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Orders and fulfillment in Timesact

Every order that contains a pre-order item gets the Shopify order tag Pre-order. An order with pre-order items and any other line, such as an in-stock item, also gets Partial Pre-order, so it carries both tags.

Which order tags does Timesact add?

  • The tags are written in exact case (Pre-order, Partial Pre-order) and sit on the order, not on its line items.
  • Backorder and Made to Order orders are handled like pre-orders: they get the Shopify order tag Pre-order, and Partial Pre-order when the order has other lines.
  • An order gets the tag Back In Stock campaign when it includes a product whose back-in-stock email went to the same email address in the 30 days before the order and was opened.
  • An order with a Wishlist purchase also gets the tag Wishlist.
  • The tags describe what is in the cart, not the payment taken: a deposit order with only pre-order items carries Pre-order alone.
  • Timesact adds the tags to the Shopify order once it processes the new order, shortly after checkout.
  • The tags are standard Shopify order tags, so the merchant can filter Orders by them, export them and use them in Shopify Flow.

What fulfillment status does a Timesact pre-order get?

  • With the Shopify purchase option, the Shipping setting decides the order's fulfillment status: As soon as possible leaves it Unfulfilled, an Exact date makes it Scheduled (Shopify opens it for fulfillment on that date), and a set time or a time range from checkout puts it On hold.
  • Without a purchase option, the merchant chooses the Fulfillment status: Unfulfilled, so orders can be fulfilled right away, or On hold, where Timesact holds the pre-order products or the entire order until the merchant releases it.
  • With On hold chosen under Fulfillment status, Timesact holds the pre-order products, or the whole order, once Shopify assigns it a location, and the merchant releases it in Shopify or with Release holds in Pre-order sales.
  • With the Shopify purchase option, a pre-order reduces the Shopify available quantity either when the order is placed or when it is fulfilled, as set under 'When to reduce stock'; without a purchase option, stock drops when the order is placed.

What can Timesact do in bulk with orders that hold pre-order items?

  • Collect payment, a bulk action in the Pre-order sales orders table, requests the full remaining split-payment balance for the selected orders.
  • The merchant releases Timesact's holds in Shopify, or in bulk with Release holds in Pre-order sales, which releases only the holds Timesact placed.
  • The merchant sends the Shipping delay email to selected pre-order orders in bulk from the Pre-order sales orders table (Analytics > Pre-order > Sales), entering the product title and the new shipping date, and it always goes out as the built-in email, which has to be Live.

How does Timesact handle carts that mix pre-order and in-stock items?

  • A cart alert pop-up and a mixed cart alert pop-up can show when a cart holds pre-order items.
  • The cart alert pop-up shows when a shopper clicks Pre-order or opens the cart, whichever the merchant picks, with its own title, message and button text.
  • On PRO, Block checkout stops an order whose cart mixes pre-order and in-stock items, enforced at checkout including express checkouts.
  • Block checkout runs on the Timesact Cart Validation checkout rule, which Timesact adds to the store when the app is installed (it is listed under Shopify admin > Settings > Checkout > Checkout rules; Add rule and select it if it isn't); the merchant then turns on Block checkout and saves the checkout message in the template's Mixed cart checkout settings.

Which location fulfills a Timesact pre-order?

  • Shopify's order routing decides which location fulfills each pre-order.
  • The stock Timesact reads for a template is all locations added together by default, or only the locations picked under Markets & locations > Select inventory scope (Specific locations, a PRO option).

Which settings control Timesact orders with pre-order items?

