--- title: "Configure inventory settings" description: "Choose when the Preorder button shows, when inventory is deducted, and which products an offer covers." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-inventory-settings/ product: "Preorders" section: "Build your offer" last_updated: 2026-09-28 --- # Configure inventory settings > Choose when the Preorder button shows, when inventory is deducted, and which products an offer covers. Use this guide to control when the Preorder button appears on a product, when Shopify deducts inventory for a preorder, and which products a preorder offer covers. By the end, customers will see the Preorder button only under the conditions you choose, and your inventory counts will update on the schedule you pick. These settings live in two places: the offer's **Inventory** panel (button visibility and deduction timing) and its **Products** section (which products are included). For the step-by-step process of adding products, see [Add products to an offer](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/add-products-to-an-offer/). ## Before you begin | Requirement | Detail | |---|---| | An existing offer | Create one first, see [How to set up preorders](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/set-up-preorders/) | | Collection or All products tracking | Requires a paid STOQ plan | ## Choose your setup **When the Preorder button appears:** | Option | Button appears when | Requirement | |---|---|---| | **Show "Preorder" when product is out of stock** (default) | Inventory is 0 or less | **Continue selling when out of stock** must be enabled in Shopify for the variant | | **Show "Preorder" for in-stock products** | Inventory is greater than 0 | No Continue selling requirement, but only available with the **Specific products** type | [Video: Configure preorder inventory settings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iITcAthyZ0) **When inventory is deducted** (out-of-stock offers only): | Option | When stock is reduced | Shopify default? | |---|---|---| | **At checkout** | As soon as the customer places the order | Yes | | **At fulfillment** | Only when you mark the order as fulfilled | No | Choose **At fulfillment** if you want to hold inventory until you're ready to ship, for example while waiting on a supplier shipment. **Which products the offer covers:** - **Specific products**: you pick individual products or variants. Works with both the out-of-stock and in-stock providers. - **Collection**: STOQ tracks out-of-stock products in one Shopify collection, checking every 15 minutes. Requires a paid plan; not available with specific Shopify markets or the in-stock provider. - **All products**: STOQ tracks out-of-stock products store-wide on the same 15-minute cycle. Requires a paid plan; not available with specific Shopify markets or the in-stock provider. ## What customers will see | Setting | What customers see | |---|---| | Out-of-stock preorders | The Preorder button appears once a variant's inventory reaches zero; it's hidden while stock remains | | In-stock preorders | The Preorder button appears while the variant has stock, and disappears once inventory reaches zero | | Track all products / Track all collection products | Right after you turn tracking on, customers may briefly see **Add to cart** instead of **Preorder** until STOQ's next 15-minute check completes | ## Set it up On a phone, this menu is collapsed. In the **Shopify mobile app**, tap the **STOQ** logo at the top of the screen to open it, then choose the section named below. There is no hamburger icon. See [Finding the STOQ menu](https://help.stoqapp.com/general/getting-started-with-stoq/#finding-the-stoq-menu). ### Show the Preorder button and choose deduction timing 1. **Open the offer's Inventory panel** 1. In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click **Preorders**. 2. Click the **Offers** tab at the top. 3. Click the offer you want to edit to open its **Overview** tab. 4. Click **Customize** to open the editor. 5. In the editor's sidebar, click **Inventory**. [Image: Preorders Offers tab in the STOQ app](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/r1.png) [Image: The offer Overview tab with the Customize button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/r2.png) [Image: The Inventory item in the offer editor sidebar](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/m1.png) 2. **Choose when the Preorder button appears** Select **Show "Preorder" when product is out of stock** or **Show "Preorder" for in-stock products**. See Choose your setup above for how these differ. [Image: The Preorder button visibility options in the Inventory panel](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/m2.png) 3. **Choose when inventory is deducted** For out-of-stock offers, the current setting shows under **When to deduct from inventory**. Click **Change** in that section to reveal the options, then select **At checkout** or **At fulfillment**. > **Note** > > Switching the button setting to **Show "Preorder" for in-stock products** resets deduction timing to **At checkout**, even if it was previously set to At fulfillment. 4. **Save changes** Click **Save changes** at the top right of the editor. ### Choose which products the offer covers 1. **Open the offer's Products section** 1. In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click **Preorders**. 2. Click the **Offers** tab at the top. 3. Click the offer you want to edit (its **Overview** tab opens, showing the **Customize** button, a live preview, and the offer's **Products** section). [Image: Preorders Offers tab in the STOQ app](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/r1.png) 2. **Locate the Product type selector** Under **Products**, click the source indicator (it shows the current mode, for example "Specific products") to expand the **Product type** settings panel. [Image: The Product type selector in the offer's Products section](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/h2.png) 3. **Choose a source** Select **Specific products**, **Collection**, or **All products**. If the offer already has products, STOQ asks you to confirm the change and choose what to do with **Continue selling** on the products being removed. 