How to Set Up Pre-Orders on Shopify: Complete Guide 2026

Setting up pre-orders on Shopify lets customers purchase products before they are ready to ship. This can be useful for new product launches, upcoming restocks, limited releases, and products that are still being manufactured.The important part is getting more than the Pre-Order button right. You also need to decide how customers will pay, communicate when orders are expected to ship, manage inventory, and make sure your checkout and fulfillment process work as expected.

Shopify pre-order setup displayed on a laptop and smartphone — Set up Shopify pre-orders with clear payment, shipping, and product information.

In This Guide

What Is a Pre-Order on Shopify?

A Shopify pre-order allows customers to purchase or reserve a product before it is ready for fulfillment. Depending on how the pre-order is configured, customers can pay the full amount, make a partial payment, or pay later.

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Pre-orders are commonly used for new product launches, upcoming inventory, limited releases, and products that are temporarily unavailable. They can also help merchants understand demand before committing to a larger production or inventory order.

How Do Shopify Pre-Orders Work?

The basic process is straightforward:

A customer visits a product page.
The product is clearly marked as available for pre-order.
The customer places the pre-order through checkout.
Payment is collected according to the pre-order configuration.
The merchant prepares the product for fulfillment.
The order is shipped when the product becomes available.

The exact payment and fulfillment process depends on the pre-order app and payment configuration you use.

What You Need Before Setting Up a Shopify Pre-Order

Before creating your first pre-order, make a few decisions about payment, inventory, fulfillment, and customer communication.

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1. Choose Your Payment Method

Shopify’s current pre-order functionality supports merchants using Shopify Payments or PayPal Express. The payment options available to customers can also depend on the pre-order configuration you choose.

Depending on your setup, you may be able to collect the full payment, a partial payment, or no payment when the customer places the pre-order.

2. Decide When the Product Will Ship

Set a realistic expected shipping date or timeframe before accepting orders. Customers should be able to understand that the product is not ready for immediate fulfillment.

If the expected shipping date changes, communicate the new timeframe clearly and provide customers with information about their options.

3. Decide How Much Inventory You Can Pre-Sell

Pre-orders can help you forecast demand, but accepting unlimited orders can create fulfillment problems if your supplier or manufacturer cannot keep up.

Consider setting a pre-order quantity limit based on your expected production or incoming inventory.

4. Prepare Your Customer Communication

Your product page should clearly explain that the item is a pre-order. Include the expected shipping timeframe, payment information, and any important cancellation or refund terms.

How to Set Up Pre-Orders on Shopify

Shopify’s current supported pre-order setup uses a pre-order app from the Shopify App Store. The app creates and manages the pre-order purchase option, while Shopify Admin is used for related product and order management.

Step 1: Install a Shopify Pre-Order App

From your Shopify Admin, open the Shopify App Store and choose a pre-order app that supports the payment and fulfillment workflow you need.

When comparing apps, look for features such as full or partial payments, scheduled pre-orders, inventory controls, shipping dates, quantity limits, customer notifications, and theme compatibility.

Step 2: Create the Pre-Order in the App

Open the pre-order app and create a new pre-order configuration. The exact options vary between apps, but you will generally select the product or variants and define how the pre-order should work.

Depending on the app, you may be able to configure:

Pre-order start and end dates
Expected shipping date
Full or partial payment
Deposit amount
Customer purchase limits
Inventory behavior
Pre-order messaging

Step 3: Select the Product

Choose the Shopify product you want to make available for pre-order. If the product has multiple variants, check that the pre-order settings apply correctly to each relevant variant.

This is particularly important for products with different sizes, colors, or configurations because inventory and availability can differ between variants.

Step 4: Configure the Product in Shopify Admin

After completing the setup in your pre-order app, go to Shopify Admin > Products and select the product.

Depending on your configuration, you can make the product available only through the pre-order purchase option or allow customers to make either a pre-order or a regular one-time purchase.

Step 5: Add Clear Pre-Order Messaging

Make the purchase condition obvious before customers reach checkout. The product page should make it clear that the product is not ready for immediate shipping.

