How to automatically split preorder and in-stock items into separate orders

When customers order both preorder and in-stock items in the same cart, you can automatically split mixed cart orders for preorders so that in-stock items ship right away. STOQ moves preorder items into a separate order after checkout, keeping the original order ready for immediate fulfillment. This feature is configured per preorder offer and runs automatically — no manual action required.

Prerequisites

Before you can enable automatic order splitting, make sure the following are in place:

• You are on a paid STOQ plan.
• The preorder offer does not use the Shopify purchase option (selling plan). Split orders are only available when the Shopify purchase option is turned off.
• Your store has granted STOQ the order editing permission. STOQ will prompt you to approve this when you first enable the feature.

Accessing the Split Order Settings

The split order settings are located inside the shipping section of the preorder offer editor.

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Click Preorders in the left navigation menu, click on the 'Offers' tab and choose the offer you want to configure or create a new one
3. In the offer editor, click the Shipping icon in the left sidebar or click on 'Customize' > **Shipping **
4. Choose either unfulfilled or on hold option
5. Scroll down to the Separate orders for mixed preorders section.

Move Preorder Items to a Separate Order

This is the main toggle that enables automatic order splitting for the offer. When you check this box, STOQ will automatically move preorder items into a separate order after checkout.

How to Enable

1. In the Separate orders for mixed preorders section, check the box labeled Move preorder items to a separate order.
2. If this is your first time enabling this feature, STOQ prompts you to approve the order editing permission. Click Approve to grant access.
3. If the Shopify purchase option is currently enabled on this offer, a confirmation dialog appears. Enabling split orders will disable the Shopify purchase option, partial payments and deposits, and fulfillment order splitting. Click Confirm to proceed, or click Cancel to keep the current settings.

Disabling the Shopify purchase options has certain limitations as below:

• Payments — The customer pays the full product price at checkout. Partial payments, deposits, and scheduled balance collection do not apply.
• Discounts — Preorder pricing discounts configured in STOQ do not apply. The customer pays the original price
• Fulfillment — Fulfillment settings like scheduled dates, on-hold do not apply.

What Happens When Enabled

Once enabled, STOQ performs the following steps automatically after a customer places a mixed cart order:

1. STOQ detects that the order contains both preorder items (from this offer) and in-stock items.
2. STOQ creates a new order containing only the preorder items. By default, the new order is named after the original order with a -SPLIT suffix (e.g., if the original order is #1001, the split order is named #1001-SPLIT).
3. The preorder items are removed from the original order via a line-item refund. No money moves — the customer is not charged again or refunded.
4. The original order now contains only the in-stock items and is ready for immediate fulfillment.
5. The split order is automatically marked as paid using a "Store Credit" transaction, since the customer already paid on the original order.

Grouping by Preorder Offer

If the cart contains preorder items from multiple preorder offers that each have splitting enabled, STOQ creates one split order per offer. Each split order contains only the items belonging to that specific offer.

When Splitting Does Not Happen

The split is skipped in the following cases:

• The order contains only preorder items (no in-stock items to keep in the original order). Splitting would leave the original order empty, so it is skipped.
• The preorder offer does not have the Move preorder items to a separate order checkbox enabled.
• The preorder items are tracked via a Shopify selling plan (native purchase option) rather than STOQ's line item attribute.

Use Sequential Order Number

By default, the split order is named after the original order with a -SPLIT suffix (e.g., #1001-SPLIT). The Use sequential order number checkbox lets you change this behavior so the split order gets the next available order number in your Shopify store instead.

How to Enable

1. Make sure the Move preorder items to a separate order checkbox is already enabled.
2. Check the box labeled Use sequential order number.
3. Click Save at the top of the offer editor.

How It Works

• When unchecked (default): The split order is named using the original order name with a -SPLIT suffix. For example, original order #1001 produces a split order named #1001-SPLIT.
• When checked: The split order is assigned the next available sequential order number from your Shopify store. For example, if the last order was #1001, the split order might be #1002.

When to Use This

Use sequential numbering if you want split orders to blend in with your regular order list and follow a natural order numbering sequence. Keep the default -SPLIT suffix if you want split orders to be immediately recognizable as splits when browsing your order list.

Hold Fulfillments on Split Orders

The Hold fulfillments on split orders checkbox lets you automatically place a fulfillment hold on each split order after it is created. This prevents the preorder items from being shipped until you manually release the hold.

How to Enable

1. Make sure the Move preorder items to a separate order checkbox is already enabled.
2. Check the box labeled Hold fulfillments on split orders.
3. Click Save at the top of the offer editor.

How It Works

When this option is enabled:

1. After STOQ creates the split order, it automatically places a fulfillment hold on all fulfillment orders within the split order.
2. The split order appears in Shopify with a On hold fulfillment status.
3. The preorder items in the split order cannot be fulfilled until you manually release the hold in your Shopify admin.

When this option is disabled, the split order is created without a fulfillment hold. The preorder items can be fulfilled at any time.

