How pre-orders work on Shopify
Shopify groups everything that isn't pay-and-ship-now under purchase options: subscriptions, pre-orders and try before you buy. According to Shopify's help center, to sell on pre-order you need to install a pre-order app from the Shopify App Store and set up pre-orders from the app and the admin.
The advantage of apps that use native purchase options is that the order goes through Shopify checkout, with its taxes, shipping and discounts, and is recorded as a normal order that gets fulfilled when the product arrives.
Full payment, partial payment or no payment
According to Shopify's help center, on a pre-order you can charge the full amount when the order is placed, only part of it or nothing. If you charge part or nothing, Shopify securely stores the customer's payment method to charge the rest later, when the product is ready. You never have access to the full card details.
This deferred or partial payment option only works with Shopify Payments and PayPal Express. If you use another payment provider, the only realistic option is to charge the full amount up front. Also keep in mind that if you uninstall the pre-order app, its pre-order data (except payment information) is deleted after 48 hours, so don't switch apps while pre-orders are open.
- Full payment: the simplest, works with any gateway
- Partial payment or deposit: commits the customer and reduces risk
- No upfront payment: a free reservation, charged at shipping
Stock, locations and shipping
Decide from the start how many units you'll sell on pre-order. Most apps let you set a limit and close the pre-order when it's reached, and some turn on pre-orders automatically when available stock hits zero, which is useful for restocks.
If a customer buys an in-stock product and a pre-order product in the same order, decide how you'll ship: everything together when the last item arrives, or in two shipments. The second option is a better experience but doubles the shipping cost. Whatever you choose has to be explained on the product page and in the order confirmation, and some apps let you prevent pre-order and in-stock products from being mixed in the same cart.
To find pre-orders later, use order tags or filtered views in the admin. With Shopify Flow you can automatically tag orders that contain pre-order products and alert the fulfillment team.
Communicating timelines without creating issues
Most pre-order problems come from expectations rather than technology. Before paying, the customer has to see clearly that it's a pre-order and when it's expected to ship. That means a different button on the product page (Reserve or Pre-order instead of Add to cart), a line with the estimated date and the same notice in the cart and in the confirmation email.
Show the estimated date from a product metafield so the team can change it without touching the theme code. If there's a delay, tell customers before they ask: one email to every buyer with the new date prevents dozens of inquiries.
- Buy button with pre-order-specific wording
- Estimated ship date visible on the product page and cart
- Notice in the order confirmation email
- Clear cancellation policy before shipping
Pre-orders, campaigns and launches
Done well, pre-orders help you validate demand before manufacturing, fund part of a production run and build anticipation. A waitlist beforehand, with a notify-me form for when pre-orders open, helps you measure interest and gives you someone to email on launch day.
If you launch high-demand products, also check your store's capacity: bot protection, per-customer limits and a product page ready for a lot of simultaneous traffic. Shopify reports let you track in real time how many units have been reserved.
When stock arrives, prepare the process in advance: charge the outstanding amounts, fulfill orders in the order they were reserved and send each customer their tracking number. If volume is high, doing it in batches avoids overwhelming the warehouse and customer service on the same day.
Common mistakes
Using the trick of allowing overselling in inventory and adding a note to the description. It works for a one-off case, but it doesn't let you charge later, doesn't separate the orders and creates confusion when the product is mixed with others. It's also common to forget to close the pre-order when real stock arrives, or to overlook the timing for charging the remaining balance, which can cause a payment to fail if the customer's card expired in the meantime. For delivery times and consumer rights in advance sales, check with your advisor.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify allow pre-orders without an app?
You can allow a product to keep selling when out of stock, but for a real pre-order with partial or deferred payment, limits and dates, Shopify says you need to install a pre-order app.
Can I charge only part of the price when someone reserves?
Yes. Purchase options let you charge the full amount, part of it or nothing when the order is placed, and charge the rest later. It requires Shopify Payments or PayPal Express.
What happens if I uninstall the pre-order app?
According to Shopify's help center, the app's pre-order data, except payment information, is deleted after 48 hours. Close any open pre-orders before switching apps.
How do I show the estimated ship date?
The most practical way is to store it in a product metafield and show it on the product page, in the cart and in the confirmation email, so you can change it without editing the theme.