Articles on: Preorders

How to set up fulfillment and shipping options for preorders

STOQ gives you full control over when and how preorder products are fulfilled. You can set shipping timelines, choose fulfillment statuses, show shipping details to customers, and handle mixed carts. All of these settings are in the Shipping section of your preorder offer.


How to Access Shipping Settings


The shipping and fulfillment settings are inside the Customize panel for each offer.


  1. Go to Preorders in the STOQ menu.
  2. Click on the offer you want to edit.
  3. Click Customize.
  4. Click Shipping.


This opens the Shipping settings page where you can configure all fulfillment and shipping options for that offer.



How to Set a Shipping Timeline


The shipping timeline controls when your preorder products will be fulfilled. You can apply one timeline to all products or set a different timeline for each product.


Same Timeline for All Products


Use this option when all products in the offer ship at the same time.


  1. In the Shipping settings, under Settings, select Use one shipping timeline for all products.
  2. Choose a delivery type from the Preorders will be fulfilled dropdown:
  • As soon as possible — Preorders ship right away. Orders appear as Unfulfilled in Shopify.
  • After specific number of days — Preorders ship a set number of days after checkout. Orders appear as Scheduled and change to Unfulfilled when the date arrives.
  • Specific date — All preorders ship on a chosen date. Orders appear as Scheduled and change to Unfulfilled on that date.
  • Not sure — No ship date is set. Orders appear as On hold until you manually release them.
  1. If you select After specific number of days, enter the number in the Days after checkout field.
  2. If you select Specific date, click Change to open the date picker and choose a date.
  3. Click Save at the top of the page.



Different Timeline for Each Product


Use this option when products in the offer have different ship dates or lead times. This requires a paid STOQ plan.


  1. In the Shipping settings, under Settings, select Set a shipping timeline for each product.
  2. Choose the fulfillment behavior:
  • Make preorders available for fulfillment — Orders are Unfulfilled and ready to ship right away.
  • Hold fulfillment until manual release — Orders are On hold until you release them.
  1. Click Save.
  2. Exit the Customize panel and go to the Products section of the offer to set individual shipping timelines for each product.



Understanding Delivery Types


Each delivery type sets a different fulfillment status in Shopify. Here is what each one does and when to use it.


As Soon as Possible


  • Preorders ship as soon as possible after checkout.
  • Orders appear as Unfulfilled in Shopify and are available for fulfillment right away.
  • Best for products with short lead times or products already in stock.


After Specific Number of Days


  • Preorders ship a set number of days after the customer places the order.
  • Orders appear as Scheduled in Shopify. They change to Unfulfilled after the set number of days.
  • You can fulfill orders early if products are ready sooner.
  • Best for made-to-order products or production batches with known lead times.


Specific Date


  • All preorders ship on the same specific date.
  • Orders appear as Scheduled in Shopify. They change to Unfulfilled on the chosen date.
  • You can fulfill orders early if products are ready sooner.
  • Best for product launches, restocks, or batch shipments.


Not Sure


  • No ship date is set. Use this when you do not know when products will be available.
  • Orders appear as On hold in Shopify. You need to manually release fulfillments when ready.
  • Best for uncertain timelines, crowdfunding-style campaigns, or products with unpredictable availability.


How to Show Shipping Timeline to Customers


You can display shipping information to customers on the product page, in the cart, and at checkout.


  1. In the Shipping settings, under Display, check Show shipping timeline.
  2. Click Customize to edit the display message.
  3. In the Shipping details field, enter your custom message.
  4. Use the {{ date }} variable to insert the shipping date automatically.
  5. Click Save.


Example messages:


  • Shipping: {{ date }} displays as "Shipping: 15 Jan 2026"
  • Expected to ship {{ date }} displays as "Expected to ship 15 Jan 2026"
  • Ships {{ date }} - Free shipping included displays as "Ships 15 Jan 2026 - Free shipping included"


When using Same timeline for all products, you can also set a Customer-facing shipping info field that appears in the shipping details of the disclaimer.


