the products. Empty space can cause the products to move and get damaged.
- Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping: Update tracking information by selecting "Add tracking info" for each order under the "To Ship - Awaiting Shipment" tab in Seller Center.
- Ship by TikTok or TikTok Shipping: No manual update is needed. Select "Arrange Shipment" for each order in the "To Ship - Awaiting Shipment" tab. The tracking information will be updated automatically.
All packages must have a shipping label with information that matches the tracking details entered and should include:- Customer's name and full postal address (including zip code)
- Customer's order number
- Return address for undeliverable package
- Ensure every package has a correct shipping label. Mislabeled packages may be disposed of or relabeled at your expense.
- Apply shipping labels or barcodes provided by the LSP firmly on the package.
An order meets the dispatch SLA when a valid tracking number is provided. Once the tracking number is associated with an order, the order ID moves from "To Ship" to "Shipped" in Seller Center. Orders without a valid tracking number by the dispatch SLA are marked as Late Dispatch.Handing Over Package to LSP
- Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping
- Handover the packages to the LSP without delay .
- Verify in Seller Center that orders are listed under the "Shipped" tab with the status "Shipped - Awaiting Collection."
- Address any delays with the LSP if the status remains "Shipped - Awaiting Collection." This likely means that the LSP hasn't started processing the order.
- Provide timely and accurate dispatch information. Delays caused by the carrier are still the seller's responsibility and considered a failure to adhere to the SLAs.
- Ship by TikTok or TikTok Shipping
- Option 1: Deliver packages at the selected Drop-Off point.
- Option 2: Request LSP for a Pick-Up within 48 hours.
- If orders are not dispatched within the set handling time, sellers will be notified to update their handling time.
- "Fulfillment Settings," in Seller Center allows sellers to choose automatic handling time adjustment by TikTok Shop or manually set it. For sellers onboarded after September 13, 2023, TikTok Shop will adjust handling time based on performance.
- Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping: TikTok Shop uses third-party logistics data to verify and automatically update the order status to "Delivered."
- Ship by TikTok or TikTok Shipping: The Seller Center order status will update to "Delivered" automatically after the LSP confirms the delivery.
If an order isn’t delivered within the committed time (based on tracking information or LSP feedback), it is considered delayed.Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping: Sellers must address delays through their contract with their LSP and monitor service quality.
- Ship by TikTok or TikTok Shipping: Sellers can check the logistics status updates on the "Manage Orders" panel in Seller Center. If there are processing delays, raise a ticket through the Help Center.
- Don't include messages that ask for or incentivize positive customer reviews.
- Avoid including any products or content not associated with the ordered item.
- Refrain from adding marketing or promotional materials such as pamphlets.
- Don't add QR codes, hyperlinks, or unrelated information to labels.
- Don't use large staple pins or nylon fiber-based tapes due to safety risks.
- Avoid loose-fill materials like Styrofoam peanuts or shredded paper. Inappropriate packaging materials may result in customer rejections and chargebacks.
- Don't bundle multiple cartons together with tape, straps, or bagging. This can cause damage and processing issues.
- Avoid shipping with incorrect or incomplete addresses to prevent delivery failures.
- Don't dishonestly or fraudulently change an order status. We monitor and audit order statuses and will take action against any identified fraudulent behavior.
- Don't misuse customer contact information. All communications with customers must remain confidential.
- Don't sell or ship prohibited or recalled products.
- U.S.-based sellers cannot use international third-party suppliers or consolidation services.
- Don't ship orders that contain invoices, external packaging, or other information that identify another seller or third-party supplier.
- Don't use personal accounts from other retailers to fulfill orders. This can lead to unauthorized customer data sharing, price gouging, promotion of competitor businesses, and loss of user trust.
- Do not engage in fraudulent shipping behaviors, including but not limited to:
- Inaccurate, misleading, incomplete, or incorrect shipping information
- Providing false or misleading tracking information (e.g., invalid or duplicated tracking numbers, or no logistics updates 24 hours after tracking is provided)
- Inconsistencies between the delivery address and the logistics route
- Shipping items that don’t match the product detail page or order details
- Shipping empty or incomplete packages
- Listing products fulfilled or purchased from other retailers or marketplaces and shipping them directly to customers
- Using package weights or dimensions that don’t match the paid postage
- Unauthorized or improper use of logistics equipment (e.g., scanning a package for pickup before it’s ready)
- Underpaying for postage (e.g., paying $5 when the package requires $10 based on weight or dimensions)
- Forging shipping label details (e.g., warehouse address, delivery address, route, or recipient information)
Important Shipping Metrics
On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR)
- OTDR is a shop-level metric that tracks how timely orders are delivered each week. It represents the percentage of orders delivered by their designated "deliver-by date" out of all orders expected to be delivered within that week.
- A shop's OTDR reflects delivery efficiency on a weekly basis (Monday through Sunday), with a healthy OTDR will be above 80%.
- LDR measures the percentage of orders that did not reach the "Dispatched" status before the Dispatch SLA Cut-Off Time during the evaluation period.
- Sellers must maintain a LDR ≤ 4%. Late-to-dispatch orders that have been canceled by the seller or customer after the Dispatch SLA are included in the LDR calculation.
- SFCR calculates the percentage of confirmed orders placed within the evaluation period that were canceled due to the seller's fault.
- Sellers need to keep their SFCR ≤ 2.5%.
- VTR measures the percentage of orders with accurate and verifiable tracking numbers within the evaluation period.
- Sellers must have a VTR ≥ 95% to ensure customers receive accurate tracking information.
- For Ship by Seller or Seller Shipping orders, ensure accurate entry of tracking IDs, Shipping Provider Name, and Shipping Service.
Smooth Shipping on TikTok Shop
By following TikTok Shop’s SLAs and best practices, you’ll streamline your fulfillment process, reduce the risk of delays, and meet customer expectations. Whether shipping yourself or through TikTok Shop, staying on top of shipping timelines, tracking, and packaging ensures a smooth experience for both you and your customers.For more information, please refer to our TikTok Shop Fulfillment Policy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What can I do if the tracking information is incorrect?
If a seller mistakenly entered incorrect tracking information, they have 72 hours to make edits in Seller Center.TikTok Shop has processes in place to detect invalid or duplicate tracking numbers and missing logistics details and reserve the right to take enforcement actions.
What should I do if I can't dispatch a product due to unexpected events?
If sellers are unable to dispatch a product because of unexpected events such as natural disasters, severe weather, pandemics, government restrictions, or other extreme situations beyond your control, follow the below steps:- Report the Situation: Log in to Seller Center and raise a ticket detailing the event and its impact on your ability to ship products. Include any necessary supporting documents.
- Verification: TikTok Shop will review your situation. If the event is confirmed as outside of your control, you will not face any penalties related to this issue.