Articles on: Preorders

How to Set Up Partial Payments for Preorders in STOQ

STOQ lets you configure partial payments for preorders so customers pay a deposit at checkout and the remaining balance later. You can choose from three deposit options: no upfront payment (customer pays nothing now), a percentage of the product price, or a fixed currency amount. This flexibility helps you match your payment structure to your product's timeline and price point.

Accessing Payment Settings

To configure partial payments, you first need to open the payment settings for a preorder offer.

From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
Click Preorders in the navigation menu.
Click on an existing offer to edit it, or click Create offer for a new one.
In the offer editor, open the Payment settings panel.

Selecting Partial Payment as the Payment Type

Before you can configure deposit options, you need to select the correct payment type.

In the Payment settings panel, find the Payment type dropdown.
Select Partial payment or deposit.

This reveals the deposit configuration section where you choose how much customers pay at checkout.

Note: When you first select a partial payment option, STOQ displays a warning reminding you to never use Shopify's bulk "Capture payments" action for these orders. Always collect payment through STOQ or one-by-one from Shopify admin.

Choosing the Deposit Amount

Under Customers pay now, you will see three radio button options that control how much the customer pays at checkout.

No Upfront Payment

Select No upfront payment when you want customers to pay nothing at checkout. Their card details are stored securely and you charge the full amount later.

Under Customers pay now, select No upfront payment.
The deposit is automatically set to $0.

This option is best for:

Products with long or uncertain manufacturing timelines.
High-value items where customers hesitate to pay upfront.
Campaigns focused on gauging demand before charging.

Tip: You no longer need to manually enter 0% in the percentage field. The dedicated No upfront payment radio button handles this automatically.

Percentage Deposit

Select Percentage when you want customers to pay a portion of the product price as a deposit. The remaining balance is charged later.

Under Customers pay now, select Percentage.
Enter the deposit percentage in the field that appears (e.g., 10 for a 10% deposit).
The remaining percentage is charged on the payment due date.

Examples:

A $100 product with a 10% deposit charges $10 at checkout and $90 later.
A $250 product with a 25% deposit charges $62.50 at checkout and $187.50 later.

Tip: Choose a percentage that balances customer commitment with low checkout friction. 10–25% is common for most preorder products.

Fixed Amount Deposit

Select Amount when you want customers to pay a specific currency amount regardless of the product price. The remaining balance is charged later.

Under Customers pay now, select Amount.
Enter the fixed deposit amount in your store's currency (e.g., 10.00 for a $10 deposit).
The remaining balance (product price minus deposit) is charged on the payment due date.

Examples:

A $100 product with a $10 deposit charges $10 at checkout and $90 later.
A $500 product with a $50 deposit charges $50 at checkout and $450 later.

Note: The fixed amount must be less than the product price. If you set a deposit higher than a product's price, checkout will fail for that product.

Setting the Payment Due Date

After choosing your deposit amount, you must set a payment due date. Shopify requires this for all partial payment orders, and it is displayed to customers at checkout.

You have two options, controlled by the calendar and clock icon buttons:

Specific Date

Click the calendar icon button to charge the remaining balance on a specific date.

Click the calendar icon button.
In the Payment date field, click Change.
Select the exact date when the remaining payment is due.

This is best when you know the ship date in advance (e.g., a product launching on a set date).

Days After Checkout

Click the clock icon button to charge the remaining balance a set number of days after each customer's checkout.

Click the clock icon button.
Enter the number of days in the Days after checkout field (e.g., 7, 14, or 30).

This is best when different customers order at different times and you want a consistent payment window for each.

Note: The due date is shown to customers at checkout. Choose a date that aligns with your expected fulfilment timeline to set clear expectations.

Saving Your Settings

Once you have configured the deposit amount and payment due date, click Save to apply your partial payment settings to the offer.

After saving:

Any new orders placed for products linked to this offer will use your partial payment configuration.
Existing orders are not affected — changes only apply to future orders.
Customers will see the deposit amount and payment terms clearly at checkout.

What's next? Once preorders come in, you'll need to collect the remaining balance. See these guides:

Known Limitations

Shopify Payments required — Partial/deferred payments only work with Shopify Payments. Other payment gateways are not supported.
Fixed amount must be below product price — If the deposit amount exceeds a product's price, checkout will fail for that product.
Due date cannot be in the past — You cannot select a specific date that has already passed.
Minimum 1 day for "days after checkout" — The days-after-checkout value must be at least 1.
Changes do not affect existing orders — Modifying deposit settings only applies to new orders placed after saving.
Automatic collection requires a paid plan — The automatic payment collection option is only available on paid STOQ plans.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
"Partial payment or deposit" option not visible	Payment type dropdown not expanded	Click the Payment type dropdown and select Partial payment or deposit
Deposit percentage field not showing	"No upfront payment" or "Amount" selected	Select the Percentage radio button under Customers pay now
Fixed amount field not showing	"No upfront payment" or "Percentage" selected	Select the Amount radio button under Customers pay now
Customer charged full amount at checkout	Payment type set to "Full payment"	Change payment type to Partial payment or deposit and re-save
"Shopify Payments required" error	Store uses a different payment gateway	Switch to Shopify Payments to use partial payment features
Checkout fails for a specific product	Fixed deposit amount exceeds product price	Lower the deposit amount or switch to a percentage-based deposit

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between "No upfront payment," "Percentage," and "Amount"?

A: "No upfront payment" charges $0 at checkout (full amount collected later). "Percentage" charges a portion of the product price (e.g., 10%). "Amount" charges a fixed currency value regardless of product price (e.g., $10).

Q: Can I change the deposit amount after orders have been placed?

A: Yes, but changes only apply to new orders. Existing orders keep the payment terms they were placed with. You cannot retroactively change the deposit on orders already placed.

Q: Will customers see the deposit and due date at checkout?

A: Yes. Shopify displays the deposit amount, remaining balance, and payment due date to customers during checkout so they know exactly what to expect.

Q: Can I use different deposit amounts for different products?

A: Yes. Each preorder offer has its own payment settings. Create separate offers for products that need different deposit configurations.

Q: What happens if I set the percentage to 100%?

A: Setting the percentage to 100% is equivalent to a full payment — the customer pays the entire price at checkout. If you want full payment, use the "Full payment" payment type instead.

Q: Is "No upfront payment" the same as entering 0% manually?

A: Yes, they achieve the same result. The dedicated "No upfront payment" radio button is a shortcut that automatically sets the deposit to 0% without needing to type it manually.

Updated on: 03/06/2026

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