E-commerce
March 25, 2025
In the Shopify admin, draft orders (often called « purchase orders » in French) make it possible to sell outside the standard flow: phone, in-person, chat, B2B quotes, or negotiated pricing. This guide is based on the Shopify Help Center page Creating draft orders, the article Sending invoices for draft orders, the documentation on inventory states, and the DraftOrder resource in the Admin API (shopify.dev). You'll find tables, an operational checklist, and links to our articles on products, inventory management, and loyalty programs.
The goal is simple: create an order in a customer's name, then either send an invoice with a secure payment link, collect payment directly from the admin, or save a draft to finish later. Once payment is accepted, the draft order becomes a regular order: it appears in Orders and follows your normal fulfillment workflow.
Summary
Terminology: purchase order and provisional order
In the Shopify interface, the official label is draft order. The menu is under Orders > Drafts, with a button such as Create order. In the French documentation, the term “draft order” is consistent with how it works: as long as payment is not finalized, it is an editable draft. Francophone sales teams often use “purchase order” to refer to the same flow: keep an internal convention (tag names, reference prefixes) to find these records in saved views.
What a draft order can contain
According to the Help Center, a draft order can group several information blocks: products, discounts, shipping costs, taxes, customer, tags, and, where applicable, a market for international pricing. The following table summarizes the role of each block and why it deserves attention before sending the invoice.
Block | Operational role | Watch point |
|---|---|---|
Products or lots | Align the cart with the actual catalog | Check available stock and selected variant |
Discounts | Codes, automatic discounts, or manual amounts | Consistency with your sales policy |
Shipping | Predefined, custom, local, or pickup rate | Customer address required for location-based rates |
Taxes | Estimated based on addresses and store settings | Switch to tax billing if needed |
Customer | Billing, history, loyalty | Correct email before sending invoice |
Tags | Filter and save order views | 40 characters max per tag (Shopify documentation) |
Market | Local currency and international pricing | Rate fixed at creation; review if draft is modified later |
Use cases and merchant profiles
Draft orders are useful when public checkout isn't enough: assisted selling, negotiation, services, order replacement, manual channel takeover, or wholesale sales with special terms. The table below presents common scenarios and the settings to plan ahead.
Scenario | What you configure first | Helpful internal link |
|---|---|---|
Phone or trade show sales | Associated customer, shipping, invoice | |
Negotiated pricing or line discount | Line or cart discounts, price locking | |
Non-catalog item (service, fees) | Custom item, with the limitations in mind | |
B2B order with terms | Payment terms, market, taxes | |
Support: recreate an order | Duplication of an existing or draft order |
Create an order: desktop and mobile journey
Draft orders are used when the public checkout isn't enough: assisted selling, negotiation, services, order replacement, manual re-entry from a channel, or wholesale sales with special terms. The table below outlines common scenarios and the settings to plan ahead for.
Scenario | What you configure first | Useful internal link |
|---|---|---|
Phone or trade show sales | Associated customer, shipping, invoice | |
Negotiated price or line-item discount | Line or cart discounts, price locking | |
Non-catalog item (service, fees) | Custom item, with the limits in mind | |
B2B order with terms | Payment terms, market, taxes | |
Support: recreate an order | Duplication of an existing order or draft order |
Create an order: desktop and mobile workflow
Creation starts from Orders > Drafts in the admin, or directly from the Drafts page (Shopify admin). A new draft does not prefill anything: you add the line items manually. On mobile, the Shopify app (device detection) offers an equivalent flow via the Orders menu and then draft orders.
Open Orders > Drafts, then Create order.
Add products (search, browse collections, or add bundles).
Customize: customer, discounts, taxes, tags, notes, market.
Choose the final action: send an invoice by email, accept payment, set deferred payment terms, or save a draft to come back later.
Shopify help specifies that you can also start from an existing customer profile to prefill information. For teams that receive a lot of calls, this step reduces email errors and speeds up location-based shipping rates.
