How STOQ charges for preorders (plan limits and overage fees)
Every STOQ plan includes a monthly preorder limit — the number of orders containing preorder products you can sell each month. If you stay within your limit, no additional charges for preorders apply beyond your plan's subscription fee. If you exceed the limit on a paid plan, STOQ continues processing preorders and charges a small per-order fee for each order above the limit.
This article explains the different plans STOQ offers, how preorder charges work, what happens when you reach your limit, and how to monitor your usage.
Before You Begin
Keep the following in mind before reviewing your plan options:
- STOQ offers four plans: Free, Lite, Pro, and Unlimited. Each plan includes both preorder features and back-in-stock alert features.
- A "preorder" for billing purposes is any order that contains at least one preorder product powered by STOQ. One order counts as one preorder regardless of how many preorder items it contains.
- All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial so you can test features before being charged.
- STOQ charges 0% transaction fees on all plans. You keep 100% of your preorder revenue.
STOQ Preorder Plans at a Glance
STOQ offers four plans to fit stores of every size. Here is how they compare for preorders:
| Free | Lite | Pro | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly price | $0 | $10/mo | $29/mo | $199/mo |
Preorder limit | 10 orders/mo | 100 orders/mo | 400 orders/mo | Unlimited |
Fee per order above limit | — | $0.25/order | $0.10/order | — |
What happens above limit | Preorders are paused | Preorders continue; overage fee charged | Preorders continue; overage fee charged | No limit |
Transaction fees | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Free trial | — | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
How Preorder Charges Work
STOQ counts the total number of orders containing preorder products you sell each calendar month. How charges apply depends on your plan type.
Free Plan
On the Free plan, you can sell up to 10 preorder orders per month at no cost. If you exceed this limit:
- STOQ notifies you that your preorder limit has been reached.
- You have 24 hours to upgrade to a paid plan.
- If you do not upgrade within 24 hours, STOQ pauses your preorder offers. The "Preorder" button stops appearing on your store until the limit resets next month or you upgrade.
No overage fee is charged on the Free plan. Preorders simply stop processing once the limit is exceeded.
Paid Plans (Lite, Pro)
On the Lite and Pro plans, STOQ continues processing preorders even after you exceed your monthly limit. A per-order fee is charged for each order above the limit:
- Lite plan: $0.25 per order above the 100-order limit
- Pro plan: $0.10 per order above the 400-order limit
The fee is a fixed amount per order, regardless of the order's total value. It is only charged if the order exceeds your plan's limit and the order contains a preorder product powered by STOQ.
These overage fees are billed through Shopify as usage charges and appear on your Shopify invoice alongside your regular STOQ subscription.
Unlimited Plan
On the Unlimited plan at $199/month, there is no preorder limit and no per-order fee. You can sell as many preorder orders as you need without additional charges.
What Counts as a Preorder
A "preorder" for billing purposes is a single order — not a single product or variant. Here is how STOQ counts preorders:
- If a customer places an order with one preorder product, that counts as 1 preorder.
- If a customer places an order with three preorder products, that still counts as 1 preorder.
- If the same customer places two separate orders each containing a preorder product, that counts as 2 preorders.
Only orders that contain at least one product from an active preorder offer powered by STOQ are counted toward your monthly limit.
How to Check Your Preorder Usage
You can monitor your preorder usage at any time from the Plans page.
- In STOQ, click Plans in the sidebar menu.
- Your current usage is displayed at the top of the page, showing how many preorder orders you have sold this month relative to your plan limit.
STOQ also sends email notifications as you approach your limit (see below).
Usage Notifications
STOQ sends email alerts at key usage milestones so you are never caught off guard:
Usage Level | Notification |
|---|---|
25% of limit used | Email reminder that you have used a quarter of your preorder limit |
50% of limit used | Email reminder that half your limit is used |
80% of limit used | Warning email — consider upgrading soon |
100% of limit reached | Limit reached email — on paid plans, overage fees begin; on Free plan, preorders will be paused |
How to Upgrade or Change Your Plan
You can upgrade, downgrade, or change your plan at any time.
- In STOQ, click Plans in the sidebar menu.
- Review the available plans and their features.
- Click Subscribe on the plan you want.
- If you are upgrading, Shopify redirects you to approve the new subscription charge.
