Tracking a made-to-order gift is not like tracking a parcel, because for the first several days there is no parcel. There is a designer. This trips people up, so here is what each stage means.
Where to look
Every order gets a tracking code in its confirmation email, in the form TPS-A7K3M9.
Go to the tracking page, enter that code and the last four digits of the phone number on the order. That is the whole verification — no account, no password.
The link in every status email goes straight there with the code already filled in, and it checks the order as soon as you type the fourth digit. The page remembers a successful lookup for the rest of that browser session, so a refresh does not ask again.
What the statuses mean
| Status | What is actually happening |
|---|---|
| Order placed | Received. We message you on WhatsApp for photographs and details. |
| Order accepted | Confirmed; the design team picks it up next. |
| Order in design | A designer is laying out your pages, and the proof comes to you for approval. |
| Order in print | The proof is approved and it is being printed and packed. |
| Dispatched | It has left us. Courier details are on the page. |
| Delivered | The courier has marked it delivered at the address. |
Nothing moves through a courier network until “Dispatched”. The first four statuses are work happening here, which is why there is no parcel to follow yet.
The stage that looks like nothing
“Order in design” produces no visible updates, because the output of it is the proof landing on WhatsApp rather than a scan event. It is also where your order waits for you: the step stays the same while the proof is with you, and only moves to “Order in print” once you approve it.
If your dispatch Monday is getting close and you have sent everything but seen no proof, message us — the usual cause is a photograph that did not come through.
What happens after you order →
Read the sentence under the step
The six steps are broad on purpose. Under them sits a single line that says more precisely where the order is, and it is the part worth reading.
| The line says | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Payment received. Your story is queued for design. | Send the photographs if you have not |
| Your designer is laying out your pages right now. | Nothing to do yet |
| Your preview is ready for approval on WhatsApp. | The order is waiting on you — open WhatsApp |
| Approved — heading to print. | Too late for changes to the pages; message us at once if the address is wrong |
| On its way to you. | The courier’s tracking is now the source of truth |
The third line is the one people miss. The step still reads “Order in design”, so the page looks unchanged, but the next move is yours, and every day the proof sits unread is a day closer to missing the Monday.
For a magazine you designed yourself, the design step reads “Checking your file” instead, and the line asks you to confirm on WhatsApp that the file is ready to print.
The date on the page
Before dispatch, the page shows an estimated delivery worked out from the day you placed the order, using the same Monday arithmetic the checkout quoted you. After dispatch it counts from the actual dispatch day. Once delivered, it shows the date it arrived.
After dispatch
The status page shows the courier and their tracking number, and from that point their network is the source of truth for where the box is.
We dispatch weekly, on Mondays, then it is 3 to 5 days in transit to most of India and 2 to 3 days within Delhi NCR — which is the difference between the 5 to 14 day overall window and the 5 to 12 for NCR.
When the page will not open your order
It answers with one of three messages, and each has a different cause.
It cannot find an order with that code. Usually a typing slip. Copy the code from the
confirmation email rather than retyping it, including the TPS- at the front.
The digits do not match. The four digits belong to the WhatsApp number given at checkout — the orderer’s number, not the recipient’s. If somebody else placed the order for you, ask them which number they used. Pasting the whole number works too; the page keeps the last four.
Too many attempts. Wait a few minutes before trying again, rather than cycling through guesses.
If it is going to someone else
The tracking code belongs to whoever placed the order, not to the recipient, so you can follow a surprise gift without the recipient seeing anything.
The delivery address on the page is the one it will actually go to. Worth checking it early: the address can be corrected any time before dispatch and not after.
Changing an order after placing it →
If the tracking shows an attempted delivery, that is a specific state with its own sequence, and it is usually fixed by getting a phone answered. What happens if nobody is home →
Frequently asked
Where do I find my tracking code?
In the order confirmation email. It looks like TPS-A7K3M9, and every status email links
straight to the tracking page.
Do I need an account to track an order? No. The tracking code plus the last four digits of the phone number on the order is the whole verification.
Why is there no courier tracking yet? Because there is no parcel yet. The first four statuses are design work happening here; courier tracking begins at Dispatched.
How long does “Order in design” last? Until the proof is approved. An order placed by Friday is designed, proofed, printed and dispatched on the coming Monday, provided you approve the proof when it arrives. No proof with your Monday close usually means a file did not reach us — message us.
Can the recipient see the tracking? Only if you share the code. It is tied to the order, not to the delivery address, so a surprise stays a surprise — and if you do share it, remember the page shows the order total.
Part of our guide to ordering a personalised gift. See also: what happens after you order and realistic delivery timelines.
Track or start an order: Track your order · Photo magazines from ₹499