A pre-order lets shoppers buy a variant that is out of stock, with a clear promise of when it ships. Use it for a restock already on its way, a new drop, or made-to-order sizes. Unlike plain "keep selling when out of stock", every pre-ordered unit is counted and owed, and stock that arrives pays the owed units first.
Set Up a Pre-Order
- Open the product in the product editor.
- In the Pre-Order and Back in Stock card, each variant shows its stock, owed units and open orders, and shoppers waiting.
- Switch on Pre-order for the variant ("Pre-order Black").
- Choose Ships By: the date it ships by (from today to a year ahead).
- Optionally set Most Units: the most units you will take on pre-order ("Empty: no limit.").
- Press SAVE PRE-ORDERS: "Pre-orders saved. The product page shows them now."
Switch it off to end the pre-order.
What Shoppers See
- On the product page, while the variant is out: the button PRE-ORDER and the line "Pre-order · ships by 12 Nov" ("ships soon" once the date has passed).
- In the bag and at checkout: the pre-ordered lines are marked.
- On the order, its emails and the GST invoice: the ship-by date beside the line.
In the Admin
- The order page marks pre-ordered lines with a pill, so your team ships them when stock arrives.
- The variant's stock can go below 0: that is the number of units owed. Stock you add pays those back first.
- A cancelled order gives its pre-ordered units back.
- When Most Units is reached, shoppers can no longer pre-order that variant; a bag asking for more is told "Only 2 left to pre-order of Matte Black Case. Please change the quantity."
Settings
Pre-orders in Settings › Product Page is on by default (each variant stays off until you set it up). Switched off, every pre-order ends at once, and the card says "Pre-orders are switched off for this store. Turn them on in Settings, Product Page."
Questions
What is the difference from "Keep Selling When Out of Stock"?
That option sells without counting; a pre-order counts every unit owed, shows a ship-by date, and can have a limit.
Do shoppers waiting for back-in-stock get told about a pre-order?
They are told when stock is back. A pre-order is shown on the product page to everyone.