Useful information to display includes:

Pre-Order instead of a standard purchase label
Expected shipping or delivery timeframe
When payment will be collected
Whether the order can be cancelled
Important refund information
Whether other products in the same order will ship separately

Step 6: Review the Checkout

Go through the customer checkout experience before launching the pre-order publicly. Confirm that the pre-order information is visible and that the payment process behaves as expected.

Shopify’s pre-order checkout experience includes information that tells customers they are purchasing a product through a purchase option rather than receiving it immediately.

Step 7: Place a Test Order

Testing is one of the most important steps before launching a pre-order campaign.

Check the entire customer journey, including the product page, cart, checkout, payment, order confirmation, Shopify Admin, inventory, and fulfillment workflow.

If you use Shopify Payments, Shopify provides a test mode that can be used to simulate transactions during store setup.

Step 8: Launch the Pre-Order

Once everything works correctly, publish the product and begin promoting the pre-order.

Consider using email marketing, social media, website banners, product launch pages, and existing customer lists to drive traffic to the pre-order product page.

Can You Set Up Shopify Pre-Orders Without an App?

You may find older Shopify tutorials that recommend using Continue selling when out of stock, manual payment capture, custom product templates, or theme changes to simulate a pre-order.

These approaches can create a basic pre-order-like experience, but they are not equivalent to Shopify’s current supported pre-order purchase option. Shopify’s current documentation directs merchants to use a pre-order app to set up pre-orders.

A dedicated pre-order app is generally the better choice when you need features such as deposits, deferred payments, scheduled fulfillment, quantity limits, pre-order labels, or structured pre-order management.

Shopify Pre-Order Payment Options

Payment is one of the most important decisions when setting up a pre-order because customers need to know exactly when they will be charged.

Full Payment

The customer pays the full product price when placing the pre-order. This is straightforward and gives the merchant the full payment before fulfillment.

Partial Payment or Deposit

The customer pays part of the total price when placing the pre-order, with the remaining amount collected later according to the configured payment schedule.

This approach can make a higher-priced product easier for customers to commit to while still securing the order.

No Payment Upfront

Some pre-order configurations allow customers to place an order without paying immediately. The payment can then be collected later according to the pre-order terms.

Make the payment timing extremely clear so customers know when they should expect a charge.

Shopify Pre-Order Inventory Management

Inventory management becomes more important when you accept orders for products that are not yet ready to ship.

Set Pre-Order Limits

If you have a fixed amount of incoming inventory, consider limiting the number of pre-orders you accept. This can help prevent you from selling more units than you can realistically fulfill.

Track Incoming Inventory

Keep your pre-order quantity aligned with your supplier, manufacturer, or warehouse plans. If you accept 500 pre-orders but can only receive 300 units, you already have a fulfillment problem before the inventory arrives.

Understand When Inventory Is Reserved

Depending on the pre-order app, inventory may be reserved when the customer places the order or when the order is ready for fulfillment.

Check how your chosen app handles inventory before launching a large pre-order campaign.

How to Manage Shopify Pre-Orders After Customers Place Orders

Setting up the pre-order is only the first part of the process. You also need a system for managing orders until the products are ready to ship.

Monitor Unfulfilled Orders

Use the Orders section in Shopify Admin to monitor unfulfilled and unpaid orders. This gives you a clearer view of the pre-orders that still require payment or fulfillment.

Handle Fulfillment Delays

If your product will not be ready by the original estimated date, communicate the delay as soon as possible.

Give customers the revised timeframe and clearly explain their available options, including cancellation or refund options where applicable.

Collect Deferred Payments

If your pre-order uses deferred payment, monitor payment status as the product approaches fulfillment.

If the product becomes available earlier than expected, communicate with customers before collecting an earlier payment than they were expecting.

Cancel and Refund Pre-Orders

Have a consistent process for cancellations and refunds. Depending on your app and payment configuration, you may need to manage the refund in Shopify Admin and update the pre-order status in the app.

Shopify Pre-Order Restrictions You Should Know

Shopify pre-orders have several restrictions that are easy to miss when following generic tutorials.

