What counts toward your EZ Preorder plan limits and what happens at the limit
In EZ Preorder & Back In Stock, the Shopify app, every order that contains at least one product from your preorder list counts as one preorder. The price of those items, after discounts and converted to USD, counts as preorder revenue. The Free plan allows your first 10 preorders or $400 in preorder revenue over the lifetime of your store. Core, Growth and Professional allow 50, 150 or 300 preorders, or $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000, in each 30-day billing cycle. When you reach either number, EZ Preorder switches off every product on your preorder list, and the products stay off until you switch them back on. The Scale plan never switches preorders off.
Available on: All plans. Limits apply to Free, Core, Growth and Professional. Scale uses usage charges instead.
Where to find it: EZ Preorder → Dashboard (usage card and Metrics). On the Scale plan, also EZ Preorder → Usage.
Plan limits at a glance
This table shows what each EZ Preorder plan includes before preorders or restock alert signups stop. For preorders, the limit is whichever of the two numbers you reach first.
| Plan | Preorders | Preorder revenue (USD) | Restock alert signups | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 10 | $400 | 30 | Lifetime of your store |
| Core | 50 | $2,000 | 250 | Each 30-day billing cycle |
| Growth | 150 | $5,000 | 750 | Each 30-day billing cycle |
| Professional | 300 | $10,000 | 1,500 | Each 30-day billing cycle |
| Scale | 500 included, then a 1% fee | $20,000 included, then a 1% fee | Unlimited | Each 30-day billing cycle |
On Scale, the first 3,000 restock alert emails sent in a cycle are included, and each email after that costs $0.01. See EZ Preorder usage charges.
What counts as a preorder
EZ Preorder counts one preorder for each order that meets all of these conditions:
- The order contains at least one variant that is on your preorder list.
- That product is switched on (Enable) in your preorder list when the order arrives.
- The variant was on preorder under its rule. With Always, every order counts. With Sold out, the order counts when the variant was out of stock. With Specific inventory level, it counts while preorder stock remained.
- The preorder items in the order are worth more than $0 after discounts.
These cases count:
- One order is one preorder. An order with three preorder items, or five units of one preorder item, counts as one preorder.
- Test orders count. EZ Preorder doesn't tell test orders apart from real ones, so a test order with a preorder item uses up your allowance like any other.
- Orders you create in Shopify admin count when they contain a preorder item that meets its rule.
- Cancelled and refunded orders still count. EZ Preorder doesn't subtract an order when you cancel or refund it.
These cases don't count:
- An order with no products from your preorder list.
- An order whose preorder products were switched off when it was placed.
- An order whose preorder items cost $0 after discounts.
- The same order delivered to EZ Preorder twice. It is counted once.
What counts as preorder revenue
Preorder revenue in EZ Preorder is the amount paid for the order lines whose variants are on your preorder list: price multiplied by quantity, minus any discounts applied to those lines. Shipping isn't included, and neither are other products in the same order.
EZ Preorder converts preorder revenue to USD using current exchange rates, so the revenue limits ($400, $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000) are always in USD. If your prices include tax, the tax is part of the line price.
How the EZ Preorder Free plan limit works
The EZ Preorder Free plan limit is a lifetime allowance, not a monthly one. It covers your store's first 10 preorders or first $400 in preorder revenue, whichever comes first, and it never resets.
- The count includes every preorder your store has taken with EZ Preorder, including preorders taken while you were on a paid plan.
- Uninstalling and reinstalling the app doesn't reset it.
- Restock alert signups on Free work the same way: your first 30 signups, for the lifetime of your store.
If you move from a paid plan back to Free and your store has already taken 10 preorders or $400 in preorder revenue, EZ Preorder switches off your preorder products as soon as the change goes through. If your store already has 30 or more restock alert signups, the Notify Me button is hidden.
How the paid plan billing cycle works
The billing cycle on Core, Growth, Professional and Scale is your EZ Preorder subscription's 30-day period, not a calendar month. Your first cycle starts on the day you approve the plan, and each new cycle starts when Shopify renews the subscription.
- Preorder count and revenue count only orders placed inside the current cycle. They start again from 0 when a new cycle begins.
- Restock alert signups reset to 0 within a day after the cycle ends, and the Notify Me button comes back then.
- Changing plans starts a new 30-day cycle on the day you approve the new plan, with a fresh allowance.
- Limit and warning emails can be sent again in the new cycle.
What happens when you reach the preorder limit
When a new order takes you to the preorder limit or the revenue limit, EZ Preorder does the following. The order that reaches the limit is still a normal preorder.
- Every product on your preorder list is switched off. Each product shows a Disable badge and moves to the Disabled tab of the Preorder List.
- The preorder button no longer appears on those products in your store.
- EZ Preorder emails your store, with the subject "[URGENT] You have reached your preorder limit".
- The Preorder List page shows a message titled "You have reached your plans preorder limit", with a GO TO PLAN button. On paid plans it says preorders are disabled until your next cycle or until you upgrade. On Free it says to upgrade.
- On the Free plan, the Dashboard also shows a Plan limit reached banner, and Select products on the Preorder List is turned off.
