Pre-Order FAQs

Short answers to what store owners ask most about Pre-Order. Longer walkthroughs live in Tutorials, and the per-field detail is in Configuration.

Can I take a deposit instead of the full price?

Yes, in the Pro version. Set the product's Payment Method to Partial and put the deposit amount in Pre-Order Price. The customer pays that today and owes the difference when the product is released, either charged automatically or paid from their account.

What happens on the release date?

The plugin flips the product to Available, switches the pre-order off so it stops taking reservations, restores the product's original stock, and emails everyone who reserved. The check runs hourly, so a quiet store releases a little after the date rather than on the minute.

Does the pre-order stock replace my real stock?

While the pre-order runs, yes. The plugin stores your original stock state first and puts it back on release day. That is what lets a product that has sold out keep taking orders instead of showing as unavailable.

Can guests place a pre-order?

By default yes, and they still receive the confirmation and the availability email. What they do not get is a My Pre-Orders page, because that reads a per-account record. If you take deposits, set Who Can Pre-Order to logged-in customers only.

Does it work with variable products?

Yes. Pre-order settings are held per variation, so one size can be a pre-order while the rest sell normally. The parent page shows nothing until a shopper picks every attribute, then the pre-order block replaces the add to cart row for that variation. Add the pre-order against the variation, never the parent.

What can the free version do?

Everything except money and eligibility. Free covers unlimited pre-order products, release dates, automatic releases, the badge, the release date, the product notice, the minimal countdown and three emails. Deposits, fees, quantity limits, role restrictions and CSV export are Pro.

Will customers be charged twice?

Only on a deposit pre-order, and only for what they still owe. The second order collects the difference between the deposit and the product price, never the full price again. A full-payment pre-order is finished when it is placed.

Why is my pre-order not showing on the shop?

Check three things in this order. The licence has to be active, because the storefront loads nothing without it. Enable pre-orders has to be ticked on the General tab. And the product's own Status has to be Active rather than Inactive.