medusa-orders

Medusa v2 Order Management

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com order module for order data model and service methods
2. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com order workflow fulfillment for fulfillment workflow steps
3. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com return exchange claim for return/exchange/claim flows
4. Fetch https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/references/order and review the IOrderModuleService interface
5. Web-search medusajs v2 draft order editing 2026 for latest order editing workflows

Order Lifecycle

State Machine

PENDING ──> COMPLETED ──> FULFILLED ──> DELIVERED
    │           │              │
    └─ CANCELED └─ RETURNED    └─ PARTIALLY_RETURNED

Order Statuses

Status	Meaning
pending	Order created, awaiting payment
completed	Payment captured, order confirmed
archived	Order archived (no further action)
canceled	Order canceled before fulfillment
requires_action	Manual intervention needed

Fulfillment Status

Status	Meaning
not_fulfilled	No items shipped
partially_fulfilled	Some items shipped
fulfilled	All items shipped
shipped / delivered	In transit / arrived
partially_returned / returned	Items returned

Payment Status

Status	Meaning
not_paid / awaiting	No payment / pending auth
authorized	Payment authorized, not captured
captured	Full payment captured
partially_refunded / refunded	Refund issued
canceled	Payment voided

Order Module Architecture

Order Module ──link──> Payment Module (payment collections)
Order Module ──link──> Fulfillment Module (fulfillments)
Order Module ──link──> Product Module (line items)
Order Module ──link──> Customer Module (customer)

Fetch live docs for exact link definitions and remote query patterns for cross-module order data.

Key Service Methods

Operation	Method	Notes
List orders	orderModuleService.listOrders()	Filters, pagination
Retrieve order	orderModuleService.retrieveOrder()	By ID with relations
Cancel order	via cancelOrderWorkflow	Workflow-managed
Archive order	via archiveOrderWorkflow	Workflow-managed
Complete order	via completeOrderWorkflow	After payment capture

Fulfillment Workflow

Order Confirmed ──> Create Fulfillment ──> Create Shipment ──> Delivered

Workflow	Purpose
createFulfillmentWorkflow	Create fulfillment for order items
cancelFulfillmentWorkflow	Cancel a pending fulfillment
createShipmentWorkflow	Add tracking and mark as shipped
markOrderFulfillmentAsDeliveredWorkflow	Mark fulfillment as delivered

Fetch live docs for workflow input shapes -- fulfillment items, tracking numbers, and labels.

Returns

Return Requested ──> Return Received ──> Refund Issued
       └─> Return Canceled      └─> Items Restocked

Workflow	Purpose
createReturnWorkflow	Initiate return for order items
confirmReturnReceiveWorkflow	Mark return items as received
cancelReturnWorkflow	Cancel a return request

Return reasons are configurable via the Return Reason entity (supports nesting via parent_return_reason_id).

Exchanges and Claims

Workflow	Purpose
createExchangeWorkflow	Initiate exchange (return + new items)
cancelExchangeWorkflow	Cancel pending exchange
createClaimWorkflow	Create claim for damaged/wrong items
cancelClaimWorkflow	Cancel a pending claim

Exchanges combine return of original items with shipment of replacements, handling price differences automatically. Claims can result in refund, replacement, or both.

Draft Orders

// Skeleton: create draft order
// Fetch live docs for createOrderWorkflow input shape
import { createOrderWorkflow } from "@medusajs/medusa/core-flows"

const { result } = await createOrderWorkflow(container)
  .run({ input: { /* order data */ } })
// Fetch live docs for CreateOrderWorkflowInput

Order Editing

Modify orders after creation using the Order Change mechanism:

Begin Edit ──> Add/Remove Items ──> Confirm Edit ──> Payment Adjustment

Order Change Actions

Action	Description
ITEM_ADD	Add a new line item
ITEM_REMOVE	Remove an existing line item
ITEM_UPDATE	Update line item quantity
SHIPPING_ADD / SHIPPING_REMOVE	Modify shipping methods

Fetch live docs for orderEditAddItemWorkflow and related edit workflows.

Admin API Routes

Route Pattern	Method	Purpose
/admin/orders	GET	List orders with filters
/admin/orders/:id	GET	Retrieve single order
/admin/orders/:id/cancel	POST	Cancel order
/admin/orders/:id/fulfillments	POST	Create fulfillment
/admin/orders/:id/returns	POST	Create return
/admin/orders/:id/exchanges	POST	Create exchange
/admin/orders/:id/claims	POST	Create claim

Fetch live docs for request body shapes and query parameters on each route.

Best Practices

Order Processing

• Always use workflows for order mutations -- they handle cross-module orchestration
• Check payment status before creating fulfillments
• Use order changes for post-creation modifications -- never mutate order data directly
• Implement idempotency keys for order creation to prevent duplicates

Fulfillment

• Support partial fulfillments -- one order may ship from multiple locations
• Track fulfillment status through the state machine, not manual status sets
• Use createShipmentWorkflow to attach tracking info (not direct service calls)

Returns and Exchanges

• Configure return reasons as a hierarchy (parent + child reasons) for analytics
• Exchanges automatically calculate price differences -- do not manually compute
• Claims should reference the original fulfillment for traceability

Observability

• Subscribe to order events (order.placed, order.completed, order.canceled) for side effects
• Use subscribers for notifications, analytics, and third-party integrations

Fetch the Medusa v2 order module documentation and workflow references for exact service method signatures, workflow inputs, and state machine transitions before implementing.