What do the different invoice statuses mean?
There are 7 possible invoice statuses, each described below.
Pending This is the status that invoices are in when they are first created (invoices are created automatically after a buyer wins an auction or uses the Buy-It-Now feature). It is at this point that you have the opportunity to review the invoice for accuracy, and add any other related charges, such as tax, shipping (if applicable), and/or handling fees. Important note regarding online payments: If your auction has been set up to allow users to pay their invoices online, through the Credit/Debit or PayPal settings, it will not be possible to for the user to pay the invoice (in the case of PayPal), or for you to charge the invoice (in the case of Stripe) until the invoice has been moved into an Unpaid or Past Due state.
Unpaid Use this status to mark invoices that are ready to be paid. This allows you to track who still owes you money. This is usually the state in which you will first send invoices to your buyers.
Paid If you have set up the Credit/Debit or PayPal settings of the sale under the online payment options on your sale, the invoice statuses will automatically be moved to Paid once a user pays the invoice via the "Pay Now" link (in the case of PayPal), or once you charge their payment method from their invoice (in the case of Stripe).
If you have not enabled any online payment options, it's your responsibility to manually move invoices to the Paid state. It’s a good habit to email the buyer a copy of the invoice in the Paid state for their own records and this is easy to do from the invoice detail page by clicking the "Email" button near the bottom of the invoice.
Past Due Move invoices into this status if the buyer has not paid by the agreed upon date, which should be specified in your sale terms and conditions. It’s appropriate to send the buyer a reminder email with the invoice at this point.
Disputed Buyers who receive invoices have the opportunity to dispute the invoice. You will be notified of any disputed invoices and have a chance to correct and respond to any issues that the buyer has with the invoice.
Canceled Move invoices to the Canceled status if the buyers order has been canceled.
Closed Move invoices to the Closed status which you know have been paid for and fulfilled (either picked up or shipped). You should not move invoices into this state unless you’re sure the buyer has received their goods and you have received payment in full.
