Since there's a forum just for phases, I thought I'd share some info from a recent post that was put on AW's forums about a hat ordered from AW's Gear Shop.
I didn't know they had a phase system for Gear Shop orders too...
His hat order was placed 12 days ago, and has been in phase 3 for 7 days.
*****
"I got my last PC in 7 Days time but it takes who knows how long to get a freaking Hat...Get the Benchmarking and 200 Point Quality Check over with already and ship the Hat..."
- Your Order is Currently in Phase 3 -
Phase 1: (Order Received)
Your order has been received and is awaiting verification before processing. If you placed your order online, you should be receiving a call or an email from an Alienware representative shortly. All online orders must be verified before they can be processed as part of our security procedures.
Phase 2: (Order is currently processed)
Your order has been verified and is currently awaiting payment processing. While in this stage we are authenticating any credit card and/or payment information for security purposes. Please understand that this phase is necessary as it will protect you the customer from any fraudulent transactions. We observe very strict security guidelines and hope you can appreciate our efforts.
Phase 3: (Payment Received)
Your order has been processed.
Phase 4: (Shipping)
Your order is being packaged carefully and being prepared for shipping.
Phase 5: (Order Shipped)
Congratulations, your order has been shipped. We only hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it for you.
NOTE: If you have requested an order change, this change is NOT reflected below. Order changes may delay your system and/or may not be possible according to the phase your order is at.
I didn't know they had a phase system for Gear Shop orders too...
His hat order was placed 12 days ago, and has been in phase 3 for 7 days.
*****
"I got my last PC in 7 Days time but it takes who knows how long to get a freaking Hat...Get the Benchmarking and 200 Point Quality Check over with already and ship the Hat..."
- Your Order is Currently in Phase 3 -
Phase 1: (Order Received)
Your order has been received and is awaiting verification before processing. If you placed your order online, you should be receiving a call or an email from an Alienware representative shortly. All online orders must be verified before they can be processed as part of our security procedures.
Phase 2: (Order is currently processed)
Your order has been verified and is currently awaiting payment processing. While in this stage we are authenticating any credit card and/or payment information for security purposes. Please understand that this phase is necessary as it will protect you the customer from any fraudulent transactions. We observe very strict security guidelines and hope you can appreciate our efforts.
Phase 3: (Payment Received)
Your order has been processed.
Phase 4: (Shipping)
Your order is being packaged carefully and being prepared for shipping.
Phase 5: (Order Shipped)
Congratulations, your order has been shipped. We only hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it for you.
NOTE: If you have requested an order change, this change is NOT reflected below. Order changes may delay your system and/or may not be possible according to the phase your order is at.
Maybe they have to hand assemble the hats too, just like the PC's. 
