How to find and manage preorder orders
EZ Preorder & Back In Stock does not keep a separate order list; preorder orders are in your Shopify admin under Orders. EZ Preorder tags every order that contains a preorder item with the tag preorder, and each item added with the preorder button carries the line item property type: preorder. To see all preorder orders, filter Orders by the tag preorder, then fulfill, hold, refund or export them with Shopify's normal tools.
Available on: All plans (Free, Core, Growth, Professional and Scale).
Where to find it: Shopify admin → Orders, filtered by the tag preorder.
How to find preorder orders in your Shopify admin
- In your Shopify admin, go to Orders.
- Add a filter for orders Tagged with
preorder, or typetag:preorderin the search box. - Optional: save the filtered view in Shopify so you can open it in one click next time.
Combine the tag with Shopify's other filters, such as unfulfilled or unpaid, to see the preorders that still need action. Shopify's Export can export the filtered orders.
Which orders get the preorder tag
EZ Preorder checks each new order once, when Shopify creates it. The order gets the preorder tag 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 when the order was placed: 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.
EZ Preorder decides from the rule and the stock, not from how the item was added. A matching order is tagged whatever sales channel it comes from, including orders you create in the Shopify admin. The same orders count toward your plan's preorder limit. See Plan limits.
How to tell which items in an order are preorders
The preorder tag is on the whole order. To see which items are preorders, look at the line items: each item added with a preorder button shows the property type: preorder under its name on the order page. Items without the property were added with your theme's normal button.
The property is added by every preorder button EZ Preorder shows: on product pages, collection pages, the featured preorder section and the custom preorder page. Preorder discounts and free gifts use the same property to find preorder items in the cart.
How to manage preorder orders
- Holds: if Configuration → Fulfillment Order Status is turned on, each preorder order's fulfillment is placed on hold when the order arrives. Release the hold in Shopify when you are ready to ship. See Hold preorder fulfillment.
- Delays: to tell everyone who bought a product about a new ship date, send the Shipment Update email. See Shipment update email.
- Deposits: orders paid with a deposit have their remaining balance charged on the date you set. See How remaining balances are charged.
- Fulfilling: receive the stock into Shopify, then fulfill the orders as usual. EZ Preorder does not remove the
preordertag when an order is fulfilled. - Cancelling and refunding: use Shopify's normal cancel and refund tools.
Limitations
- When EZ Preorder tags an order, it sets the order's tags to
preorder. Tags that another app or a Shopify Flow workflow added before that moment are replaced. If another tool needs to tag preorder orders, have it run on thepreordertag, or add its tags afterwards. - The tag name is always
preorderand cannot be changed. - Orders are checked only once, when they are created. Editing an order later does not add or remove the tag.
- Orders for disabled products, or products not on the list, are not tagged, even if their items carry the
type: preorderproperty. - Test orders that match the rules are tagged and counted like real orders.
Troubleshooting
A preorder order has no preorder tag. When it was placed, the product was disabled or not on the list, or the variant's rule did not match its stock. For example, a Sold out variant that still had stock creates a regular order.
Regular in-stock 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. See Preorder rules.
Other tags disappeared from preorder orders. EZ Preorder replaces the order's tags when it adds preorder. Add your other tags after EZ Preorder has tagged the order.
The type: preorder property is not shown in the cart. Your theme decides whether the cart page shows line item properties. The property is still on the item and appears on the order.
Frequently asked questions
Does EZ Preorder have its own orders page?
No. Preorder orders are managed in Shopify admin → Orders, using the preorder tag.
Can I change the name of the preorder tag?
No. EZ Preorder always uses the tag preorder.
Is the tag removed when I fulfill the order?
No. EZ Preorder never removes the tag, so fulfilled preorder orders keep it.
Do orders from other sales channels get tagged?
Yes. Any new order with a matching variant is tagged, whichever channel it comes from, because EZ Preorder decides from the variant's rule and stock.
How do I see how many preorders count toward my plan?
The EZ PreOrder Dashboard shows how many preorders your plan has used: in the current billing cycle on paid plans, and in total on the Free plan. See Dashboard and metrics.
Related articles
- How preorders work: the full journey from button to fulfilled order.
- Hold preorder fulfillment: put preorder orders on hold automatically.
- Shipment update email: tell customers about a new ship date.
- How remaining balances are charged: deposit orders.
- Preorder rules: which orders become preorders.
- Plan limits: what counts toward your plan.