When using Different timeline for each product, the {{ date }} variable pulls the timeline set for each individual product in the Products section.


Fulfillment Options


Fulfillment options help you manage orders that contain both preorder and in-stock items. These options appear when the delivery type is set to As soon as possible or Not sure.


Split Fulfillments for Preorders


When enabled, STOQ splits in-stock and preorder products into separate fulfillments after checkout. This lets you ship in-stock items right away while preorder items wait.


  1. Set the delivery type to As soon as possible.
  2. Under Fulfillment options, check Split fulfillments for preorders.
  3. Click Save.


This option requires a paid STOQ plan.


Here's our detailed guide on how to split fulfilment for preorders


Hold All Fulfillments


When enabled, fulfillments for all products in the order (including in-stock items) are held until you manually release them. Use this when you want to ship everything together.


  1. Set the delivery type to As soon as possible or Not sure.
  2. Under Fulfillment options, check Hold all fulfillments.
  3. Optionally, enter a Reason note that will appear in Shopify when fulfillments are held. For example: "Order contains preorder item."
  4. Click Save.


This option requires a paid STOQ plan.


Here's our detailed guide on how to place the entire order on hold if it contains a preorder item



How Fulfillment Status Works in Shopify


STOQ sets the fulfillment status of preorder line items in Shopify based on your delivery type selection.


Unfulfilled


  • Orders appear in your regular fulfillment queue.
  • Can be fulfilled immediately.
  • Shows in Shopify's "Unfulfilled" orders filter.
  • Set by: As soon as possible delivery type.


Scheduled


  • Orders show a future fulfillment date.
  • Automatically change to Unfulfilled when the date arrives.
  • Can be fulfilled early if needed.
  • Set by: After specific number of days or Specific date delivery types.


On Hold


  • Orders cannot be fulfilled until released.
  • Require manual action to release.
  • Stay on hold indefinitely until you act.
  • Set by: Not sure delivery type, or when Hold all fulfillments is enabled.


To release on-hold orders, go to Preorders > Reports in STOQ, filter for on-hold orders, select them, and click Release fulfillment. You can also release orders individually in the Shopify admin.


Troubleshooting


Preorder orders are not showing as Scheduled


Make sure you selected After specific number of days or Specific date as the delivery type. If the delivery type is set to As soon as possible, orders will appear as Unfulfilled instead of Scheduled.


The shipping timeline is not showing to customers


Make sure the Show shipping timeline checkbox is enabled in the Display section. Also check that you have entered a message in the Shipping details field. If using the {{ date }} variable, make sure you have set a delivery type that provides a date.


Split fulfillments option is not available


Split fulfillments only appears when the delivery type is As soon as possible. Make sure you are on a paid STOQ plan.


Hold all fulfillments is not working


Make sure the option is checked and saved. Check that the setting was saved successfully by refreshing the page.


FAQs


Q: Can I change the delivery type after orders are placed?

A: Yes, but changing the delivery type only affects future orders. Existing orders keep the fulfillment status that was set at the time of purchase.


Q: Does the shipping timeline appear in order confirmation emails?

A: The shipping timeline appears on the product page, in the cart, and at checkout when enabled. For order confirmation emails, you may need to configure your email templates separately.


Q: Can I use different delivery types for different products?

A: Yes. Select Set a shipping timeline for each product in the Settings section, then set individual timelines in the Products section after exiting the Customize panel.


Q: What happens when Split fulfillments and Hold all fulfillments are both enabled?

A: They cannot be enabled at the same time. Enabling one automatically disables the other. Split fulfillments separates preorder and in-stock items into different fulfillments, while Hold all fulfillments keeps everything on hold together.

Updated on: 25/04/2026

Was this article helpful?

Share your feedback

Cancel

Thank you!