How do pre-orders work with Shopify Markets and locations?

Updated November 2, 2026 · SMART Preorder & Back in stock (E-TRADE PARTNER)

A campaign sells in every market by default. If your store has more than one active market, the campaign's Settings tab has a Markets section where you can choose Specific markets; in the others, the campaign's sold-out variants show as Sold out. Campaigns don't pick a location: the app reads the variant's stock in Shopify and switches its Continue selling setting, which applies in every location and market.

Sell a pre-order in some markets only

1. Open the campaign and go to the Settings tab. Markets is the first section of the Checkout card. It only shows when your store has more than one active market.
2. Choose Specific markets and select the markets in the search field. The list shows your store's active markets.
3. Click Save. If you choose Specific markets without picking one, the editor asks you to select at least one.

A market you picked that's no longer active shows as Inactive market. Remove it or pick another.

What shoppers in other markets see

• The market is the one Shopify assigns to the visitor on your storefront.
• Sold-out variants of the campaign show a disabled Sold out button, and adding them to the cart is refused, on the product page and on product cards.
• Variants with stock sell as normal orders.
• If back in stock is on, Notify me can show on those sold-out variants. See Set up Notify me.

Currencies

• Prices, the deposit and the payment message on the product page use Shopify's own figures for the shopper's currency.
• A Fixed amount per item deposit and a Fixed amount off discount are entered in your store currency. If you sell in several currencies, place a test checkout in each one to see what customers pay, or use a percentage deposit, which follows each market's price.
• Pre-order emails show amounts in the customer's currency when it differs from your store currency.
• The balance charge is whatever Shopify says the order still owes. See How balance charges work.

Locations and stock

• On the storefront, a variant counts as sold out when Track quantity is on and its stock in Shopify is 0 or below, or when Shopify says it can't be sold.
• A campaign has no location setting. Continue selling, which the app switches on while the campaign is live, applies to the variant as a whole.
• Deduct inventory (Settings tab > Orders > Inventory) chooses whether Shopify lowers stock When the order is placed or When the order is fulfilled (Shopify developer docs).
• Fulfillment service (3PL) locations: the app's fulfillment holds work there too. See Fulfillment holds and 3PLs.

POS and other sales channels

Pre-orders only work in the Online Store and custom storefronts; Shopify doesn't support them in Shopify POS (Shopify developer docs). Because Continue selling is on while a campaign is live, a sold-out variant can still be sold on POS or another channel as a normal order: no deposit, no hold, no pre-order emails, and it doesn't count toward the unit limit. The campaign's Products card warns "products are also sold on other sales channels" and lists them. To stop it, open the product in Shopify and remove those channels under Publishing.

Back in stock emails have their own market and location settings. See Restock alert emails.

Frequently asked questions