---
title: "How preorders work in EZ Preorder"
description: "How a preorder moves through your store with EZ Preorder, from the preorder button and cart property to the tagged order, inventory and fulfillment."
url: https://docs.ezpreorder.com/getting-started/how-preorders-work
plan: Free
last_verified: 2026-11-11
---

# How preorders work in EZ Preorder

EZ Preorder & Back In Stock replaces your theme's add to cart button with a preorder button on any variant that is on your Preorder List and matches its preorder rule. The item goes into the cart with the line item property `type: preorder` and the shopper pays at your normal Shopify checkout. EZ Preorder then tags the order `preorder`, and you fulfill it in Shopify when the stock arrives. Shopify's **Continue selling when out of stock** setting, which EZ Preorder sets for each rule, is what lets checkout accept an order for a variant with no stock.

**Available on:** All plans (Free, Core, Growth, Professional and Scale). Some optional steps, such as deposits, need a higher plan; each is marked below.  
**Where to find it:** Set up in EZ PreOrder → **Preorders**. Preorder orders appear in Shopify admin → **Orders**.

## What the shopper sees on the product page

On a product page, EZ Preorder checks the selected variant. When the variant is on your Preorder List, its product is enabled, and its rule matches the variant's stock, the shopper sees:

- **The preorder button** in place of the theme's add to cart button. It copies the theme button's styling. Its text comes from **Configuration** → **Pre-order Button Text** and is "Pre-order" in English until you change it. See [Change and translate the preorder button text](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/change-and-translate-the-preorder-button-text).
- **Your custom note**, if you wrote one for the variant, placed above the button. See [Add a custom note to preorder products](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/add-a-custom-note-to-preorder-products).
- **Deposit options**, if partial payments are turned on (Professional plan and above). See [Partial payments and deposits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/payments-and-conversion/partial-payments-and-deposits).

When the shopper switches to a variant that does not match its rule, the theme's own button comes back. The page needs the **Pre order theme extension** app embed turned on; see [How to install EZ Preorder and enable the app embed](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/getting-started/install-and-enable-the-app-embed).


## When the preorder button appears

The preorder rule on each variant decides when the button appears. EZ Preorder reads the variant's inventory quantity when the page loads.

| Rule | Preorder button appears when | Continue selling when out of stock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Always** | Always, whatever the stock | On |
| **Sold out** | The variant's inventory is 0 or less | On |
| **Specific inventory level** | The variant's inventory is above 0 | Off |

A disabled product, a product that is not on the list, or a variant whose rule does not match shows your theme's normal button. Full details are in [Preorder rules](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/preorder-rules).

## What happens when the shopper clicks the preorder button

The preorder button submits your theme's own product form, so the item goes into the cart the way your theme normally adds it. EZ Preorder adds two things to that form:

- **The line item property `type: preorder`.** It stays with the item through the cart, checkout and the order. Shopify shows it with the line item at checkout and on the order in your Shopify admin. Whether the cart page shows it depends on your theme.
- **The deposit purchase option**, when partial payments are turned on (Professional plan and above).

If **Direct to Checkout** is turned on, the button adds the item and takes the shopper straight to checkout instead of leaving them on the page. See [Direct-to-checkout preorder button](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/storefront-display/direct-to-checkout-preorder-button).

Preorder discounts and free gifts look for the `type: preorder` property on the cart line. That is why they apply only to items added with the preorder button. See [Preorder discounts](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/payments-and-conversion/preorder-discounts).

## What happens at checkout

The shopper checks out at your normal Shopify checkout. EZ Preorder does not change checkout.

Shopify accepts the order because of the variant's **Continue selling when out of stock** setting. With **Always** and **Sold out**, the setting is on, so checkout completes even when the variant has no stock. With **Specific inventory level**, the setting is off, so checkout completes only while stock remains.

## What happens after the order is placed

After Shopify creates the order, EZ Preorder checks it. An order counts as a preorder when it contains at least one variant that:

- is on your Preorder List,
- belongs to a product whose preorder status is enabled, and
- matched its rule at the moment of the order: **Always** always matches; **Sold out** matches when the variant's stock before the order was 0 or less; **Specific inventory level** matches when its stock before the order was above 0.

For each preorder order, EZ Preorder then:

1. **Tags the order `preorder`.** The tag is on the whole order, including any regular items in it. See [Find and manage preorder orders](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/find-and-manage-preorder-orders).
2. **Puts fulfillment on hold**, if **Configuration** → **Fulfillment Order Status** is turned on. See [Hold preorder fulfillment](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/hold-preorder-fulfillment).
3. **Sends the preorder confirmation email**, if it is turned on. See [Preorder confirmation email](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/notifications/preorder-confirmation-email).
4. **Counts the order toward your plan's preorder limit**. When a plan limit is reached, EZ Preorder turns off every product on your list. See [Plan limits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/plans-and-billing/plan-limits).

