How to set up Fulfillment / Shipping options

Learn how to configure fulfillment and shipping options for preorders in STOQ, including delivery timelines and how orders appear in the Shopify admin.

Overview

STOQ provides flexible fulfillment and shipping options that control when preorder products are ready to ship and how they appear in your Shopify admin. You can set delivery timelines based on specific dates, days after checkout, or leave them open-ended. These settings determine the fulfillment status of preorder line items in Shopify, helping you manage warehouse operations and customer expectations effectively.

Understanding Delivery Types

STOQ offers four delivery type options that determine when preorders will be fulfilled and how they appear in the Shopify admin.

As soon as inventory arrives

Select this option when you can ship preorders immediately or within your standard processing time.

What it means:

• Preorders ship as soon as possible after checkout
• No specific delivery date is communicated to customers
• Best for products with short lead times or available inventory

How it appears in Shopify admin:

• Fulfillment status: Unfulfilled
• Orders are available for fulfillment immediately
• Appears in your regular fulfillment queue

After Specific Number of Days

Select this option when you know preorders will ship a certain number of days after the customer places their order.

What it means:

• Preorders ship X days after checkout
• Each order has its own calculated ship date
• Useful for made-to-order products or production batches

How it appears in Shopify admin:

• Fulfillment status: Scheduled
• Shows the calculated fulfillment date
• Automatically changes to "Unfulfilled" when the date arrives
• You can fulfill early if products are ready sooner

Ship on a specific date

Select this option when all preorders will ship on a known date, such as a product launch or restock date.

What it means:

• All preorders ship on the same specific date
• Customers see the exact ship date
• Ideal for product launches, seasonal items, or batch shipments

How it appears in Shopify admin:

• Fulfillment status: Scheduled
• Shows the specific fulfillment date
• Automatically changes to "Unfulfilled" on that date
• You can fulfill early if products are ready sooner

Not Sure

Select this option when you don't know when preorders will ship, such as for crowdfunding-style campaigns or products with uncertain availability.

What it means:

• No specific delivery date is set
• Fulfillment is held until you manually release it
• Best for uncertain timelines or products dependent on external factors

How it appears in Shopify admin:

• Fulfillment status: On hold
• Orders remain on hold until you release them
• Requires manual action to make orders fulfillable

Accessing Shipping Settings

The shipping and fulfillment settings are located in the offer editor.

Navigating to the Settings

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Click Preorders in the left navigation menu.
3. Click Offers to view your preorder offers.
4. Click on an offer to open the editor.
5. Click on the Shipping section in the offer summary.

Configuring Shipping Timeline

Choose how to set shipping timelines for your preorder products.

Option 1: Same timeline for all products

Use a single shipping timeline for all products in the offer.

1. In the Shipping panel, select Use one shipping timeline for all products.
2. Choose a delivery type from the dropdown:

• As soon as possible
• After specific number of days
• Specific date
• Not sure

3. Configure the additional settings based on your selection.

Configuring "After Specific Number of Days"

1. Select After specific number of days from the dropdown.
2. Enter the number of days in the Days after checkout field.
3. The fulfillment date is calculated from each order's checkout date.

Configuring "Specific Date"

1. Select Specific date from the dropdown.
2. Click Change to open the date picker.
3. Select the shipping date from the calendar.
4. All preorders will be scheduled for this date.

Option 2: Timeline Per Product

Set different shipping timelines for each product in the offer. This is useful when products have different lead times or availability dates.

1. In the Shipping panel, select Different timeline for each product.
2. Choose the fulfillment behavior:

• Make preorders available for fulfillment: Orders are Unfulfilled and ready to ship
• Hold fulfillment until manual release: Orders are On hold until you release them

3. Click Save changes.
4. Exit the editor and go to the Products tab.
5. Set individual shipping timelines for each product.

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Fulfillment Options

Additional fulfillment options help you manage mixed cart orders and complex fulfillment scenarios.

Split Fulfillments

When enabled, STOQ automatically splits orders containing both preorder and in-stock items into separate fulfillments.

When to use:

• You want to ship in-stock items immediately
• Preorder items should ship separately when ready
• Customers expect partial shipments

How to enable:

1. Set delivery type to As soon as possible.
2. Check Split fulfillments for preorders.
3. Save your changes.

How it works:

• After checkout, STOQ creates separate fulfillments
• In-stock items: Unfulfilled (ready to ship)
• Preorder items: Unfulfilled (ready to ship) or as configured

Screenshot:

Hold All Fulfillments

When enabled, STOQ holds all fulfillments in an order (including in-stock items) until you manually release them.

When to use:

• You want to ship all items together
• Preorder timeline is uncertain
• You prefer to control when orders become fulfillable

How to enable:

1. Set delivery type to Not sure.
2. Check Hold all fulfillments.
3. Save your changes.

How it works:

• After checkout, all line items are placed on hold
• Both preorder and in-stock items wait for release
• Release fulfillments manually when ready to ship

Displaying Shipping Timeline to Customers

Show customers when their preorder will ship throughout the purchase flow.

