Articles on: Pre-orders and Backorders

Shopify Pre-order Limitations

Some limitations around pre-orders are set by Shopify itself and cannot be controlled by any app, including Timesact. These are Shopify’s own platform rules and may change if Shopify updates its system or policies.

You can find Shopify’s full list of requirements and restrictions here and here.

What’s Not Supported

Pre-orders are not supported on stores using customized checkouts.
Accelerated checkouts like Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay cannot be used for pre-orders.
Local payment methods such as Klarna, mollie iDEAL, and Sofort are not compatible with pre-orders.
Pre-order products can only be sold through the Online Store and Custom Storefront sales channels.
Customers cannot mix pre-orders with other purchase types in the same checkout. For example, a subscription and a pre-order item cannot be purchased together.
Discount types like "Buy X, get Y" do not apply to pre-orders.
Pre-orders are not supported by Shop Promise.

Bundles and Pre-orders

Shopify currently has limited compatibility between product bundles and pre-orders.

Although bundles are not considered Purchase Options themselves, Shopify does not support combining them with other purchase options like pre-orders, subscriptions, or try-before-you-buy. Attempting to use both in the same product or checkout can cause unexpected behavior.

You can read more about Shopify’s bundle limitations here.

Deferred Payment Behavior

If a customer checks out with more than one pre-order product and each has a different deferred payment due date, Shopify will adjust all payment due dates to match the earliest one.

Example: If a t-shirt has a payment due date of June 3 and a book in the same order has a due date of June 7, both payments will be due on June 3.

This behavior is built into Shopify and cannot be customized through third-party apps.

Why These Limitations Exist

Shopify uses a system called Purchase Options to power pre-orders. This same system is used for other selling methods like subscriptions and try-before-you-buy. Because of how Shopify has built this system, only one purchase option can be active per product/variant.

This is why customers cannot combine a pre-order product with another purchase type, such as a subscription, in a single checkout.

You can learn more about Purchase Options here.

Need Help?

These limitations are set by Shopify and may change if they update their platform or policies. If any of them are affecting your setup, feel free to reach out to Support. We might be able to suggest a workaround that fits your needs, though there could be some tradeoffs.

Updated on: 12/02/2025

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