How to Set Minimum and Maximum Per-Order Quantity Limits
What are per-order quantity limits?
Per-order quantity limits let you set the minimum and maximum number of units a customer can add to a single order for a preorder product. They apply at the offer level, meaning every product in that preorder offer shares the same limits.
- Minimum quantity -- The fewest units a customer must order. If a customer tries to add fewer, STOQ blocks the add-to-cart action and displays an error.
- Maximum quantity -- The most units a customer can order. If a customer tries to add more, STOQ blocks the add-to-cart action and displays an error.
Both fields are optional. Leave a field empty to apply no limit in that direction.
Why use per-order quantity limits?
- Prevent small orders -- Set a minimum to ensure each order meets a threshold (e.g., wholesale minimum of 5 units).
- Prevent stock hoarding -- Set a maximum so one customer cannot claim all available units.
- Manage fulfillment costs -- Keep order sizes within a range that is cost-effective to ship.
- Fair access -- Give more customers the chance to preorder limited-edition products.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure:
- You have an active preorder offer in STOQ.
- Your store is on a paid STOQ plan (Lite, Standard, or Pro). The fields are disabled on the free plan.
How to set minimum and maximum per-order quantity limits
- Open the STOQ app in your Shopify admin.
- Click Preorders in the left menu.
- Click the preorder offer you want to edit. This opens the offer editor.
- In the editor sidebar, click Limits & terms.
- Scroll down to the Per-order limits section.
- Enter a value in the Minimum field to set the fewest units a customer must order. The placeholder reads "No minimum" when empty.
- Enter a value in the Maximum field to set the most units a customer can order. The placeholder reads "No maximum" when empty.
- Click Save changes at the top of the editor.
How per-order limits work on the storefront
When a customer adds a preorder product to their cart, STOQ checks the quantity against your per-order limits. The check considers items already in the cart for the same variant.
Scenario | What the customer sees |
|---|---|
Quantity below minimum | "Minimum quantity is X unit(s) per order" -- item is not added to cart |
Quantity above maximum | "Maximum quantity is X unit(s) per order" -- item is not added to cart |
Quantity within range | Item is added to cart normally |
Cart update pushes total below minimum | Error shown, cart quantity reverts to previous value |
Cart update pushes total above maximum | Error shown, cart quantity reverts to previous value |
STOQ accounts for items already in the cart. For example, if the minimum is 10 and the customer already has 5 units in the cart, they need to add at least 5 more to meet the minimum.
When a validation error occurs, STOQ shows a preorder modal with the error message. The customer can adjust the quantity in the modal before retrying.
Validation rules
STOQ validates your entries when you save the offer:
- Both fields must be whole numbers (integers).
- Both fields must be 1 or greater.
- The minimum cannot be greater than the maximum.
- The maximum cannot be less than the minimum.
- Both fields are optional. Leave empty for no limit.
If validation fails, an error banner appears at the top of the editor listing the issues to fix.
Known limitations
- Per-order limits apply at the offer level. You cannot set different limits for individual products or variants within the same offer. To use different limits, create separate preorder offers.
- Requires a paid plan. The fields are disabled on the free plan.
- Per-order limits are enforced on the storefront only (via STOQ's add-to-cart interception). They are not enforced for orders created through the Shopify admin, POS, or draft orders.
- There is no in-app preview for per-order limit enforcement. Test on your live storefront after saving.
- Error messages shown to customers are in English by default ("Minimum quantity is X unit(s) per order" / "Maximum quantity is X unit(s) per order") and are not currently customizable.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
Minimum or Maximum field is greyed out | Upgrade to a paid STOQ plan. The fields are disabled on the free plan. |
"Minimum quantity cannot be greater than maximum quantity" error | Reduce the minimum value so it is less than or equal to the maximum. |
Customer can add any quantity on the storefront | Confirm you clicked Save changes after setting the limits. Clear your browser cache and reload the product page. |
Customer sees "Minimum quantity is X units per order" but has items in cart | STOQ adds the cart quantity to the new quantity. The customer needs to meet the minimum with the combined total. |
Limits not enforced at checkout | Per-order limits are enforced at add-to-cart time, not at checkout. If items were added before limits were set, they remain in the cart. |
Different products need different limits | Create separate preorder offers for each group of products that need different per-order limits. |
FAQs
Q: Can I set only a minimum without a maximum?
A: Yes. Leave the Maximum field empty. Customers must order at least the minimum quantity but have no upper cap (other than inventory or total preorder limits).
Q: Can I set only a maximum without a minimum?
A: Yes. Leave the Minimum field empty. Customers can order as few as 1 unit but cannot exceed the maximum.
Q: Do per-order limits apply to all products in the offer?
A: Yes. Per-order limits are set at the offer level and apply to every product and variant in that offer. To set different limits for different products, create separate preorder offers.
Q: How do per-order limits interact with total preorder limits?
A: Both are enforced independently. STOQ first checks per-order limits (min/max per customer order), then checks the total preorder limit (overall units available). A customer could be within per-order limits but still be blocked if the total preorder limit has been reached.
Q: Does the minimum apply per variant or per order?
A: Per order. If a customer adds variant A (3 units) and variant B (2 units) from the same offer, STOQ checks each variant's quantity independently against the per-order limits.
Q: Are per-order limits enforced when updating cart quantities?
A: Yes. If a customer changes the quantity in their cart and the new total falls below the minimum or exceeds the maximum, STOQ shows an error and reverts the quantity to its previous value.
Q: Can I translate the per-order limit error messages?
A: The error messages ("Minimum quantity is X unit(s) per order" / "Maximum quantity is X unit(s) per order") are currently generated by STOQ's storefront script and are not customizable through the app. Contact support if you need localized error messages.
Q: What happens if I set both per-order limits and total preorder limits?
A: Both work together. Per-order limits control how many units one customer can add in a single order. Total preorder limits control how many units can be sold across all customers. Set the per-order maximum lower than or equal to the total preorder limit for a consistent experience.
Updated on: 05/03/2026
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