Where: Experiences > your template > Admin > Functionality settings, with the Shopify purchase option

Setting What it does Plan
When to reduce stock Choose when a pre-order reduces your available quantity in Shopify.
  • When the order is placed: Your Shopify available quantity drops as soon as a shopper checks out.
  • When the order is fulfilled: Your Shopify available quantity stays the same until you fulfill the order.
 Every plan
Fulfillment status Shopify sets this from the Shipping date option you chose above.
  • Unfulfilled: Shopify leaves the order unfulfilled until you fulfill it.
  • Scheduled: Shopify schedules fulfillment and opens the order on the shipping date.
  • On hold: Shopify puts the order on hold. Release it in Shopify, or with Release holds in Pre-order sales, when you're ready to ship.
 Every plan

Where: Experiences > your template > Admin > Functionality settings, without a purchase option

Setting What it does Plan
Fulfillment status Choose whether orders with pre-order products can be fulfilled right away or wait on hold until you release them.
  • Unfulfilled: Orders arrive Unfulfilled, ready for you to fulfill whenever you choose.
  • On hold: Timesact puts the order on hold once Shopify has assigned it a location, so it can't ship until you release it.
 Every plan
What to place on hold Release the hold in Shopify, or with Release holds in Pre-order sales, when you're ready to ship.
  • Hold pre-order products: Only pre-order products wait. In-stock products in the same order can be fulfilled now.
  • Hold the entire order: Every unfulfilled product in the order waits, so you can ship it all at once.
 Every plan

Where: Experiences > your template > Storefront > Cart page

Setting What it does Plan
Mixed cart checkout What shoppers see when their cart mixes pre-order and in-stock items, and whether they can check out.
  • Enable mixed cart alert pop-up
 Every plan
Block checkout When enabled, customers cannot complete checkout if their cart contains both pre-order and regular in-stock items. This is enforced at checkout and cannot be bypassed (covers Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and all express checkouts).
  • Block checkout when cart mixes pre-order and in-stock items
 PRO
Checkout error message This message is shown to customers on the cart page and at checkout when their cart is blocked. PRO

Where: Analytics > Pre-order > Sales > orders table

Setting What it does Plan
Collect payment Every plan
Release holds Every plan
Send shipping delay email Every plan

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Timesact pre-order on hold in Shopify?

With the Shopify purchase option, the Shipping setting decides the order's fulfillment status: As soon as possible leaves it Unfulfilled, an Exact date makes it Scheduled (Shopify opens it for fulfillment on that date), and a set time or a time range from checkout puts it On hold. With On hold chosen under Fulfillment status, Timesact holds the pre-order products, or the whole order, once Shopify assigns it a location, and the merchant releases it in Shopify or with Release holds in Pre-order sales.

How do I release holds on Timesact pre-order orders?

The merchant releases Timesact's holds in Shopify, or in bulk with Release holds in Pre-order sales, which releases only the holds Timesact placed.

Can Timesact collect the remaining balance for several orders at once?

Yes. Collect payment, a bulk action in the Pre-order sales orders table, requests the full remaining split-payment balance for the selected orders.

How do I find Timesact pre-order orders in Shopify?

Every order that contains a pre-order item gets the Shopify order tag Pre-order. The tags are standard Shopify order tags, so the merchant can filter Orders by them, export them and use them in Shopify Flow.

Why does a mixed order get two Timesact tags?

An order with pre-order items and any other line, such as an in-stock item, also gets Partial Pre-order, so it carries both tags. The tags describe what is in the cart, not the payment taken: a deposit order with only pre-order items carries Pre-order alone.

Are Timesact Backorder and Made to Order orders tagged too?

Yes. Backorder and Made to Order orders are handled like pre-orders: they get the Shopify order tag Pre-order, and Partial Pre-order when the order has other lines.

Does the Timesact Pre-order tag reach Klaviyo?

Klaviyo's Shopify order sync does not pick up tags added after an order is processed, so the Pre-order tag does not reach Klaviyo that way. When Klaviyo is the pre-order template's notification channel, Timesact sends the Klaviyo event 'Timesact - Preorder Confirmed' for each pre-order in place of the built-in confirmation email, and pre-order flows and segments start from that event.

Does Timesact change shipping for pre-order products?

No. Timesact does not change a product's Shopify shipping or delivery profile and does not set, combine or discount shipping rates when a product goes on pre-order.

Step-by-step guides

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Last checked against the app on 5 November 2026.