How to Enable or Disable the Shopify Purchase Option for Preorders in STOQ
The Shopify purchase option setting controls whether STOQ uses Shopify's native selling plan system to manage your preorders at checkout. When enabled, STOQ creates a selling plan in Shopify that handles payment collection, pricing discounts, delivery timelines, and inventory reservation automatically. When disabled, your customers still see the preorder button, but Shopify does not process the order as a selling plan — meaning payment, discount, and fulfillment settings you configured in STOQ will not apply.
This setting is enabled by default and marked as Recommended. Most merchants should leave it on. However, Shopify imposes certain restrictions on products that have a selling plan attached — including incompatibility with Buy X Get Y discounts, gift cards, and Managed Markets. If your store relies on any of these features for preorder products, disabling the Shopify purchase option is the recommended workaround.
Before You Begin
Before changing this setting, make sure you have the following:
- An active STOQ preorder offer with at least one product added.
- Access to the offer's Customize panel in STOQ.
- An understanding of which payment, discount, and fulfillment settings you have configured for the offer — disabling the Shopify purchase option turns these off at checkout.
Tip: If you are unsure whether to disable this setting, leave it enabled. Only disable it if you need to work around one of the Shopify limitations described in this article.
What the Shopify Purchase Option Does
The Shopify purchase option connects your STOQ preorder offer to Shopify's built-in selling plan system. Here is what that means in practice.
When Enabled (Default)
STOQ registers a selling plan with Shopify for your offer. This selling plan tells Shopify how to handle the order at checkout and after purchase:
- Payments — Partial payment and deposit settings apply. Shopify collects the checkout charge you configured (percentage or fixed amount) and schedules the remaining balance.
- Discounts — Preorder pricing discounts (percentage off, fixed amount off) apply at checkout automatically.
- Fulfillment — Delivery and fulfillment policies take effect. Scheduled fulfillment dates, on-hold fulfillment, and split fulfillments all work as configured.
- Inventory — Inventory reservation follows your setting (reserve on sale or on fulfillment).
- Cart display — The selling plan name (your offer name) appears below the product in the cart and at checkout, so customers know the item is a preorder.
When Disabled
STOQ does not register a selling plan with Shopify. The preorder button still appears on your product page, but Shopify treats the order as a regular purchase:
- 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. However, Shopify's own discount features (discount codes, automatic discounts, Buy X Get Y) now work normally with the product.
- Fulfillment — Fulfillment settings like scheduled dates, on-hold, and split fulfillments do not apply. The order is fulfilled like any standard order.
- Inventory — Shopify's default inventory handling applies instead of your configured reservation policy.
- Cart display — No selling plan name appears in the cart or at checkout.
STOQ still tracks the order internally by adding a hidden line item property (_stoq_shopify_selling_plan_id) so your preorder reports and order management in STOQ continue to work.
When to Disable the Shopify Purchase Option
While the Shopify purchase option is recommended for most stores, Shopify places several restrictions on products that have a selling plan attached. If any of the following scenarios apply to your preorder products, you should disable this setting.
Buy X Get Y Discounts
Shopify does not support Buy X Get Y (BXGY) discounts on products that have a selling plan attached. If you run a promotion like "Buy 2 T-shirts, get 1 free" and one of those T-shirts is a preorder product with the Shopify purchase option enabled, the discount will not apply to that product at checkout.
Fix: Disable the Shopify purchase option on the affected preorder offer. Once the selling plan is removed from the product, Shopify's Buy X Get Y discount works as expected.
Gift Cards
Customers cannot use Shopify gift cards to pay for products that have a selling plan attached. If a customer tries to apply a gift card at checkout for a preorder product with the Shopify purchase option enabled, the gift card will not be accepted for that item.
Fix: Disable the Shopify purchase option on the affected preorder offer. Without the selling plan, the product is treated as a regular purchase and gift cards can be applied at checkout.