Pre-orders require a supported payment setup, currently Shopify Payments or PayPal Express.
Pre-orders are not supported on stores with customized checkouts.
Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay cannot be used for pre-order purchases.
Certain local payment methods are not available for pre-order purchases.
Pre-order products are supported on the Online Store and Custom Storefront sales channels.
Buy X Get Y discounts are not supported with pre-orders.
Pre-orders are not supported by Shop Promise.
Customers cannot combine different purchase options for the same product in a single checkout.

These restrictions make it important to check your store’s payment, checkout, sales channel, and discount setup before launching.

Shopify Pre-Orders vs Backorders

Pre-orders and backorders are related, but they usually serve different purposes.

Feature	Pre-Order	Backorder
Product availability	Not ready for fulfillment yet	Temporarily out of stock
Main purpose	Sell before release or restock	Continue selling unavailable inventory
Expected availability	Usually planned in advance	Usually tied to a restock
Customer communication	Expected shipping date is important	Restock information is important

If you are launching a product that has not been released yet, a pre-order is generally the more appropriate model. If an established product temporarily runs out of stock, a backorder or stock notification workflow may be more suitable.

Common Shopify Pre-Order Problems

Pre-Order Button Is Not Showing

Check that the product is correctly assigned to the pre-order configuration and that the app’s theme integration is active. Also check whether the issue affects all products or only a specific product or variant.

Customers Cannot Complete Checkout

Review the payment method being used and check Shopify’s pre-order restrictions. Accelerated checkout methods such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are not supported for pre-order purchases.

Pre-Order Inventory Is Incorrect

Review how your pre-order app reserves inventory. Different apps can handle inventory reservation at different stages of the pre-order process.

Customers Are Confused About Shipping

Make the expected shipping timeframe visible on the product page, cart, and other relevant customer touchpoints. Avoid relying on a generic shipping policy to communicate a product-specific pre-order date.

Shopify Pre-Order Best Practices

Make the pre-order status obvious. Customers should never mistake a pre-order for an immediately available product.
Show the expected shipping timeframe. Give customers a realistic date or timeframe before they place an order.
Explain when payment is collected. Clearly state whether customers pay in full, make a deposit, or pay later.
Set realistic inventory limits. Base your pre-order capacity on actual production or incoming inventory.
Test checkout before launch. Confirm the entire order and payment flow before promoting the pre-order.
Prepare for delays. Have a communication and refund process ready before accepting orders.
Keep customers updated. Regular communication can reduce confusion when fulfillment takes weeks or months.
Review your app carefully. Make sure it supports the payment, inventory, fulfillment, and customer experience your store requires.

How to Promote a Shopify Pre-Order

A well-configured pre-order still needs a strong product launch strategy.

Use your existing customer base to create early demand through email campaigns, social media, website banners, product launch pages, and early access offers where appropriate.

Focus your messaging on what customers need to know: what the product is, why they should order now, when it is expected to ship, and when they will be charged.

Shopify Pre-Order Checklist

Payment provider confirmed
Pre-order app installed
Product and variants configured
Payment method selected
Expected shipping date added
Pre-order quantity limit reviewed
Product page messaging checked
Checkout tested
Order confirmation tested
Inventory behavior tested
Fulfillment process prepared
Cancellation and refund process prepared
Customer communication prepared

Key Takeaways

Shopify pre-orders require a pre-order app for the current supported purchase option workflow.
Choose your payment method and payment timing before launching.
Give customers a clear and realistic expected shipping timeframe.
Set sensible pre-order inventory limits to avoid fulfillment problems.
Test the complete product, cart, checkout, payment, and fulfillment journey before launch.
Understand Shopify’s payment, checkout, sales channel, and discount restrictions.
Have a process for delays, refunds, cancellations, and deferred payments.
Keep customers informed from the moment they place the pre-order until the product ships.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to set up pre-orders on Shopify is not just about changing a product button from “Add to Cart” to “Pre-Order.” The strongest setup combines the right pre-order app with clear payment terms, realistic shipping expectations, controlled inventory, tested checkout, and consistent customer communication.

Set up the process before promoting the product, test a complete order from the customer’s perspective, and make every important pre-order condition visible. That gives your customers more confidence while giving your business a much clearer path from pre-order to fulfillment.