Creating draft orders

This page was printed on Oct 20, 2021. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/orders/create-orders?ref=bigdrop.

You can create orders for your customers and send them invoices from the Shopify admin or the Shopify app. The orders that you create on behalf of your customers are named draft orders. Draft orders are similar to the orders that your customers create for themselves. A draft order is converted to an order when you accept payment for it.

Draft orders are useful when you need to do the following tasks:

  • Accept payment for an order that you make over the phone, in person, or elsewhere. When you accept payment for your draft order, an order is created for it on the Orders page.
  • Send invoices to customers to pay with a secure checkout link.
  • Use custom items to represent additional costs or products that aren't displayed in your inventory.
  • Re-create orders manually from any of your active sales channels.
  • Sell products at discount or wholesale rates.
  • Take pre-orders.
  • Save the orders as a draft and resume working on it later. If you save your order as a draft, then you can update it later from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

If you use Shopify Payments with multiple currencies enabled, then you can send draft order invoices in your customer's local currency. Mark as paid, Mark as pending, and Pay by credit card options are available only in your store's default currency when accepting payment for draft orders. If you create a draft order invoice using another currency, and then you decide to use the Mark as paid, Mark as pending, and Pay by credit card options, then the currency is defaulted back to your store's currency.

Create a draft order

You can create a draft order on behalf of your customer and then send them an invoice for the order. By default, the invoice contains a link to a checkout, where your customer can pay for their order.

Draft orders can contain the following information:

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders

  2. Click Create order.

  3. Add products to the order.

  4. Customize the order:

    • Add a customer.
    • Apply discounts.
    • Turn taxes on or off.
    • Add tags or a note.

  5. Do one of the following actions:

    • Send an invoice to the customer. By default, the invoice contains a link to a checkout that your customer can use to pay for the order.
    • Accept payment from the customer.
    • Save the order as a draft so that you can update it later from the Drafts page.

You can also create orders with pre-filled customer information from existing customer profiles.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the + button.

  3. Add products to the order.

  4. Customize the order:

    • Add a customer.
    • Apply discounts.
    • Turn taxes on or off.
    • Add tags or a note.

  5. Do one of the following actions:

    • Send an invoice to the customer. By default, the invoice contains a link to a checkout that your customer can use to pay for the order.
    • If you expect payment later, then mark the order as pending.
    • If your customer has paid for their order outside of Shopify, then mark the order as paid.
    • Save the order as a draft so that you can update it later from the Draft orders view.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the + button.

  3. Add products to the order.

  4. Customize the order:

    • Add a customer.
    • Apply discounts.
    • Turn taxes on or off.
    • Add tags or a note.

  5. Do one of the following actions:

    • Send an invoice to the customer. By default, the invoice contains a link to a checkout that your customer can use to pay for the order.
    • If you expect payment later, then mark the order as pending.
    • If your customer has paid for their order outside of Shopify, then mark the order as paid.
    • Save the order as a draft so that you can update it later from the Draft orders view.

Add products

  1. Open the draft order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the Order details section, do any of the following:

    • Enter the name of the product that you want to add to your order.
    • Click Browse products to view a list of your store's products and collections.
    • Create a custom item for the order by clicking Add custom item.

  3. Check the individual products or variants that you want to include in the order.

  4. Click Add to order. To remove a product from the order, click the X button beside it in Order details section.

  5. Check the quantity of products you have added to the order. If you add a product that has an inventory of zero and the product does not allow overselling, then you will receive a message warning you of a stock problem when you try to checkout.

  6. Optional: To reserve the products included in an invoice or a draft order, click Reserve items and then select how long you want the items to be reserved. This reserves any items that have inventory tracking enabled, but doesn't adjust their actual inventory levels in your Shopify admin.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a product to.

  3. In the Items section, tap Add product to view a list of your store's products. You can also create a custom item for the order by tapping Add custom item.

  4. Tap the product you want to include in the order. To remove a product from the order, tap the product and then tap Remove product from order.

  5. Check the quantity of products you have added to the order. If you add a product that has an inventory of zero, then the draft order creates a negative inventory.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a product to.

  3. In the Items section, tap Add product to view a list of your store's products. You can also create a custom item for the order by tapping Add custom item.

  4. Tap the product you want to include in the order. To remove a product from the order, tap the product and then tap Remove product from order.

  5. Check the quantity of products you have added to the order. If you add a product that has an inventory of zero, then the draft order creates a negative inventory.

Set item or order discounts

If you want to apply a discount to the current order, then you can choose to discount the entire order or just individual items within it. Both item and order discounts are applied to the total price of the order - be careful not to duplicate the discount. Discount codes can't be applied at checkout for orders created as draft order invoices.

Apply a discount to an item

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the Order details section, click price beside the item's name.