When to Use This

Use this option if your preorder items are not yet in stock and you want to prevent your fulfillment team from accidentally shipping them before they arrive. Once the preorder products are in stock and ready to ship, release the fulfillment hold in Shopify to allow fulfillment.

Preorder Order Tag

The Preorder order tag field lets you set a custom tag that is applied to every split order created by STOQ. This tag helps you identify and filter split orders in your Shopify admin.

How to Configure

1. Make sure the Move preorder items to a separate order checkbox is already enabled.
2. In the Preorder order tag text field, enter the tag you want to use (default: STOQ-split-order).
3. Click Save at the top of the offer editor.

How It Works

Every split order created by STOQ receives three tags:

• Your custom tag — the value you enter in this field (default: STOQ-split-order). You can change this to any tag you prefer.
• STOQ-preorder — a standard tag that identifies the order as a STOQ preorder order.
• stoq-split-from-#1001 — a trace tag that links back to the original order. This tag is not configurable and is always added automatically.

When to Use This

Use the custom tag to filter split orders in your Shopify admin. For example, go to Orders in Shopify and search for the tag STOQ-split-order to see all split orders. You can also use this tag in Shopify Flow automations or third-party integrations to trigger actions specifically for split orders.

Viewing Split Orders

After an order is split, you can find the split orders in your Shopify admin and in STOQ.

In Shopify Admin

1. Go to Orders in your Shopify admin.
2. Search for the custom tag you configured (e.g., STOQ-split-order) to filter for split orders.
3. Each split order includes a note indicating which original order it was split from (e.g., "Split from order #1001 - Preorder items for selling plan 'My Preorder Offer'").

In STOQ

1. Open the STOQ app and go to Preorders > Orders.
2. Open the original order. The order timeline shows events for when the split occurred and the names of the new split orders created.

Advanced Tips

• Discounts are preserved. If the original order had discounts applied (e.g., a preorder discount), the split order uses the discounted unit prices from the original order so totals match correctly.
• Shipping is set to $0 on split orders. Since shipping was already collected on the original order, the split order's shipping line is set to $0.00 to avoid double-charging the customer.
• Custom attributes carry over. Any custom attributes (line item properties or order-level metadata) from the original order are preserved on the split order.
• Tax lines carry over. Tax amounts from the original order line items are included on the split order so the total is accurate.
• Customer information is preserved. The split order retains the same customer, shipping address, billing address, email, and phone number as the original order.
• Payment is automatic. The split order is marked as paid via a "Store Credit" transaction. No real gateway charge occurs because the customer already paid on the original order.

Known Limitations

• This feature is currently in Beta and may have issues.
• Split orders are not available when the Shopify purchase option (selling plan) is enabled on the offer.
• Enabling split orders disables the Hold fulfillments and Split fulfillments options on the same offer.
• If the order contains only preorder items (no in-stock items), the split is skipped because it would leave the original order empty.
• The trace tag (stoq-split-from-#...) is not configurable — it is always added automatically.
• If STOQ fails to remove the preorder items from the original order after creating the split order, the split orders are still valid. You may need to manually adjust the original order in this case.
• The order editing permission must be approved before the feature can be used.

Troubleshooting

FAQs

Q: Does the customer receive a notification about the split order?

A: By default, Shopify may send an order confirmation for the new split order depending on your notification settings. The removal of items from the original order is done silently (no customer notification). Review your Shopify notification settings if you want to control what the customer sees.

Q: Can I enable split orders on multiple preorder offers?

A: Yes. The split orders setting is configured per offer. You can enable it on as many preorder offers as you need. If a single order contains preorder items from multiple offers with splitting enabled, STOQ creates one split order per offer.

Q: What happens if I disable split orders after it was enabled?

A: Disabling the setting only affects future orders. Orders that were already split are not affected — the split orders remain in your Shopify admin.

Q: Can I use split orders together with hold fulfillments?

A: Not on the same offer. Enabling split orders disables the regular hold fulfillments option. However, you can check Hold fulfillments on split orders within the split order settings to automatically hold fulfillments specifically on the new split orders.

Q: Does the split order include shipping costs?

A: The split order includes a shipping line with a $0.00 price. Shipping was already collected on the original order, so the split order doesn't charge shipping again.

Q: What tag is added to split orders?

A: Three tags are added: your custom tag (default: STOQ-split-order), STOQ-preorder, and a trace tag like stoq-split-from-#1001 linking back to the original order. You can customize the first tag in the offer settings.

Q: Why was my order not split even though the setting is enabled?

A: The order must be a mixed cart — it needs to contain both preorder items (from an offer with splitting enabled) and regular in-stock items. If the order contains only preorder items, splitting is skipped because it would leave the original order empty.

Q: Can I use split orders with the Shopify purchase option?

A: No. Split orders and the Shopify purchase option (selling plan) are incompatible. Enabling split orders will disable the Shopify purchase option on that offer.

Updated on: 06/05/2026