Checkout, Payments, and Order Management
What to know
Understand the checkout flow: cart → shipping → payment → review → place order, and how checkout customization (layout, totals collectors, payment methods) fits. Know quote vs. order - the quote is the cart, converted to an order on placement. Understand totals collectors and the order of calculation (subtotal, shipping, tax, discount).
Payments: know payment method types (offline like check/money order, online gateways, vault), authorize vs. authorize-and-capture vs. capture, partial invoices, refunds (credit memo), and voids. Understand order lifecycle: pending → processing → complete, plus hold, canceled, closed. Know invoices, shipments, credit memos and how partial actions affect order state. Understand tax calculation (tax classes, rates, zones) and shipping methods (flat rate, table rate, free shipping, carrier integrations).
Traps
Questions confuse authorize (hold funds, capture later) with authorize and capture (immediate). Another trap: an order cannot be invoiced if payment was not authorized, and a credit memo affects both refund and inventory (if configured). Watch the difference between order status and order state - status is configurable, state is system-driven. Also beware tax display settings (including/excluding tax) affecting totals presentation.
Rule of thumb
Match the payment action to the business need: authorize-only for delayed capture (e.g., backorders), authorize-and-capture for immediate fulfillment.
Worked example
A merchant ships after a 2-week lead time. Use authorize at checkout and capture at shipment to avoid charging before fulfillment.