--- title: "Hold preorders without the Shopify purchase option" description: "Hold preorder fulfillments when the Shopify purchase option is turned off." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option/ product: "Preorders" section: "Fulfillment and shipping / Holds and splits" last_updated: 2026-10-01 --- # Hold preorders without the Shopify purchase option > Hold preorder fulfillments when the Shopify purchase option is turned off. When the Shopify purchase option (selling plan) is off, for example for compatibility with gift cards and store credits, Buy X Get Y discounts, Managed Markets, or separate preorder orders, the built-in **On hold** fulfillment status can't work through the Shopify selling plan. Use this guide to hold preorder fulfillments a different way. By the end, preorder orders will be automatically held after checkout, either just the preorder items or the whole order, until you release them. > **Note** > > If your purchase option is **on** (the default), use [On hold: setup and flow](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/on-hold-preorder-fulfillments/) instead. The steps on this page are only needed when the purchase option is off. ## Before you begin - This guide applies only when the Shopify purchase option is turned off for your offer. - **Hold all fulfillments** requires a paid plan (Lite and above). The **On hold** fulfillment status is available on all plans. - **Hold all fulfillments** can't be combined with **Move preorder items to a separate order**, the two are mutually exclusive in the UI. ## Choose your setup STOQ gives you two ways to hold preorder fulfillments once the purchase option is off: - **On hold status**: STOQ automatically holds only the preorder fulfillment orders; in-stock items in the same order stay fulfillable. Use this when in-stock items in a mixed order should still ship right away. - **Hold all fulfillments**: STOQ holds every fulfillment in the order, including in-stock items, until you release it. Use this when nothing in the order should ship until you're ready. ## Set it up ### Turn off the Shopify purchase option If you haven't done this yet: 1. **Open the offer in STOQ** 1. In the left menu bar, click **Preorders**. 2. Click the **Offers** tab. 3. Click the offer you'd like to edit. Its **Overview** tab opens, showing the **Customize** button, a live preview, and the offer's **Products** section. 4. Click the **Customize** button to open the editor. 5. In the settings list, click **More settings** to expand it, then click **Advanced**. [Image: STOQ Preorders Offers tab with markers: 1 Preorders in the left menu, 2 the Offers tab, 3 the Preorder Winter offer row](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-1.png) [Image: The Preorder Winter Overview tab with marker 1 on the Customize button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-2.png) [Image: The offer editor with marker 1 on the More settings item under Advanced in the sidebar](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-3.png) [Image: The offer editor with the Advanced group expanded and marker 1 on the Advanced item](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-4.png) 2. **Select "Use without purchase option"** Under **Purchase option**, select **Use without purchase option**. A confirmation dialog warns you that: 1. Payment resets to full payment with no discount. 2. A Scheduled fulfillment status changes to On hold, because Scheduled requires the purchase option. Confirm and **Save**. [Image: The Advanced panel Purchase option section with marker 1 on the Use without purchase option radio](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-5.png) [Image: The Shopify selling plan purchase option confirmation dialog warning that payment and fulfillment reset, with marker 1 on the Disable button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-6.png) [Image: The Advanced panel with Use without purchase option now selected and marker 1 on Save](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-7.png) After saving, a Scheduled fulfillment status shows **On hold**; other statuses stay as they were. Continue below to set up the hold you chose above. ### Set up On hold status (preorder items only) 1. **Open the Shipping section** 1. In the left menu bar, click **Preorders**. 2. Click the **Offers** tab. 3. Click the offer you'd like to edit. 4. Click **Customize** to open the editor. 5. In the sidebar, click **Shipping**. [Image: The offer editor with marker 1 on the Shipping item in the sidebar](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-8.png) 2. **Set the fulfillment status to On hold** Under **Fulfillment status**, select **On hold**. The UI note confirms: "Fulfillment for preorder products will appear as **On hold**. You need to manually release fulfillments." [Image: The Shipping panel with marker 1 on the On hold fulfillment status (Scheduled greyed out) and marker 2 on Save](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-9.png) 3. **Save changes** Click **Save changes** at the top right of the editor. After checkout, STOQ automatically places a fulfillment hold on the preorder fulfillment orders. In-stock items in the same order remain fulfillable. ### Set up Hold all fulfillments (entire order) 1. **Open the Shipping section** 1. In the left menu bar, click **Preorders**. 2. Click the **Offers** tab. 3. Click the offer you'd like to edit. 4. Click **Customize** to open the editor. 5. In the sidebar, click **Shipping**. [Image: The Shipping panel scrolled to Fulfillment options with marker 1 on the Configure button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-10.png) 2. **Locate Fulfillment options** Scroll to **Fulfillment options**. 