How to enable preorder limits for your products

STOQ lets you set preorder limits for your products, giving you control over how many units are available for preorder. Once the limit is reached, the app automatically disables "Continue selling when out of stock" in Shopify, hides the preorder button, and shows a Sold Out button instead. This prevents overselling and helps you maintain a healthy inventory flow.

What Happens Once the Pre-order Limit is Reached

When the preorder limit for a product is reached, STOQ takes several automatic actions to prevent further preorders.

• The "Continue selling when out of stock" toggle is automatically disabled in the Shopify product section.
• The preorder button is removed from the product page/ non product pages.
• A Sold Out button is displayed instead.
• Customers can no longer place preorders for that product.

This ensures your preorder quantities stay within the limits you set.

How to Add a Pre-order Limit

To set a pre-order limit for your products, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to 'Preorders' from the left sidebar of the app.
2. Under Offers, select the Preorder Offer by clicking on the offer.

3. In the "Product" tab, locate the "Limit" field designated for the Quantity Limit. Here, you can enter the maximum number of units you wish to make available for pre-order for each product.

4. Save Changes: Once you have set the desired limit, click next button and click "Save" on the next tab to apply the changes.
5. At the end of the page, It is mentioned that the STOQ will automatically disable 'Continue selling when out of stock' when the quantity limit for a product is sold through.

To reset the units sold counter, click the Reset icon next to the product.

How to Display the Preorder Limit to Customers

You can show the preorder limit on your product pages so customers can see how many units are available. STOQ offers three display options.

Option 1: No Preorder Limits

Select this if you do not want to display any limit information to customers. Limits can still be active behind the scenes, but nothing is shown on the product page.

1. Go to Preorders in the STOQ menu.
2. Click on the offer you want to edit.
3. Click Customize.
4. Click Limits & terms.
5. Under Total preorder limit, select No preorder limits.
6. Click Save.

Option 2: Show Preorder Limit in Disclaimer

Select this to display the preorder limit as text in the disclaimer section below the preorder button.

1. Go to Preorders in the STOQ menu.
2. Click on the offer you want to edit.
3. Click Customize.
4. Click Limits & terms.
5. Under Total preorder limit, select Show preorder limit in disclaimer.
6. Click Customize to expand the settings.
7. In the Quantity limit text field, enter your custom message. Use variables to insert dynamic values:

• {{ quantity }} — Number of units still available for preorder.
• {{ sold }} — Number of units already sold or preordered.
• {{ total }} — Total units available for preorder (the limit you set).

8. Optionally, check Use icons for quantity & shipping details to display small icons next to the quantity and shipping information on the product page. This makes the details more visual and easier to scan.
9. Click Save.

Example message: {{ quantity }} units available for preorder displays as "50 units available for preorder."

Option 3: Show as Counter / Progress Bar

Select this to display the preorder limit as a visual progress bar on the product page. This is great for building urgency or for crowdfunding-style campaigns. This option requires a paid STOQ plan.

1. Go to Preorders in the STOQ menu.
2. Click on the offer you want to edit.
3. Click Customize.
4. Click Limits & terms.
5. Under Total preorder limit, select Show as counter/progress bar.
6. Click Customize to expand the settings.
7. In the Progress bar text field, enter your custom message. Available variables:

• {{ sold }} — Number of units already sold or preordered.
• {{ total }} — Total units available for preorder.
• {{ quantity }} — Number of units still available.
• {{ percent_sold }} — Percentage of units sold (e.g., 55).

8. Optionally, check Show percentage next to progress bar to display the percentage alongside the bar.
9. Customize the progress bar colors:

• Fill — Color of the filled portion of the bar.
• Background — Color of the unfilled portion.
• Text color — Color of the text on the progress bar.

10. Click Save.

Example message: {{ sold }} of {{ total }} claimed displays as "25 of 100 claimed."

How to Set Limits for Each Product

After choosing a display option, you need to set the actual limit numbers for each product.

1. Exit the Customize panel.
2. Go to the Products section of the offer.
3. Enter the limit number for each product in the Limit field.
4. Click Save.

Each product can have its own limit. The limit applies to the total number of preorders across all customers.

How Preorder Limits Work Across Multiple Markets

If you sell in multiple Shopify markets and use market-specific preorder offers, it is important to understand how quantity limits behave across those markets.

Market-Specific Offers With Their Own Limits

When the same product is added to multiple market-specific preorder offers (each targeting a different market), each offer has its own independent quantity limit. This means:

• Hitting the limit for one market disables preorders for that market only. The preorder button is hidden for customers in that market, and they see a Sold Out button instead.
• Continue Selling stays enabled for the product so that other markets where the limit has not been reached can still accept preorders.
• Each market's limit is tracked separately — selling 50 units in the US market does not count toward the EU market's limit.

Example: Market-Specific Limits

You sell a limited-edition sneaker and have two market-specific offers:

• US Market offer — Limit: 100 units
• EU Market offer — Limit: 50 units

When 50 customers in the EU preorder the sneaker, the EU limit is reached. EU customers now see "Sold Out." However, US customers can still preorder because only 30 of the 100 US units have been claimed. Continue Selling remains enabled on the product so the US offer can continue functioning.

Global Offers (Targeting All Markets)

If a product is in an offer that targets all markets (not market-specific), the quantity limit is global across all markets. This means:

• The limit is shared across every market. A preorder from any market counts toward the same total.
• When the global limit is reached, Continue Selling is disabled for the variant entirely, and all markets see the Sold Out button.

Example: Global Limit

You have a global preorder offer with a limit of 200 units. A customer from any country — whether US, EU, or Canada — counts toward the same 200-unit cap. Once 200 preorders are placed globally, all markets see Sold Out.

Summary Table

Known Limitations

• The quantity limit applies per product (or per variant, depending on configuration). It cannot be set per-customer.
• Resetting the sold counter does not re-enable Continue Selling automatically. You may need to manually re-enable it in Shopify if it was disabled.
• The progress bar display option requires a paid STOQ plan.
• Limits are tracked by STOQ independently of Shopify's native inventory counts.
• If you change the limit to a number lower than the current sold count, the product will immediately show as Sold Out.

Troubleshooting

FAQs

Q: Can I set different limits for different products?

A: Yes. Each product in the offer has its own limit field. You can set a different maximum for each product.

Q: Does the limit apply per variant or per product?

A: The limit is set per product in the Products section. Each product variant can have its own limit depending on how you configure the products.

Q: What does "Use icons for quantity & shipping details" do?

A: When enabled, STOQ displays small icons next to the quantity limit and shipping timeline information on the product page. This makes the preorder details more visual and easier for customers to read at a glance.

Q: Can I use the progress bar and disclaimer at the same time?

A: No. You can only choose one display option at a time — no limits, disclaimer text, or progress bar. Selecting one automatically disables the others.

Q: Can i set the quantity limit to 0?

A: No, the quantity limit for a product cannot be set to 0. Make sure it is set to a number higher than 0 and click "Save" to add a limit.

Updated on: 04/06/2026