Duplicate an existing order or draft
To avoid re-entering everything, you can duplicate an existing order or an already open draft order. The duplicate carries over in particular the products (with the latest catalog information), custom items, customer information, addresses, notes and attributes, the market, and tags. However, discounts and shipping rates are not copied: you need to adjust them on the new draft. This is useful for recurring customers or for correcting an order by starting from a close base.
Custom articles: when to use them
A custom item represents a product, a service, or fees that do not exist as a standard product in your catalog. Shopify reminds us: whenever possible, create products in the admin rather than using custom items, because cataloged products help calculate shipping rates and assign locations.
"Whenever possible, create products in your administrator interface instead of using custom items. Products created in your administrator interface help Shopify calculate shipping rates and assign orders to locations."
Shopify Help Center, section on custom items (free translation and quotation)
Documented consequences when you use custom items: no product image or clickable product title, no link to a product page, no inventory tracking, no inclusion in product sales reports, and incompatibility with certain automated shipping workflows or shipping apps. For one-time services, the custom item remains practical, but for anything recurring, a cataloged product or service simplifies the rest.
Reserve stock and avoid overselling
Without reservation, quantities remain available to other buyers. If stock drops to zero while a draft is still open, a warning appears in the draft order. To block units, use Reserve stock: the units become unavailable to other customers. The documentation says you must choose an expiration date and time for the reservation. Stock tracking must be enabled for the product concerned; the quantity statuses are detailed on the page about stock statuses.
Situation | Behavior | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
Unreserved stock | Other customers can still buy | Reserve if the invoice is sent with a delay |
Out of stock during the draft | Warning in the draft order | Adjust the stock or the line |
Overselling allowed on the product | You can add even with zero stock | Check the customer-facing message at checkout |
Lock or unlock pricing
By default, the prices in a draft order are unlocked until you enable locking. Locking ensures that line prices do not change if you later modify the price in the catalog. Locked products display a padlock symbol next to the price. You can unlock at any time; the order then updates with catalog prices or B2B catalog prices if you use catalogs.
Important point for invoicing: when you send an invoice or share a payment link, pricing is locked by default, unless you manually unlock it before sending. This aligns the amount seen by the customer with what you have approved.
Discounts, shipping and taxes
Discounts on a draft order can include codes, eligible automatic discounts, as well as custom discounts on the order or on line items. For shipping, you can choose a rate from your settings, a local method, in-store pickup, or a custom rate (name and cost). Shipping method customizations active at checkout apply by default to draft order payments, but they do not appear the same way in the admin when creating the draft.
For taxes, by default, estimates follow your store settings and the shipping address; without a shipping address, taxes can rely on the billing address. You can enable or disable the Charge taxes checkbox after opening the estimated tax area.
Customer, addresses and shipping rates
Adding a customer is required if you want a shipping rate based on location. You can attach an existing customer or create a new one from the provisional order. Billing and shipping addresses can be edited via the customer block menu. Email errors are a common cause of invoices not being received: check the spelling and domain before sending.
Deferred payment terms (More: deposits)
Payment terms let you define a due date when payment is not immediate. After setup, you can send an invoice or capture payment in the admin. The following table summarizes the types described in the French documentation.
Term | Description |
|---|---|
Due on receipt | Payment is due on the invoice date. |
Due on fulfillment | Payment is due when you fulfill all items. |
Net terms | Due in a number of days (net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60, or 90). |
Fixed term | Due on a specific date. |
The Shopify help indicates that the Require a deposit option as a percentage is reserved for the Shopify Plus plan. If you're not on Plus, plan deposits another way (for example, a partial invoice or an internal process) while keeping traceability in the notes.
International markets and local currencies
With international tools, currency and pricing depend on the market associated with the order. Adding the customer updates pricing and displays the local currency. The exchange rate is calculated when the draft order is created and remains fixed on the invoice; if you save a draft and edit it later, pricing may be recalculated using the exchange rate at the time of the edit. The documentation also lists side effects when you change markets (taxes included or not, duties, MSRP). If in doubt about a cross-border case, compare with your pricing policy and applicable tax rules.