Enabling Shipping Timeline Display

1. In the Shipping panel, locate the Display section.
2. Check Show shipping timeline.
3. Click Customize to edit the display text.

Customizing the Display Text

1. In the Shipping details field, enter your custom message.
2. Use the {{ date }} variable to insert the shipping date.
3. Optionally enable Use icons for quantity & shipping details.

Example messages:

Shipping: {{ date }}

Displays: "Shipping: Jan 15, 2026"

Expected to ship {{ date }}

Displays: "Expected to ship Jan 15, 2026"

Ships {{ date }} - Free shipping included

Displays: "Ships Jan 15, 2026 - Free shipping included"

Where Customers See Shipping Timeline

When enabled, the shipping timeline appears:

• On the product page (below the preorder button)
• In the cart
• At checkout
• In order confirmation emails (if configured)

How Fulfillment Status Works in Shopify

Understanding how STOQ sets fulfillment status helps you manage orders effectively.

Unfulfilled Status

Orders with Unfulfilled status:

• Appear in your regular fulfillment queue
• Can be fulfilled immediately
• Show in Shopify's "Unfulfilled" orders filter
• Work with your existing fulfillment workflow

Set by: As soon as possible delivery type

Scheduled Status

Orders with Scheduled status:

• Show a future fulfillment date
• Automatically change to Unfulfilled on that date
• Can be fulfilled early if needed
• Appear in Shopify's fulfillment timeline

Set by: After specific number of days or Specific date delivery types

On Hold Status

Orders with On hold status:

• Cannot be fulfilled until released
• Require manual action to release
• Stay on hold indefinitely until you act
• Appear in Shopify's "On hold" orders filter

Set by: Not sure delivery type

Releasing On Hold Orders

To release on hold orders:

1. Go to Preorders > Reports in STOQ.
2. Filter for orders with On hold status.
3. Select the orders to release.
4. Click Release fulfillment from the bulk actions.

Or release individually in Shopify admin:

1. Open the order in Shopify admin.
2. Click Release fulfillment on the held line items.

Best Practices

Follow these recommendations for effective fulfillment management.

Choose the Right Delivery Type

• As soon as possible: Use when you can ship within normal processing time
• After specific days: Use for made-to-order or production-based timelines
• Specific date: Use for launches, restocks, or batch shipments
• Not sure: Use only when timeline is genuinely uncertain

Set Realistic Timelines

• Base timelines on actual production or shipping capabilities
• Add buffer time for unexpected delays
• Update timelines if circumstances change
• Communicate changes to customers proactively

Use Split Fulfillments Wisely

• Enable when customers expect partial shipments
• Consider shipping costs for multiple packages
• Ensure your warehouse can handle split orders
• Communicate the split shipping to customers

Monitor Scheduled Orders

• Review scheduled orders before fulfillment dates
• Ensure inventory is ready when dates arrive
• Adjust dates if production is delayed
• Use STOQ reports to track upcoming fulfillments

Known Limitations

The fulfillment and shipping feature has some constraints to be aware of.

• Per-product shipping timelines require a paid STOQ plan
• Split fulfillments require a paid STOQ plan
• Hold all fulfillments require a paid STOQ plan
• Scheduled fulfillment dates are based on your store's timezone
• Changing delivery type after orders are placed doesn't affect existing orders
• The {{ date }} variable shows different formats based on delivery type
• On hold orders require manual release; there's no automatic release option
• Split fulfillments only work with "As soon as possible" delivery type
• Hold all fulfillments only works with "Not sure" delivery type

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with fulfillment settings, use this guide to identify and resolve common problems.

FAQs

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

A: Yes, you can change the delivery type, but it only affects new orders. Existing orders retain their original fulfillment status. To change existing orders, you'll need to manually adjust them in Shopify admin.

Q: What happens when a Scheduled order's date arrives?

A: Shopify automatically changes the fulfillment status from "Scheduled" to "Unfulfilled" on the scheduled date. The order then appears in your regular fulfillment queue and can be fulfilled normally.

Q: Can I fulfill Scheduled orders early?

A: Yes. You can fulfill Scheduled orders at any time before the scheduled date. The scheduled date is the earliest the order will automatically become fulfillable, but you can always fulfill sooner if products are ready.

Q: How do I release multiple On hold orders at once?

A: Use STOQ's bulk release feature in Preorders > Reports. Filter for On hold orders, select the orders you want to release, and use the bulk action to release fulfillments. See the "Release on hold orders in bulk" article for details.

Q: Does the shipping timeline show for all products or just preorders?

A: The shipping timeline only shows for products that are part of the preorder offer. Regular in-stock products don't display the preorder shipping timeline.

Q: Can I have different delivery types for different products in the same offer?

A: Not directly. The delivery type is set at the offer level. However, you can use "Set a shipping timeline for each product" to configure individual dates per product while keeping the same fulfillment behavior.

Updated on: 11/02/2026