Articles on: Preorders

Automatic Hold for Preorders Without the Shopify Purchase Option

When you run preorders without the Shopify purchase option, STOQ still tracks preorder orders using line item properties — so STOQ always knows the order is a preorder. After disabling the purchase option, the delivery type initially resets to Unfulfilled, but you can then go to the Shipping section and choose On hold to have STOQ place preorder fulfillments on hold automatically. You can also enable the Hold all fulfillments checkbox, which goes a step further and holds all items in the order — including in-stock items — so nothing ships until you release it manually.

Why This Matters for Non-Purchase-Option Preorders

When you use the Shopify purchase option (selling plan), Shopify's built-in fulfillment scheduling can manage holds for you. However, if you disable the purchase option — for example, to support managed markets, gift cards, buy X get Y discounts, or split orders — the delivery type resets to Unfulfilled as a default. Without taking action, orders would land in Unfulfilled status immediately after checkout, and staff or automated fulfillment workflows could ship the order before the preorder product is ready.

STOQ gives you three fulfillment configurations after disabling the purchase option:

Unfulfilled (default) — Orders go straight to Unfulfilled status and are immediately available for fulfillment. Use this only if your preorder products are already in stock and ready to ship.
Unfulfilled + Hold all fulfillments — Keep the delivery type as Unfulfilled, but enable the Hold all fulfillments checkbox. STOQ holds all items in the order (including in-stock items) until you release them manually. Use this for mixed orders where nothing should ship until the preorder is ready.
On hold — Choose On hold as the delivery type. Preorder items are automatically placed on hold after checkout. Use this when preorder items need to wait but in-stock items in the same order can ship right away.

All three options work without the purchase option. STOQ identifies preorders through line item properties and applies holds automatically.

What Is the Shopify Purchase Option and Why Disable It?

The Shopify purchase option (also called a selling plan) is the built-in mechanism that tells Shopify an order is a preorder. When enabled, it unlocks features like partial payments, scheduled fulfillment dates, and preorder-specific discounts. It is the recommended setting for most stores.

However, the purchase option is not compatible with every Shopify feature. You may need to disable it if your store uses:

Managed markets — Shopify's international selling feature. With the purchase option enabled, customers on secondary markets see a "This product is already sold out" error when adding preorder products to cart.
Gift cards — Gift cards cannot be used to purchase products that use a Shopify selling plan.
Buy X get Y discounts — These discount types do not work with selling plans.
Split orders — STOQ's feature that separates preorder and in-stock items into different orders requires the purchase option to be disabled.

When you disable the purchase option, STOQ continues to track preorders using line item properties. However, Shopify's selling-plan-based features are no longer available:

The customer pays the full product price at checkout (no partial payments or deposits).
Preorder pricing discounts configured in STOQ do not apply.
The delivery type resets to Unfulfilled by default — but you can change it to On hold in the Shipping section after disabling the purchase option.

After disabling the purchase option, go to the Shipping section of your offer and choose the fulfillment behavior that fits your workflow. You can select On hold as the delivery type, enable the Hold all fulfillments checkbox, or both — STOQ handles the hold automatically using line item properties to identify preorders.

How to Disable the Purchase Option

In your Shopify admin, open STOQ and go to Preorders.
Select the preorder offer you want to update.
Click the Advanced section in the sidebar.
Under Purchase option, select Use without purchase option.
A confirmation dialog appears explaining that disabling the purchase option will reset payment to full payment with no discount and fulfillment to unfulfilled. Click Disable to confirm.
Click Save changes at the top of the page.

Note: If you are not sure whether disabling the purchase option is right for your store, chat with STOQ support before making the change. Existing orders placed while the purchase option was enabled are not affected.

Setting Up Fulfillment Holds

After disabling the purchase option, open the Shipping section of your offer to configure how fulfillments are handled. The steps below cover each of the three configurations.

Option 1: Unfulfilled + Hold All Fulfillments

Use this when you want to hold all items in the order — both preorder and in-stock — until you are ready to ship. This is the most common choice for mixed orders.

In the STOQ app, go to Preorders and select your offer.
Click the Shipping section in the sidebar.
Under Settings, choose either Use one shipping timeline for all products or Set a shipping timeline for each product.
Leave the delivery type set to Unfulfilled (the default after disabling the purchase option).
Scroll down to the Fulfillment options area.
Check the Hold all fulfillments checkbox.
When enabled, a Reason note field appears below the checkbox. Enter a message that will appear in Shopify when fulfillments are held. The default is "Order contains preorder item." You can customize this — for example, "Preorder — do not ship until released" or "Awaiting stock arrival."
Click Save changes at the top of the page.

Tip: A clear reason note helps your fulfillment team understand why an order is on hold, especially if multiple staff members process orders.

Option 2: On Hold Delivery Type

Use this when preorder items should be held but in-stock items in the same order can ship right away.

In the STOQ app, go to Preorders and select your offer.
Click the Shipping section in the sidebar.
Under Settings, choose either Use one shipping timeline for all products or Set a shipping timeline for each product.
Select the On hold delivery type. If you chose "Set a shipping timeline for each product," select Hold fulfillment until manual release.
Click Save at the top of the page.

With this setting, preorder items in each new order will be placed in On hold status after checkout. You release them manually when the product is ready to ship.

