How to automatically release preorder holds on a date
If you hold preorder fulfillments with the On hold status until stock arrives, STOQ can release those holds for you on a date you choose — so you don't have to release each order one by one. On that day, STOQ lifts the holds and moves those preorder fulfillments to Unfulfilled, ready to ship.
You can also choose to keep a hold in place until each order's balance is fully paid.
Before you start
- This applies to offers using the On hold fulfillment status. If you haven't set that up yet, see How to hold preorder fulfillments with the On hold status
- Automatic release is available on all plans.
- It's available only when the offer uses Same timeline for all products — it needs a single shared release date, so it isn't available with per-product timelines.
How to set it up
- Open Preorders from left menu bar, click the Offers tab and open the offer you want to edit.
- Click Customize in the Overview tab and then click Shipping.
- Under Fulfillment status, select On hold.
- Check Automatically release holds on a specific date.
- Pick a Release date.
- (Optional) Check Only release holds after payment is collected to keep a hold in place until that order's outstanding balance is fully paid — even after the release date.
- Click Save.
To release holds manually instead, leave Automatically release holds on a specific date unchecked.
How it works
- On the Release date, STOQ releases the offer's held preorder fulfillments and moves them to Unfulfilled, ready to ship — you don't release them one by one. This runs as a once-a-day check in your shop's timezone, so release can take up to a day after the date. It covers every held order on the offer, including ones placed before you set the date, and skips any you already released manually.
- Only release holds after payment is collected: when this is on, an order is released only once its outstanding balance is fully paid. Orders that aren't fully paid on the release date stay held until payment is complete.
- Automatic release happens on the date you set — it is not triggered by inventory arriving in Shopify.
- You can still release any held fulfillment manually before the release date — in STOQ go to Reports → Preorders → Orders, open the order, and click Release "On hold" fulfillments, or release it from the Shopify order page.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Automatically release holds on a specific date isn't available | The offer uses Different timeline for each product | Switch to Same timeline for all products — automatic release requires a single shared release date |
The option is greyed out / Fulfillment status can't be set to On hold | The Shopify purchase option is turned off | On hold requires the purchase option. When it's disabled, the option isn't available. See the On hold article for setup instructions |
Holds didn't release on the release date | Only release holds after payment is collected is enabled and the order's balance isn't fully paid | The order remains on hold until payment is complete. Collect the outstanding balance, or disable the payment option |
A held order released even though it wasn't paid | Only release holds after payment is collected is disabled | Enable this setting to keep unpaid orders on hold after the release date |
Holds didn't release exactly on the release date | Automatic release runs as a once-a-day background check | Allow up to a day after the release date. If it's still held after that, check the payment setting and timeline rows below |
FAQs
Q: Does automatic release wait for my inventory to arrive?
A: No. It releases on the date you set, regardless of inventory. Pick a release date that matches when you expect to be ready to ship.
Q: What happens to orders that aren't paid in full by the release date?
A: If Only release holds after payment is collected is on, those orders stay held until the balance is fully paid, then release. If it's off, all held orders for the offer release on the date.
Q: Can I still release a hold early?
A: Yes. Release any order manually at any time — in STOQ (Reports → Preorders → Orders → Release "On hold" fulfillments) or from the Shopify order page.
Q: Why isn't the automatic release option showing?
A: It's available only when the offer uses Same timeline for all products. If you're using a different timeline per product, switch to a shared timeline to use automatic release.
Updated on: 24/07/2026
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