3. **Enable "Hold all fulfillments"** Check **Hold all fulfillments**. The help text confirms: "Fulfillments for all products (including in-stock) will be held until you manually release them after checkout." This requires a paid plan (Lite and above); you'll see an upgrade prompt if you're on the free plan. [Image: The Fulfillment options expanded with marker 1 on the Hold all fulfillments checkbox, above Move preorder items to a separate order](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-11.png) 4. **(Optional) Add a Reason note** A **Reason note** field appears when the checkbox is enabled. This text appears in Shopify against the held fulfillment. The default placeholder is "Order contains preorder item". Leave it blank or customize it. [Image: The Fulfillment options with Hold all fulfillments checked, marker 1 on the Reason note field, and marker 2 on Save](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/auto-hold-fulfillments-without-purchase-option-12.png) 5. **Save changes** Click **Save changes** at the top right of the editor. > **Warning** > > Enabling **Hold all fulfillments** automatically turns off "Move preorder items to a separate order," and vice versa, since the two settings are mutually exclusive. ## Check your setup 1. Place a test order that includes a preorder item from this offer. 2. In **Shopify admin → Orders**, open the order. 3. Confirm the fulfillment status shows **On hold**. - On hold status: only the preorder item's fulfillment is on hold; in-stock items remain fulfillable. - Hold all fulfillments: every fulfillment in the order shows On hold. 4. In STOQ, check **Reports → Preorders → Orders** (or, for a single offer: **Preorders** in the left menu → **Offers** tab → open the offer → its **Orders** tab) and confirm the order appears with the expected hold status. ## Release the hold When your stock arrives and you're ready to ship, release the hold in one of three ways: - **In STOQ:** Go to **Reports → Preorders → Orders**, open the order, and click **Release "On hold" fulfillments**. Releasing holds in STOQ requires a paid plan (Lite and above). - **In Shopify admin:** Open the order, go to the fulfillment section, and click **Release hold**. The fulfillment moves to Unfulfilled and becomes fulfillable. - **With Shopify Flow:** Add a "release fulfillment hold" action to automate release, for example, when an order is tagged or when a specific date passes. For the complete post-inventory workflow, see [Handle orders after receiving preorder inventory](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/handle-orders-after-receiving-preorder-inventory/). ## Troubleshooting ### The fulfillment doesn't show as On hold right after checkout The hold is applied by a background job that runs after Shopify sends the order webhook, so there's usually a short delay of a few seconds. If it's still missing after a minute, check that the offer's **Shipping** settings are saved correctly, then contact support with the order number. ### You can't enable Hold all fulfillments Confirm you're on a paid plan (Lite or above), and that **Move preorder items to a separate order** is turned off for this offer, the two settings are mutually exclusive. ### The wrong items got held after checkout Check which option you set in the offer's **Shipping** section: 1. **On hold** holds only the preorder fulfillment order; in-stock items stay fulfillable. 2. **Hold all fulfillments** holds the entire order. Switch to the other option if it's not the behavior you wanted. ## Limitations Some warehouse management systems (3PL/WMS) only import Unfulfilled orders and skip held fulfillments until you release them. Test your hold and release flow with your fulfillment provider before going live to confirm they can see and act on held orders after release. ## FAQ ### Why can't I use On hold when the purchase option is off? Here's why, and how STOQ works around it: 1. On hold normally uses the Shopify selling plan's fulfillment date to mark items as On hold. 2. Without the purchase option, no selling plan is attached to the order, so Shopify has no way to apply that status. 3. The two paths on this page (On hold fulfillment status or Hold all fulfillments) work through a different mechanism: STOQ places the hold via the Shopify fulfillment hold API after checkout, rather than through the selling plan. ### Does enabling this affect orders I've already placed? No. STOQ applies the hold at checkout, through a background job that runs after Shopify sends the order webhook. Changing the setting only affects orders placed after you save; existing orders keep their original fulfillment status. ### Will in-stock items ship before I release the hold? With **On hold**: yes, in-stock items are left fulfillable and can ship right away. With **Hold all fulfillments**: no, every fulfillment is held and nothing ships until you release it. ### Can I use Hold all fulfillments with "Move preorder items to a separate order"? No. These two options are mutually exclusive. Enabling one automatically disables the other in the STOQ dashboard. If you need to separate preorder and in-stock items into different orders, use the separate orders feature without Hold all fulfillments. ### Why was my fulfillment status reset when I turned off the purchase option? Turning off the purchase option changes several things at once, and the confirmation dialog warns you of this before you confirm: 1. A Scheduled fulfillment status changes to On hold. 2. Payment resets to full payment with no discount. 3. The Scheduled fulfillment status (with date tracking via the selling plan) is not available without the purchase option. 4. On hold is still available, but it works differently: STOQ places the hold via the Shopify fulfillment hold API rather than through the selling plan. ## Related guides - [Choose a fulfillment setup](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/choose-preorder-fulfillment-setup/): Compare Unfulfilled, Scheduled, On hold, and the no-purchase-option paths. - [Setup fulfillment and shipping options](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/setup-fulfillment-and-shipping-options/): Full walkthrough of the Shipping section settings. - [Place the entire order on hold](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/place-entire-order-on-hold/): Hold all fulfillments, including in-stock items, in detail. - [Release held preorder fulfillments](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/release-held-preorder-fulfillments/): Release holds manually or in bulk when your stock arrives.