Switching a product off doesn't change Shopify's Continue selling when out of stock setting. If that setting is still on for an out-of-stock variant, shoppers can buy it through your theme's normal Add to cart button. That order isn't labelled as a preorder and doesn't count toward your limit. To stop those sales, turn off Continue selling when out of stock for the variant in Shopify admin.
Warning before the preorder limit
EZ Preorder emails you once when you reach 85% of either limit, with the subject "Heads up — you're almost at your preorder limit". On the Free plan, that happens at your 9th preorder or $340 in revenue. On Core, it's the 43rd preorder or $1,700. On Growth, the 128th or $4,250. On Professional, the 255th or $8,500. Limit emails come from alerts@ezpreorder.com.
What happens when you reach the restock alert signup limit
When your store reaches its restock alert signup limit, EZ Preorder hides the Notify Me (back in stock alerts) button on your product pages. Shoppers can't sign up again until the limit resets or you upgrade.
- Shoppers who already signed up still get their restock alert email when the product comes back in stock.
- The Restock Alerts page shows a Plan limit reached banner.
- You get an email at 85% of the limit and another when you reach it.
- In the theme editor the block stays visible, so you can still edit it.
Every signup counts, including a second signup from the same shopper. The Scale plan has no signup limit.
How to start taking preorders again
How you restart preorders in EZ Preorder depends on your plan.
On the Free plan
- Go to EZ Preorder → Plan.
- Click Select this plan on Core, Growth, Professional or Scale, and approve the charge on Shopify's page.
- Go to Preorders, open the Disabled tab, and click Edit on each product.
- Click Enable next to Setting.
The Free plan's lifetime limit doesn't reset, so upgrading is the only way to take more preorders.
On Core, Growth or Professional
Choose one:
- Wait for your next billing cycle. When the new cycle starts, the limit message goes away. Then switch your products back on with Edit → Enable.
- Upgrade now. Approve a higher plan on the Plan page. A new 30-day cycle starts right away. Then switch your products back on with Edit → Enable.
Products stay switched off after a new cycle or an upgrade until you switch them back on. If you switch products on while you are still over the limit in the same cycle, the next preorder order switches them all off again.
Restock alert signups
On paid plans, the Notify Me button comes back on its own within a day of your new billing cycle starting, or as soon as you upgrade. On the Free plan, it comes back only when you upgrade.
Troubleshooting
All my preorder buttons disappeared at once. You probably reached your plan limit. Check the usage card on the Dashboard and your email for "[URGENT] You have reached your preorder limit". Upgrade or wait for your next cycle, then switch the products back on.
My new billing cycle started but preorders are still off. EZ Preorder doesn't switch products back on by itself. Go to Preorders → Disabled and click Edit → Enable on each product.
I upgraded but the products are still disabled. The upgrade resets your allowance but leaves the products off. Switch them back on with Edit → Enable.
The Notify Me button disappeared from my product pages. Your restock alert signup limit is probably reached. Look for the Plan limit reached banner on the Restock Alerts page. Upgrade, or on a paid plan wait for your next cycle.
My test orders used up my Free plan. Test orders count toward limits. Test with a product that isn't on your preorder list, or switch the product off before placing test orders.
Out-of-stock products are still selling after preorders were switched off. Turn off Continue selling when out of stock on those variants in Shopify admin.
Frequently asked questions
Do test orders count toward my EZ Preorder plan limit?
Yes. EZ Preorder counts test orders the same way as real orders, as long as they contain a preorder item that meets its rule.
Is the EZ Preorder limit "preorders or revenue", or both?
It's either one. Preorders switch off when you reach the preorder count or the revenue amount, whichever comes first.
What currency are EZ Preorder revenue limits in?
USD. Orders in other currencies are converted to USD at current exchange rates before they're counted.
Does the EZ Preorder billing cycle follow the calendar month?
No. Each cycle is 30 days from your plan's start date, matching your Shopify app subscription. The Free plan has no cycle because its allowance is lifetime.
Do cancelled or refunded orders give back my EZ Preorder allowance?
No. An order counts when it's placed, and cancelling or refunding it later doesn't change the count.
Does reinstalling EZ Preorder reset the Free plan limit?
No. The Free plan's 10 preorders, $400 and 30 restock alert signups are counted over the lifetime of your store, including before an uninstall.
Will shoppers who already signed up for restock alerts still be notified after I hit my limit?
Yes. The limit only stops new signups. Shoppers already on the list still get their restock alert email when the product is back in stock.
Does the Scale plan ever switch off preorders?
No. On Scale, preorders keep working past 500 preorders or $20,000, and EZ Preorder adds a 1% usage charge instead.
Related articles
- What each EZ Preorder plan costs and includes: prices, limits and features by plan.
- EZ Preorder usage charges: how the Scale plan's fees are worked out and billed.
- How to change or cancel your EZ Preorder plan: upgrading to get past a limit.
- Manage your preorder list: switching products on and off, and the list's tabs.
- The EZ Preorder Dashboard and metrics: where to watch your usage.
- Restock alerts overview: how restock alert signups and emails work.