Managed Markets
Shopify's Managed Markets does not support products with selling plans. Selling plans — including preorder, subscription, and try-before-you-buy — only work for domestic orders. If your store uses Managed Markets to sell internationally, preorder products with the Shopify purchase option enabled will not be available to international customers.
Fix: Disable the Shopify purchase option on the affected preorder offer. This removes the selling plan from the product, allowing it to be sold through Managed Markets to international customers.
Note: All three of these restrictions are imposed by Shopify, not by STOQ. Disabling the Shopify purchase option is the workaround that removes the selling plan from the product and lets these Shopify features work normally.
Here is the official guide of shopify of with preorder information
How to Enable or Disable the Shopify Purchase Option
Follow these steps to change the setting for a specific preorder offer.
Enable the Setting
- In STOQ, go to Preorders and open the offer you want to edit.
- Click Customize.
- Scroll down and click Advanced.
- Under the Purchase option heading, check the box next to Use Shopify purchase option.
- Click Save.
STOQ creates or updates the Shopify selling plan for this offer the next time you save. The Recommended badge next to the checkbox confirms this is the suggested configuration.
Disable the Setting
- In STOQ, go to Preorders and open the offer you want to edit.
- Click Customize.
- Scroll down and click Advanced.
- Under the Purchase option heading, uncheck the box next to Use Shopify purchase option.
- A confirmation dialog appears with the title Shopify selling plan/purchase option. It warns you that payment, discount, and fulfillment settings will not apply.
- Click Disable to confirm.
- Click Save.
Warning: Disabling this setting means any partial payment, deposit, STOQ pricing discount, or fulfillment configuration you set up for this offer will stop working at checkout. Make sure you understand the impact before confirming.
Enabled vs. Disabled at a Glance
Feature | Enabled (Recommended) | Disabled |
|---|---|---|
Preorder button on product page | Yes | Yes |
Partial payments and deposits | Works as configured | Does not apply — full price charged |
Preorder pricing discounts (in STOQ) | Applied at checkout | Does not apply — original price charged |
Scheduled fulfillment dates | Works as configured | Does not apply |
On-hold fulfillment | Works as configured | Does not apply |
Split fulfillments | Works as configured | Does not apply |
Inventory reservation policy | Works as configured | Shopify default applies |
Selling plan name in cart | Displayed | Not displayed |
Buy X Get Y discounts | Not supported by Shopify | Works normally |
Gift card payments | Not supported by Shopify | Works normally |
Managed Markets (international selling) | Not supported by Shopify | Works normally |
STOQ order tracking | Yes | Yes (via hidden line item property) |
Known Limitations
Keep these constraints in mind when working with the Shopify purchase option setting.
Shopify Restrictions on Products with Selling Plans
These are restrictions imposed by Shopify on any product that has a selling plan attached. They apply when the Shopify purchase option is enabled:
- Buy X Get Y discounts do not apply — Shopify does not allow BXGY discounts on products with a selling plan. To use BXGY promotions on preorder products, disable the Shopify purchase option.
- Gift cards cannot be used — Customers cannot redeem Shopify gift cards to pay for products with a selling plan attached. To accept gift cards on preorder products, disable the Shopify purchase option.
- Managed Markets does not support selling plans — Shopify's Managed Markets only works for domestic orders when products have a selling plan. International customers will not see or be able to purchase these products. To sell preorder products internationally through Managed Markets, disable the Shopify purchase option.
STOQ-Specific Constraints
- Per-offer setting — The Shopify purchase option is configured individually for each preorder offer. Changing it on one offer does not affect other offers.
- No partial behavior — The setting is all-or-nothing. You cannot use Shopify's selling plan for payments but skip it for fulfillment, or vice versa. Disabling it turns off all selling-plan-based features at once.
- Existing orders are not affected — Toggling this setting only affects new orders placed after the change. Orders already placed under the previous setting keep their original payment and fulfillment terms.