Note: You can also combine On hold with the Hold all fulfillments checkbox if you want to hold everything in the order, not just the preorder items.

Option 3: Unfulfilled (No Hold)

If your preorder products are already in stock and ready to ship, you can leave the delivery type set to Unfulfilled without enabling any hold. Orders will go straight to Unfulfilled status and be immediately available for fulfillment. No additional configuration is needed.

Choosing the Right Option

	Unfulfilled + Hold All Fulfillments	On Hold delivery type	Unfulfilled (no hold)
What is held	All items in the order (preorder + in-stock)	Preorder items only	Nothing — orders are immediately fulfillable
Best for	Mixed orders where nothing should ship early	Orders where in-stock items can ship right away	In-stock preorders ready to ship immediately
Hold all fulfillments checkbox	Enabled	Optional (can add for extra coverage)	Not needed

What Happens After an Order Is Placed

Once a customer places a preorder on an offer with automatic holds enabled, here is what happens behind the scenes.

Order is created — The customer checks out normally through Shopify.
STOQ detects the preorder — STOQ identifies the order as a preorder based on the line item properties.
Fulfillments are held automatically — STOQ places a fulfillment hold on all fulfillment orders associated with the order. This includes both preorder items and any regular in-stock items in the same order.
Order appears as "On hold" — In your Shopify admin, the order shows an On hold fulfillment status with your reason note.
You release when ready — When the product is ready to ship, you manually release the fulfillment hold.

Note: The hold applies to all items in the order, not just the preorder products. If a customer orders both a preorder item and a regular in-stock item, everything is held. This prevents partial shipments that could confuse customers.

How to Release Fulfillment Holds

When your preorder products are ready to ship, you can release the holds in several ways.

Releasing from the Order Page in STOQ

Go to Preorders in STOQ.
Find the order in the Orders tab.
Click on the order to open it.
Click the Fulfillment actions dropdown.
Select Release "On hold" fulfillments.
The order moves from On hold to Unfulfilled status and becomes available for fulfillment.

Releasing from Shopify Admin

Open the order in your Shopify admin.
In the fulfillment section, click Release hold on the held fulfillment.
The order becomes available for fulfillment.

Releasing via Shopify Flow

You can automate the release process using Shopify Flow. STOQ provides a Release all fulfillments Flow action that you can trigger based on conditions like inventory restocking, a specific date, or a tag being added to the order.

Known Limitations

Holds apply to the entire order — If a customer orders both preorder and in-stock items, all items are held. To ship in-stock items separately, consider using the Split fulfillments or Separate preorder orders option instead.
Requires a paid plan — The Hold all fulfillments feature is available on paid STOQ plans only.
Manual release required — STOQ does not automatically release holds when inventory arrives. You must release them manually, via the STOQ order page, Shopify admin, or a Shopify Flow automation.
Mutually exclusive with split orders — You cannot enable hold fulfillments and split orders at the same time. If split orders is enabled, the hold fulfillments checkbox is disabled.
Per-offer setting — The hold fulfillments setting applies per preorder offer. If you have multiple offers, enable it on each one that needs automatic holds.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Preorder was not placed on hold after checkout	The Hold all fulfillments checkbox is not enabled on the offer	Open the offer, go to Shipping → Fulfillment options, and enable it
Order shows "Unfulfilled" instead of "On hold"	The offer uses split orders instead of hold fulfillments	Split orders and hold fulfillments are mutually exclusive — disable split orders first
Reason note is not showing in Shopify	The reason note field was left blank	Enter a custom note or use the default "Order contains preorder item"
Cannot check the Hold all fulfillments checkbox	Store is on the free plan	Upgrade to a paid plan to access this feature
In-stock items are also held	This is expected behavior — holds apply to all items in the order	Release the hold when ready, or use split fulfillments to separate preorder and in-stock items

FAQs

Q: Does automatic hold work with the Shopify purchase option enabled?

A: Yes. The Hold all fulfillments setting works regardless of whether the Shopify purchase option is enabled or disabled. It is especially useful when the purchase option is disabled, since Shopify cannot manage preorder fulfillment scheduling on its own in that case.

Q: Will the hold prevent my warehouse from accidentally shipping preorder items?

A: Yes. Held orders appear with an "On hold" status in Shopify, which prevents them from being included in normal fulfillment workflows. Most fulfillment services and warehouse apps skip on-hold orders automatically.

Q: Can I release holds in bulk?

A: Yes. You can release holds for multiple orders at once from the Preorders orders list in STOQ, or set up a Shopify Flow automation to release holds based on specific triggers (e.g., when a product is restocked or a date is reached).

Q: What is the difference between Hold all fulfillments and Split fulfillments?

A: Hold all fulfillments places the entire order on hold — both preorder and in-stock items. Split fulfillments separates the order into two fulfillment groups so in-stock items can ship immediately while preorder items remain unfulfilled. You cannot use both at the same time.

Q: Does this work with managed markets?

A: Yes. When you disable the purchase option for managed markets compatibility, the Hold all fulfillments setting remains available and works the same way. It is the recommended way to prevent premature shipping for managed markets preorders.

Q: What happens if I disable the hold after orders have already been placed?

A: Existing orders that are already on hold remain on hold. Disabling the setting only affects new orders going forward.

Updated on: 22/05/2026

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