Send an invoice or capture payment in the admin
Two main paths:
Send an invoice: the customer receives an email with a link to a payment page where they enter their information and confirm. Shipping details are covered in the article Sending invoices for draft orders.
Accept payment: you capture payment from the admin (card, another method depending on your setup), which turns the draft order into a confirmed order.
You can also leave the draft open to finalize a negotiation or wait for a customer response.
API, apps and automation
The developer documentation (shopify.dev) describes the DraftOrder resource as the tool for creating orders on behalf of customers, sending invoices with secure links, using custom items, manually duplicating orders, selling with discounts or wholesale pricing, or managing preorders. The legacy REST endpoints are complemented by the GraphQL mutations draftOrderCreate, draftOrderInvoiceSend, draftOrderComplete, etc. Public apps should follow the migration to GraphQL for new development.
Documented note: the DraftOrder resource does not expose inventory reservation information via the API; operationally, continue to check reservations in the admin interface.
Delete a draft and retention
You can delete an open or completed draft order. Deleting a completed draft order does not delete the final order that has already been created. For performance, Shopify indicates that draft orders created on April 1, 2025 or later are automatically deleted after one year of inactivity, with any change resetting the timer. If you keep drafts for legal or business reasons, document them elsewhere or convert them into an order.
Best practices and common mistakes
Common mistake | Consequence | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Incorrect customer email | Invoice not received | Double-check the profile before sending |
No stock reservation | Mismatch between shipment and payment | Reserve with an expiration date |
Overuse of custom items | Shipping and reports less reliable | Create cataloged products when it is recurring |
Forgetting the market on an international sale | Currency or tax discrepancy | Check the Market block before invoicing |
Draft left without follow-up | Automatic deletion after 12 months (2025+ rule) | Sales pipeline or follow-up |
Checklist before sending an invoice
Lines and quantities match the quote.
Customer and addresses are consistent with the delivery method.
Discounts and taxes aligned with your policy.
Price locking or a clear intention to let Shopify lock prices on send.
Stock reservation if the payment window is long.
Tags to find the file (e.g.
telephone,salon-2025).
Complete with a chatbot
An AI chatbot like Qstomy can answer questions about availability, lead times, or return conditions before an advisor creates the draft order. It reduces back-and-forth on product references and prepares customers with the right level of information. For complex orders or negotiated pricing, humans remain at the center: the bot qualifies, the team assembles the draft. Learn more: e-commerce chatbot, AI recommendations, Shopify integration.
Summary
Draft orders (purchase orders) centralize assisted selling in Shopify: catalog, discounts, shipping, taxes, customer, market, and tags. Use inventory reservation to secure quantities, price locking to freeze an offer, and payment terms for due dates. Duplicate existing orders to save time, but recalculate discounts and shipping charges. For advanced automation, the DraftOrder API and GraphQL mutations are the references, while keeping operational approval in the admin. Finally, take into account the one-year retention for drafts created from April 2025 onward so you do not lose sales history.
FAQ
What is the difference with a standard checkout?
The standard checkout is initiated by the customer on the storefront. The draft order is created by the merchant in the admin, then paid via invoice or manual payment.
Is inventory always reserved?
No. Reservation is an optional action. Without it, inventory remains available for other orders.
Are prices automatically fixed?
By default, prices are not locked until you enable locking. Sending an invoice locks pricing by default, unless manually unlocked.
Do custom items affect inventory?
No. They are not tracked in inventory and do not affect levels.
Does deleting a draft erase the paid order?
No. Deleting a completed draft order does not delete the order created from it.
What happens if I leave a draft inactive?
For drafts created on April 1, 2025 or later, Shopify automatically deletes them after one year of inactivity; any edit resets the clock.
Going further
March 25, 2025