  3. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the listed price.

  4. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount in the Reason text box.

  5. Click Apply.

Apply a discount to the entire order

  1. Open the order from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Add discount.

  3. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the total price. This discount is applied on top of any item-specific discounts.

  4. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount in the Reason text box.

  5. Click Apply.

Apply a discount to an item

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to apply a discount to.

  3. In the Items section, tap the item that you want to apply a discount to.

  4. Tap Add discount.

  5. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the listed price.

  6. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount.

  7. Tap Done, then tap Save to apply the discount.

Apply a discount to the entire order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to apply a discount to.

  3. In the Pricing section, tap Add discount.

  4. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the listed price.

  5. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount.

  6. Tap Done.

Apply a discount to an item

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to apply a discount to.

  3. In the Items section, tap the item that you want to apply a discount to.

  4. Tap Add discount.

  5. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the listed price.

  6. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount.

  7. Tap Done, then tap Save to apply the discount.

Apply a discount to the entire order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to apply a discount to.

  3. In the Pricing section, tap Add discount.

  4. Set the discount as a currency amount, or a percentage of the listed price.

  5. Optional: Enter a reason for the discount.

  6. Tap Done.

Add shipping

If the current order requires shipping, then you can choose a preset shipping rate or create a custom rate.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Add shipping.

  3. Select Custom, and then enter a shipping rate.

  4. If you selected Custom, then enter the custom rate name and the shipping rate.

  5. Click Apply.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add shipping to.

  3. Tap Add shipping.

  4. Select a shipping rate option, or tap Custom rate to enter a custom shipping rate.

  5. Tap Save.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add shipping to.

  3. Tap Add shipping.

  4. Select a shipping rate option, or tap Custom rate to enter a custom shipping rate.

  5. Tap ✓ .

Add tags

You can organize your orders beyond whether they're captured, paid, and fulfilled by adding tags. You can filter orders by tag, and then save a search for that tag so that you can quickly access those orders in the future.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Enter the tag names separated by a comma. Order tags are limited to 40 characters (letters and numbers) per tag.

  3. To select from your previously used tags, click View all tags. Click the tags that you want to add, then click Apply changes to apply them to the order.

  4. Click Save.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a tag to.

  3. In the Tags section, tap Add tag.

  4. Enter the tag names separated by commas. Order tags are limited to 40 characters (letters and numbers) per tag.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a tag to.

  3. In the Tags section, tap Add tag.

  4. Enter the tag names separated by commas. Order tags are limited to 40 characters (letters and numbers) per tag.

Add or remove taxes

By default, draft orders include taxes based on your store's tax settings and the customer's shipping address. If you don't have a shipping address on file, then taxes are based on the customer's billing address instead.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the Order details section, click Taxes.

  3. Select Charge taxes.

  4. Click Apply to save your changes, or Close to cancel.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want change.

  3. In the Pricing section, toggle Charge taxes on or off.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want change.

  3. In the Pricing section, toggle Charge taxes on or off.

Add or remove a customer

Add a customer to a draft order

  1. Open the order from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In Find or create a customer section, start entering the name of an existing customer or enter the name of a new customer.

  3. Click the customer to assign them to the order.

  4. If you're creating a new customer, then click Create a new customer.

  5. Fill in the applicable fields in Create a new customer.

  6. Click Save customer. This customer is now saved to your store.

  7. Click Save.

Change a customer's contact information

  1. Open the order from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the Customer section of the order, click Edit next to the customer's email, shipping address, or billing address.

  3. Make any required changes.

  4. Click Save.

Remove a customer from a draft order

In the Customer section of the draft order, click the X icon.

This won't remove the customer from the customer list in your Shopify admin.

Add a customer to a draft order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a customer to.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Add customer.

  4. Tap a customer, or tap + to create a new customer.

Change a customer's contact information

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to change.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Edit.

  4. Make your changes to the customer information, then tap Save.

Remove a customer from a draft order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to change.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Edit.

  4. Tap Remove customer from order, then tap Remove customer.

Add a customer to a draft order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to add a customer to.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Add customer.

  4. Tap a customer, or tap + to create a new customer.

Change a customer's contact information

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to change.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Edit.

  4. Make your changes to the customer information, then tap Save.

Remove a customer from a draft order

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to change.

  3. In the Customer section, tap Edit.

  4. Tap Remove customer from order, then tap Remove customer.

Set payment terms for payments due later

Payment terms let you set the date that payment is due on an order. You can set payment terms on draft orders, or you can add them to existing orders that have a Payment pending status.

You can choose from the following options when setting the payment terms:

  • Due on receipt: Use this option to set the payment as due on the date that you send the invoice to your customer.
  • Net term: Use this option to set the payment as due within the specified number of days from the issue date. For example, you can choose Within 30 days, and the payment due date is set to 30 days after the issue date. By default, the issue date is set to the current date, but you can change the issue date after you select a net term option.
  • Fixed term: Use this option to set the payment as due on a specific date.