4. **Confirm the change** The change saves immediately when you confirm. For Collection and All products, STOQ begins scanning for eligible products in the background. #### Specific products You pick individual products or variants; the offer only applies to what you've added, and both inventory providers work with this type. The first time you add products to a brand-new offer using Specific products, STOQ shows a one-time "Confirm inventory setting" modal asking you to choose out-of-stock or in-stock before it adds anything; your choice locks in the offer's inventory provider. See the FAQ below for details. #### Collection STOQ tracks out-of-stock products in a single Shopify collection you choose from a picker. After choosing the collection, pick a tracking mode: | Tracking mode | STOQ behavior | |---|---| | **Track all collection products** | STOQ automatically enables **Continue selling** for collection products when they go out of stock | | **Only track products with 'Continue selling' enabled** | STOQ doesn't change Continue selling; only collection products that already have it on will get the Preorder button | Click **Add collection products** to start tracking. #### All products STOQ tracks all out-of-stock products on your store on the same schedule. Choose a tracking mode: | Tracking mode | STOQ behavior | |---|---| | **Track all products** | STOQ automatically enables **Continue selling** for products when they go out of stock | | **Only track products with "Continue selling" enabled** | STOQ doesn't change Continue selling; you must enable it manually in Shopify admin for variants you want to sell as preorders | Click **Add all products** to start tracking. #### Confirming a tracking change When you click **Add all products** or **Add collection products**, STOQ shows a confirmation modal with a 5-second delay before the confirm button becomes active. The modal's wording matches the tracking mode you chose (see the tables above). #### Exclude products (All products only) When the offer uses **All products**, an **Exclusions** section appears so you can stop specific products from being tracked. | Exclusion method | How it works | |---|---| | **Exclude specific products** | Opens a Shopify product picker; the selected variants are stored and skipped during tracking | | **Exclude by tag** | Enter one or more product tags (comma-separated, for example `skip-preorder,sale`); any product with a matching tag is skipped | Once you've excluded variants, a **View** link appears next to the Add products button. It opens the "Excluded products" modal, listing every excluded variant with a **Remove** button, plus a **Clear all** button in the footer. To add more exclusions, close the modal and use **Add products**. Exclusions are cleared automatically when you switch the product type away from **All products**. [Image: The Exclusions section for an All products offer](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/h3.png) ## Check your setup - **Out-of-stock offers**: open a product on your storefront with inventory at or below zero and **Continue selling** enabled. You should see the **Preorder** button (the offer must also be enabled). - **In-stock offers**: open a product with inventory above zero. You should see the **Preorder** button; once inventory reaches 0, it should disappear. - **Collection / All products**: after clicking **Add all products** or **Add collection products**, a progress indicator appears. Refresh the Products list after a few minutes; tracked products should appear. ## Troubleshooting ### "At fulfillment" is greyed out The offer is using the in-stock provider. In-stock preorders always deduct at checkout; switch to **Show "Preorder" when product is out of stock** if you need At fulfillment deduction. ### The Preorder button isn't showing on an out-of-stock product Confirm **Continue selling when out of stock** is enabled for that variant in Shopify, and that the offer itself is enabled. ### Customers briefly see "Add to cart" instead of "Preorder" after adding all products STOQ enables Continue selling immediately, but the button only appears after the next 15-minute check cycle. This resolves on its own; contact STOQ support if it persists past 30 minutes. ### Tracked products haven't appeared yet after adding a Collection or All products source STOQ checks every 15 minutes, so there can be a short delay. Wait for the next cycle and refresh the Products list. ## Limitations Switching an offer's product type away from **All products** clears any exclusions you've set up. ## FAQ ### What is 'Continue selling when out of stock' and why does STOQ need it? It's a per-variant setting in Shopify's admin that lets customers buy a product even when its inventory reaches zero. Without it, Shopify blocks the purchase at checkout no matter what the Preorder button shows. STOQ can turn it on for you when you add products to an out-of-stock offer, or you can enable it yourself in Shopify. ### What's the difference between the two inventory provider options? Out-of-stock activates the Preorder button only once inventory hits 0 or less. In-stock activates the button while inventory is above 0 and deactivates it at zero. Use out-of-stock for the classic backorder scenario; use in-stock to take advance orders while you still have stock. ### Can I switch between out-of-stock and in-stock after adding products? Yes, in the Inventory panel. Switching to in-stock also forces the product type to **Specific products** (Collection and All products only support out-of-stock) and resets deduction timing to **At checkout**. ### What happens to 'Continue selling' when I remove products or change the product type? STOQ asks whether to turn Continue selling off (so the product shows as sold out), leave it on, or leave it unchanged. This only applies to out-of-stock offers; with the in-stock provider, STOQ never manages Continue selling. If another enabled out-of-stock offer still includes some of the products, a warning names those offers, because turning Continue selling off stops preorders there too. See [Products shared between offers](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-markets/#products-shared-between-offers). ### How often does STOQ check for out-of-stock products with Collection or All products? Every 15 minutes, so there can be up to a 15-minute delay between a product going out of stock and the Preorder button appearing. ### Why did I see a 'Confirm inventory setting' popup when I added my first products? The first time you add products to a brand-new offer using Specific products, STOQ asks you to choose out-of-stock or in-stock before adding anything. That choice sets the offer's inventory provider, and the modal doesn't appear again for the same offer. ## Related guides - [Add products to an offer](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/add-products-to-an-offer/): Step-by-step guide to adding products to your preorder offer. - [Preorder order limits](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-order-limits/): Cap the total number of preorders at the offer or per-variant level. - [Preorder markets](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-markets/): Scope an offer to specific Shopify markets. - [Preorders: Overview](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/): How offers, products, and inventory settings fit together. - [Preorder limits during high-volume launches](https://help.stoqapp.com/preorders/preorder-limits-high-volume-launches/): Why a quantity limit can be crossed during a synchronized order surge, and how to avoid it.