- If you are downgrading, STOQ asks for a reason (optional) and then processes the change.
Your new plan takes effect immediately. If you upgrade after exceeding your Free plan limit, your preorder offers are re-enabled and any blocked preorders can be processed.
Applying a Discount Code
If you have a discount code, you can apply it before subscribing to a plan.
- On the Plans page, click Apply discount in the top-right corner.
- Enter your discount code and click Apply.
- The discounted prices are shown on the plan cards.
- Select your plan and subscribe at the discounted rate.
Known Limitations
Keep these constraints in mind regarding preorder charges.
- Monthly reset only — Preorder limits reset at the beginning of each calendar month. Unused preorders do not carry over to the next month.
- Per-order billing — STOQ counts orders, not individual products. An order with multiple preorder items counts as one preorder toward your limit.
- No partial-month prorating for limits — If you upgrade mid-month, you get the full new limit for the current month, but previously used preorders still count.
- Overage fees are non-refundable — Once a usage charge is billed through Shopify, it cannot be reversed by STOQ.
- Free plan pauses offers — On the Free plan, exceeding the limit pauses all preorder offers. They must be manually re-enabled after upgrading or when the limit resets.
- Partner stores — Shopify partner/development stores receive a special free plan with higher limits and are not charged overage fees.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
"Preorder" button disappeared from my store | You are on the Free plan and exceeded the 10-order limit | Upgrade to a paid plan, then go to Preorders to re-enable your offers |
I was charged an overage fee I did not expect | You exceeded your plan's preorder limit this month | Check your usage on the Plans page. Consider upgrading to a higher plan to avoid future overage fees |
I upgraded but preorders are still paused | Preorder offers need to be manually re-enabled after being paused | Go to Preorders and re-enable each offer that was paused |
I do not see my current usage anywhere | You may be on a legacy plan | Go to Plans to view your current plan and usage details |
I want to downgrade but keep my preorders running | Downgrading reduces your limit; if current usage exceeds the new limit, overage fees or pausing may apply | Downgrade at the start of a new month when your usage counter resets to zero |
Overage fee is being charged but I only sold a few preorders | The limit counts all orders with any preorder product, including test orders | Check your total preorder order count on the Plans page and cancel any test orders if possible |
I applied a discount code but the price did not change | The code may be invalid, expired, or not applicable to your selected plan | Double-check the code and try again. Contact support if the issue persists |
FAQs
Q: Does STOQ take a percentage of my preorder revenue?
A: No. STOQ charges 0% transaction fees on all plans. You keep 100% of your preorder revenue. The only charges are the monthly subscription fee and, on Lite and Pro plans, a fixed per-order overage fee if you exceed your monthly preorder limit.
Q: What exactly counts as one preorder toward my limit?
A: One order that contains at least one preorder product powered by STOQ counts as one preorder. If a single order has multiple preorder products, it still counts as one preorder. Only orders — not individual products or line items — are counted.
Q: When does my preorder limit reset?
A: Your preorder limit resets at the beginning of each calendar month. Unused preorders do not carry over to the next month.
Q: What happens if I exceed my limit on the Free plan?
A: STOQ notifies you and gives you 24 hours to upgrade. If you do not upgrade, STOQ pauses your preorder offers until the limit resets next month. No overage fee is charged on the Free plan.
Q: What happens if I exceed my limit on a paid plan?
A: STOQ continues processing preorder orders and charges a per-order overage fee for each order above the limit. On the Lite plan, this fee is $0.25 per order. On the Pro plan, it is $0.10 per order. On the Unlimited plan, there is no limit or fee.
Q: Where do overage fees appear on my bill?
A: Overage fees are billed as Shopify usage charges and appear on your regular Shopify invoice alongside your STOQ subscription fee.
Q: Can I upgrade mid-month to avoid overage fees?
A: Yes. You can upgrade at any time from the Plans page. Your new, higher limit takes effect immediately. Any overage fees already incurred before the upgrade still apply, but future orders within the new limit will not be charged extra.
Q: Do all paid plans include a free trial?
A: Yes. The Lite, Pro, and Unlimited plans each include a 14-day free trial. You are not charged the subscription fee during the trial period. Overage fees may still apply if you exceed your plan's preorder limit during the trial.
Updated on: 21/04/2026
Thank you!