Enable per variant
Variant → Inventory → policy: 'Continue selling when out of stock'. Customer can order despite 0 count.
Communication
Product page copy: 'Ships in 3-5 business days after order' (MTO) or 'Preorder — ships Nov 15' (preorder).
Order confirmation email
Reinforce production/preorder timing. Reduces 'where's my order?' tickets by 40%.
Not the same as backorder
- Continue selling: MTO or preorder (planned)
- Backorder: oversold, restock TBD (unplanned)
Frequently asked questions
How to enable continue selling on Shopify?
Variant → Inventory → policy → 'Continue selling when out of stock'.
Continue selling for POD products?
Yes — POD has infinite virtual inventory. Set 'continue' for all POD variants.
Preorder vs continue selling?
Preorder = product not yet available (release date). Continue selling = general MTO.
How to communicate MTO timing?
Product page copy + confirmation email. Set expectation upfront.
Does continue selling affect Google Shopping?
Feed shows 'in stock' vs 'preorder' vs 'out of stock'. Set correctly.
How to charge preorder customer?
Full charge at order (default) or partial deposit (via preorder app).
Backorder vs continue selling?
Backorder: oversold, unknown restock. Continue: MTO with known SLA.
Best preorder app for Shopify?
Preorder Now, Kaktus Preorder, or native 'continue selling' + custom copy.
Related reading
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