Articles on: Preorders

How to set up fulfillment and shipping options for preorders

STOQ gives you control over when preorder products ship and how their fulfillments behave in Shopify. You set this up in the Shipping section of your preorder offer, where you choose the shipping timeline customers see, the fulfillment status of preorder items, and whether in-stock items in a mixed order ship right away.


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.


The Shipping panel has four parts: Shipping timeline, Display, Fulfillment status, and Fulfillment options.




How to Set a Shipping Timeline


Under Shipping timeline, choose how the timeline is applied:


Same Timeline for All Products


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


  1. Select Same timeline for all products.
  2. Under Display, enter the timeline in the Message field (see the next section).
  3. Click Save.


This applies one shipping message to every product in the offer.


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. Select Different timeline for each product.
  2. Click Save and exit the editor.
  3. Open the offer's Products tab.
  4. Enter the shipping info for each product in its Shipping info field (e.g. Ships in 2–3 weeks), then click Save changes.


Note: With Different timeline for each product, the only fulfillment statuses available are Make preorders available for fulfillment (Unfulfilled) and Hold fulfillment until manual release (On hold). Scheduled isn't available in this mode, because there's no single shared date.



How to Show the Shipping Timeline to Customers


  1. In the Shipping section, find the Display area.
  2. Check Show shipping timeline.
  3. Enter your text in the Message field — for example, Shipping: As soon as possible or Shipping: Mid-March.
  4. (Optional) Adjust the Border radius, Text, and Background colors to match your brand.
  5. Click Save.

The message appears below the Preorder button on the product page, and in the cart and at checkout when those are enabled.


Tip: Keep the message short and specific so customers know exactly when to expect their order.




How to Set the Fulfillment Status


Under Fulfillment status, choose how preorder fulfillments appear in Shopify:


Unfulfilled

Fulfillment for preorder products appears as Unfulfilled — it's available to fulfill right away. Use this when preorders can ship as soon as you're ready.


Scheduled

Fulfillment appears as Scheduled and changes to Unfulfilled automatically. When you select this, set either a number of days after purchase or a specific date. You can still fulfill the product anytime before then. Scheduled is only available when you use "Same timeline for all products."


On hold

Fulfillment for preorder products appears as On hold until you manually release it to Unfulfilled — in-stock items in the same order are not affected and can ship right away. Use this when you (or your fulfillment provider) want to control exactly when preorder items become fulfillable. You can optionally check Automatically release holds on a specific date to release them on a date you set instead of manually.


Note: To release an On hold fulfillment later, go to Reports → Preorders → Orders, open the order, and click Release "On hold" fulfillments — or release it from the Shopify order page.


Fulfillment Options


Under Fulfillment options, decide how mixed orders (in-stock + preorder) behave:


Split fulfillments for preorders


  1. Check Split fulfillments for preorders.
  2. Click Save.

In an order with both in-stock and preorder items, STOQ splits them into separate fulfillments after checkout so the in-stock items can ship immediately.


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



Hold all fulfillments


  1. Check Hold all fulfillments.
  2. (Optional) Add a Reason note that appears in Shopify when the fulfillment is held.
  3. Click Save.

This holds every item in the order — including in-stock items — until you manually release them.


Important: Split fulfillments for preorders and Hold all fulfillments are mutually exclusive. Enabling one turns off the other.


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



Separate Orders for Mixed Preorders (Experimental)


When a customer orders both preorder and in-stock items, you can enable Move preorder items to a separate order. STOQ moves the preorder items into their own order so the in-stock items can ship right away. This is an experimental feature, and enabling it requires turning off the Shopify purchase option — see How to Automatically Hold Preorder Fulfillments Without the Shopify Purchase Option.


How Fulfillment Status Works in Shopify


Once a preorder order is placed, the fulfillment status you chose is reflected in the Shopify order (and in STOQ → Reports → Preorders → Orders):


Unfulfilled


  • Orders appear in your regular fulfillment queue.
  • Can be fulfilled immediately.
  • Shows in Shopify's "Unfulfilled" orders filter.
  • Set by: Unfulfilled 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: On a specific date or Set number of days after purchase delivery types.


On Hold


  • Orders cannot be fulfilled until released.
  • Require manual action to release.
  • Stay on hold indefinitely until you act.
  • Set by: On hold 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.


Which Fulfillment Setup Should I Use?


Pick based on what should happen after checkout:


What you want

Setting

Hold preorders, but ship in-stock items right away

Fulfillment status → On hold (leave Hold all fulfillments disabled)

Hold the entire order, including in-stock items, until you release it

Hold all fulfillments

Ship in-stock items now, with preorders fulfilled separately

Split fulfillments for preorders (with Fulfillment status → Unfulfilled)

Move preorder items into a separate order

Move preorder items to a separate order (Separate orders for mixed preorders — experimental)


Important: Hold all fulfillments holds in-stock items too. If you only want preorder items held while in-stock items ship immediately, use Fulfillment status → On hold instead — it holds only the preorder items.


Troubleshooting


Problem

Cause

Solution

Preorder fulfillment isn't held

Fulfillment status is set to Unfulfilled

Set Fulfillment status to On hold, or enable Hold all fulfillments

In-stock items aren't shipping early

Hold all fulfillments is enabled

Use Split fulfillments for preorders instead so in-stock items ship right away

Order didn't split

The order isn't mixed, or it's an existing order

Split fulfillment applies only to new orders that contain both in-stock and preorder items

Can't enable a fulfillment option

You're on the Free plan

Fulfillment options require a paid plan

Shipping date not showing to customers

Show shipping timeline is disabled

Enable Show shipping timeline under Display and add a Message


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. To add in preorder information to order confirmation emails by Shopify, refer this detailed guide


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.


**Q: My fulfillment provider holds preorders until I tell them — how do I keep in-stock items shipping right away? **
A: Set the Fulfillment status to On hold. This holds only the preorder items (they show as On hold in Shopify), while in-stock items stay fulfillable and ship immediately. Don't use "Hold all fulfillments" — it holds the in-stock items too.

Updated on: 01/07/2026

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