EZ Preorder makes this decision from the variant's rule and stock, not from the `type: preorder` property. A matching order is tagged and counted whichever sales channel it comes from.

## How inventory changes with each rule

Shopify reduces a variant's available inventory when an order is placed, as it does for every order. What that looks like depends on the rule.

- **Sold out** and **Always**: because **Continue selling when out of stock** is on, available inventory can go below 0. A count of -12 means 12 units are promised to customers that you do not have yet. When you receive stock, Shopify adds it to that count, so only the surplus becomes available to new shoppers.
- **Specific inventory level**: you set the number of units available for preorder. Each order lowers it. At 0, Shopify stops selling the variant and your theme shows its sold out state. Every unit in stock counts as a preorder unit with this rule, so real stock you receive later is also sold as preorders until you change the rule.

## How to fulfill preorders

1. When the stock arrives, receive it into your inventory in Shopify as usual.
2. In Shopify admin → **Orders**, filter by the `preorder` tag to find the orders waiting for it.
3. If **Fulfillment Order Status** put the orders on hold, release the hold on each order in Shopify.
4. Fulfill the orders as normal.

If the ship date changes, you can email everyone who bought a product with the **Shipment Update** email. See [Shipment update email](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/notifications/shipment-update-email). Remaining balances on deposit orders are charged as described in [How remaining balances are charged](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/payments-and-conversion/how-remaining-balances-are-charged).

## How a preorder ends

- **Sold out** rule: when available inventory rises above 0 again, the product page shows your theme's normal button on the next page load, and new orders are regular orders.
- **Always** and **Specific inventory level**: the preorder continues until you change the rule, disable the product or remove it from the list.
- **Scheduled preorders** (Growth plan and above) turn off on their end date. See [Schedule preorder start and end dates](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/schedule-preorder-start-and-end-dates).

Disabling or removing a product does not turn off **Continue selling when out of stock**. See [A product still sells after the preorder ends](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/theme-setup-and-troubleshooting/product-still-sells-after-preorder-ends).

## Limitations

- EZ Preorder checks each order once, when it is created. Editing the order later does not add or remove the `preorder` tag.
- When EZ Preorder tags an order, the order's tags are set to `preorder`. Tags another app or a Shopify Flow workflow added to the order before that moment are replaced.
- The product page reads stock when it loads. A shopper who keeps the page open sees the button state from that moment until they reload.
- Orders for products that are disabled, or not on the list, are not tagged or counted, even if the items carry the `type: preorder` property.

## Troubleshooting

**An order has the type: preorder property but no preorder tag.** The product was disabled or removed, or the variant's rule did not match its stock, when the order was placed. See [Find and manage preorder orders](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/find-and-manage-preorder-orders).

**Regular orders are tagged preorder.** With **Always**, every order of the variant is a preorder. With **Specific inventory level**, every order placed while stock is above 0 is a preorder. Change the rule if those units are not preorders.

**Shoppers can buy an out-of-stock product without the preorder button.** **Continue selling when out of stock** is on but the product is disabled, removed, or the app embed is off. See [A product still sells after the preorder ends](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/theme-setup-and-troubleshooting/product-still-sells-after-preorder-ends).

**Shoppers cannot add a preorder product to the cart.** See [I cannot add a preorder product to the cart](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/theme-setup-and-troubleshooting/cannot-add-preorder-product-to-cart).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do preorder customers pay at checkout?

Yes. Shoppers pay the full price at checkout unless you turn on partial payments (Professional plan and above), which lets them pay a deposit and the rest later.

### Can a single order contain preorder and in-stock items?

Yes. The order is tagged `preorder` as a whole, and only the items added with the preorder button carry the `type: preorder` property, so you can tell them apart.

### Does EZ Preorder change prices or checkout?

No. Prices and checkout stay as Shopify runs them. A preorder discount, if you set one up, is applied as a Shopify discount at checkout.

### Will the preorder button show to shoppers in every country?

Yes by default. On the Growth plan and above you can limit a variant's preorder to selected countries. See [Preorders for specific countries and markets](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/preorders-for-specific-countries-and-markets).

### Do test orders count as preorders?

Yes. A test order that matches the rules is tagged and counts toward your plan's preorder limit like any other order.

## Related articles

- [Preorder rules](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/preorder-rules): what each rule does and how it sets Continue selling.
- [Find and manage preorder orders](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/find-and-manage-preorder-orders): the `preorder` tag and the line item property.
- [How to set up your first preorder](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/getting-started/set-up-your-first-preorder): get your first product live.
- [Hold preorder fulfillment](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/preorders/hold-preorder-fulfillment): put preorder orders on hold automatically.
- [Partial payments and deposits](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/payments-and-conversion/partial-payments-and-deposits): take a deposit now and the balance later.
- [A product still sells after the preorder ends](https://docs.ezpreorder.com/theme-setup-and-troubleshooting/product-still-sells-after-preorder-ends): stop overselling after a preorder.