This includes all the costs of the order but not the actual cost of the goods or services that are being paid for.
The best way to explain this is an example, say when purchasing a new PC for a company. This is good as it has many elements to the ordering cost.
You have to pay the electricity that is needed for the internet and phone call that are used to place the order and the paper that the receipt is printed on. Another cost incurred is the salary of the person that realised that a new PC was needed and got approval from management for the purchase of the item.
The next cost is at the suppliers end, this is for the person that takes the order and gets the item ready for shipping to the purchaser. The next cost is for the labels and wrapping for postage. The packaging is usually not included as this is generally in the cost of the item and included in the price of what is ordered.
A courier or someone to deliver the item and their transport and gas are another ordering cost as this has to be delivered to the person that has ordered the item.
When the item is delivered, the person that ordered it has to unpack and set the computer up. If they are working for a medium to large company, they will generally have to call IT to get them to attach the new PC to the company's server and the Internet. The cost of the phone call to IT and the person that has to set the PC up are also other ordering costs.
There are many ordering costs associated with purchasing items but these are usually small such as paper or already an outgoing e.g. The salary of an admin person to distribute the item.