- B2B customers always use line item properties — When a B2B customer places a preorder, STOQ stores the selling plan ID as a line item property (
_stoq_shopify_selling_plan_id) regardless of this setting. The selling plan parameter is not passed for B2B orders. - Shopify selling plan API limits — When enabled, STOQ relies on Shopify's Selling Plan GraphQL API. If your store hits Shopify API rate limits during high-volume saves, the selling plan creation or update may be delayed.
- POS orders — Shopify POS orders always use line item properties to track preorders, independent of this setting. The Shopify purchase option setting applies to online storefront orders only.
Troubleshooting
Here are common issues merchants encounter with this setting and how to resolve them.
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Customer was charged full price despite deposit being configured | The Shopify purchase option is disabled for this offer | Go to Preorders → [Offer] → Customize → Advanced and enable the Use Shopify purchase option checkbox, then save |
Buy X Get Y discount not applying to preorder product | Shopify does not allow BXGY discounts on products with a selling plan | Disable the Shopify purchase option for this offer so the product is treated as a regular item at checkout |
Customer cannot use a gift card on a preorder product | Shopify does not allow gift card payments on products with a selling plan | Disable the Shopify purchase option for this offer to allow gift card payments |
Preorder products not available to international customers on Managed Markets | Shopify Managed Markets does not support products with selling plans | Disable the Shopify purchase option for this offer to make the product available internationally |
Preorder discount not showing at checkout | The Shopify purchase option is disabled | Enable the setting and save. STOQ pricing discounts only apply through Shopify's selling plan system |
Selling plan name not appearing in customer's cart | The Shopify purchase option is disabled | Enable the setting. The offer name only appears in the cart when Shopify's selling plan is active |
Fulfillment is not set to on-hold or scheduled after order is placed | The Shopify purchase option is disabled | Enable the setting. Fulfillment policies require an active Shopify selling plan |
Confirmation dialog appears when unchecking the box | This is expected behavior | STOQ shows a warning because disabling this setting turns off payment, discount, and fulfillment features. Click Disable to confirm or close the dialog to cancel |
Split fulfillments are not working | The Shopify purchase option may be disabled, or split fulfillments are not enabled | Verify both the Shopify purchase option and the split fulfillment setting are enabled under Shipping |
STOQ is not tracking preorders after disabling the setting | STOQ tracks orders via a hidden line item property when the setting is off | Check Preorders → Orders to confirm orders appear. If orders are missing, verify the offer is enabled and products are assigned |
FAQs
Q : What is the default value for this setting?
A : The Shopify purchase option is enabled by default for all new preorder offers. STOQ marks it as recommended because it provides full integration with Shopify checkout.
Q : Will my preorder button stop working if I disable this setting?
A : No. The preorder button will still appear and work on your product page. Customers can still place orders, but Shopify will not apply payment, discount, or fulfillment rules from the offer.
Q : Can I use Buy X Get Y discounts on preorder products?
A : Only if the Shopify purchase option is disabled. Shopify does not support Buy X Get Y discounts on products with a selling plan. Disable the setting to allow these discounts at checkout.
Q : Can customers pay with gift cards for preorder products?
A : Only if the Shopify purchase option is disabled. Shopify does not allow gift card payments for products with a selling plan. Disable the setting to enable gift card usage.
Q : Why are my preorder products not showing for international customers on Managed Markets?
A : Shopify Managed Markets does not support products with selling plans. Disable the Shopify purchase option to make preorder products available for international customers.
Q : Can I re enable the setting after disabling it?
A : Yes. You can toggle the setting anytime. When enabled again, STOQ will create or update the Shopify selling plan, and new orders will follow the updated setup.
Q : Does STOQ still track orders when the Shopify purchase option is disabled?
A : Yes. STOQ tracks all preorder orders using a hidden line item property, so reports and automations continue to work.
Q : Does changing this setting affect existing orders?
A : No. Changes apply only to new orders. Existing orders will keep their original payment and fulfillment details.
Updated on: 10/04/2026
Thank you!