How do I create a draft order in Shopify?

Go to Orders > Drafts > Create draft, add products and customer details, then send an invoice or mark as paid.

Does a draft order deduct inventory?

No — inventory is reserved only when the draft is paid or marked paid, not when the draft is created.

Can I apply a discount to a draft order?

Yes — apply fixed or percentage discounts, wholesale rates, or custom pricing per line item.

Can a customer pay a draft order themselves?

Yes — send the invoice by email and the customer checks out via the secure payment link.

What happens when a draft order is paid?

It converts to a real order, appears in your orders and analytics, and triggers fulfillment and notifications.

Glossary Term

D

Draft Orders

Orders created manually in the Shopify admin and sent to a customer for payment — ideal for wholesale, custom, and phone sales.

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Key Takeaways
Draft Orders are manual orders built in the admin and sent as an invoice for payment.
Use them for wholesale, custom products, phone/email sales, and abandoned-checkout recovery.
You can apply custom pricing, manual tax, shipping, and bulk or wholesale discounts.
When the customer pays the invoice, the draft becomes a real order in Shopify.
Drafts don't deduct inventory until paid — useful for holding stock without committing it.

Overview

Draft Orders are orders created manually in the Shopify admin rather than placed through the storefront checkout. A merchant builds the order — products, quantities, custom pricing, shipping, and taxes — then sends a payment link (an invoice) to the customer, or completes payment directly.

They're used for wholesale and B2B orders, custom or made-to-order products, phone and email sales, influencer and PR gifting, and recovering abandoned checkouts by sending a fresh payment link. Draft orders can apply bulk discounts, custom pricing, and customer-tag-based wholesale rates.

Because a draft order bypasses the storefront, it lets you sell in ways the standard checkout can't — negotiated pricing, manual tax overrides, items with no published price. Once the customer pays, the draft converts to a real order in your admin and analytics dashboard like any other.

1

Why Draft Orders Matter for Shopify Merchants

1
Sell Outside the Storefront
Take phone, email, and wholesale orders without redirecting customers through checkout.
2
Custom Pricing and Terms
Apply negotiated rates, manual tax, and wholesale discounts the standard cart can't.
3
Recover Abandoned Checkouts
Send a fresh invoice from an abandoned checkout to close the sale manually.
4
Handle Custom and Made-to-Order
Bill for bespoke products and services that have no published price.
5
Influencer and PR Gifting
Send products to creators with a draft at zero or discounted value.

2

Using Draft Orders Effectively

1
Send an invoice, don't just mark paid
Emailing the invoice lets the customer pay themselves and keeps the order tied to their account.
2
Apply wholesale rates
Use customer tags and a B2B or wholesale app to auto-apply tier pricing on drafts.
3
Set tax and shipping manually
Override tax and shipping for cross-border or freight orders the automatic rules get wrong.
4
Track draft conversion
Unpaid drafts are recoverable; review them weekly alongside your abandoned cart recovery.
5
Mind inventory
Stock is reserved only when the draft is paid or marked paid — don't assume a draft holds inventory.