If an order isn't paid by the due date, then the order status becomes Overdue.

After you set the payment terms, you can send an invoice or accept payment for the order.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the Payment section, select Payment due later.

  3. Select one of the following Payment terms:

    • To set the payment due on the day that you send the invoice, select Due on receipt.
    • To set the payment due within a time duration of an issue date, select one of the Within days options, and then enter the Issue date.
    • To set the payment due on a specific day, select Fixed date, and then enter the Due date.

  4. Click Save.

If you create a draft order for a customer, then you can share a link to the checkout page for the order so that the customer can enter billing information, select a shipping method, and submit payment. After the customer completes the checkout process using the link, the draft order becomes an order in the Orders page and is automatically marked as Paid.

There are two ways to share checkout links with your customers:

Send invoice

You can send an invoice to your customer with a link to the checkout page. Your customer can use the link in the email to enter billing information, select a shipping method, and submit payment.

You can also send invoices for orders with a Payment pending status.

If you use Shopify Payments with multiple currencies enabled, then you can send draft order invoices in your customer's local currency.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Send invoice.

  3. In the Send invoice dialog, enter the message that you want to include in the invoice.

  4. In the Payment currency section, select the currency for the order.

  5. Click Review invoice.

  6. In the dialog, review your invoice and click Send invoice.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to send an invoice for.

  3. In the Invoice section, tap Send invoice.

  4. In the Payment currency section, select the currency for the order.

  5. Enter the invoice information, then tap Review.

  6. Review the invoice, then tap Send.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to send an invoice for.

  3. In the Invoice section, tap Send invoice.

  4. In the Payment currency section, select the currency for the order.

  5. Enter the invoice information, then tap Review.

  6. Review the invoice, then tap Send.

You can create a draft order for customer requests initiated on social media apps, and then share a link to the checkout page with your customer.

Steps:

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to send an invoice for.

  3. Tap ..., and then tap Share checkout link.

  4. Tap the social media app on which you want to share the link.

  5. Review your message, and then tap Send.

  1. From the Shopify app, tap Orders, then tap Draft orders.

  2. Tap the order that you want to send an invoice for.

  3. Tap ..., and then tap Share checkout link.

  4. Tap the social media app on which you want to share the link.

  5. Review your message, and then tap Send.

Accept payment

You can accept payment for draft orders by marking an order as paid if you have already received payment, or by accepting payment by credit card if you have your customer's billing information. When you accept payment for a draft order, it becomes an order on the Orders page.

For most countries, you aren't charged transaction fees for orders when you're using Shopify Payments. You pay only the credit card processing fees when processing credit card purchases manually in your Shopify admin.

If you're using a supported direct credit card payment provider instead, then you pay the same transaction fees when processing credit card purchases that you pay for online orders.

If you mark the order as paid and select a manual payment method, such as cash on delivery or bank deposit, then you do not incur transaction fees for that order.

Mark payment as paid

If you've already received payment for the current order, or if you're importing a past order from another platform into your Shopify admin, then you can mark the order as paid. The received amount is not captured again by your payment provider, and an order confirmation email is sent to the customer.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Collect payment.

  3. Click Mark as paid.

  4. Click Create order to confirm your payment setting and create an order from your draft order.

Accept payment by credit card

If you have the billing information of your customer, or if your customer is available to enter it directly, then you can accept payment for the order by credit card. This payment method is only available with Shopify Payments.

Steps:

  1. Open the order from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Collect payment.

  3. Click Pay by credit card.

  4. Enter the customer's billing and credit card information.

  5. Click Charge to confirm your payment settings and create an order from your draft order.

Duplicate an existing order

When you create a draft order, you can save time by duplicating an existing order or an existing draft order. The following scenarios are examples of where duplicating an existing order might be useful:

When you duplicate an existing order or a draft order, a new draft order is created with duplicates of the following information:

  • products - The duplicate line item contains the latest information for that product. If a product has been removed, then it won't appear in the duplicate draft order.
  • custom items
  • customer information - If the customer has been deleted, then a customer is created based on the email, billing, and shipping addresses.
  • email, billing, and shipping addresses
  • notes, note attributes, and tags

Discounts and shipping rates are not duplicated in the draft order.

Steps:

  1. Open the order (or the draft order) from the Orders page in your Shopify admin.

  2. In the order (or draft order) details page, click Duplicate.

    A draft order is created with the same line items and customer information as the original order.

  3. Do one of the following actions:

If you save your order as a draft, then you can update it later from the Drafts page in your Shopify admin. When you accept payment for your draft order, an order is created for it on the Orders page.

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