Shopify draft orders: when to use them and how they work

Draft orders are Shopify's manual order builder: a quote, an invoice, and a checkout link in one. When they beat a normal checkout, how to create and send one, and the details, taxes, discounts, and expiry, that catch people out.

What a draft order actually is

A draft order is an order you build by hand in the Shopify admin instead of the customer building it in the storefront. You pick the products or add custom items, set quantities and prices, apply discounts, add shipping and taxes, then send the customer an invoice with a link to a secure checkout where they pay. Until they pay, it is a draft; the moment they complete checkout, it becomes a normal order.

Think of it as the tool for every sale that does not fit the self serve mold: the wholesale quote, the phone order, the replacement shipment, the bespoke bundle. It lives in the admin under Orders, then Drafts, and it has existed long enough that most stores have it without ever having touched it.

When a draft order beats the storefront

Wholesale and B2B quotes are the classic case, where pricing is negotiated per customer and no public price should exist. Phone and social sales are next: a customer mid conversation can be sent one payment link instead of instructions to go find the products themselves, and conversion survives the gap between chatting and paying.

Draft orders also handle the odd jobs gracefully. Charging for a repair, a rush fee, a custom engraving, or a product that is not listed publicly all work as custom line items. Stores also use them to rebuild an order after an address mistake or a failed delivery, keeping the replacement tidy instead of improvising with discount codes on the public store.

Creating and sending one, step by step

From the Drafts page, create the order, add products or custom items, and adjust each line's price if the quote calls for it. Add the customer so the invoice and order history attach to the right record, apply any discount as a percentage, fixed amount, or free shipping, then review taxes and shipping before sending. Shopify's invoice email carries the checkout link, or you can copy the link and send it through whatever channel you are already talking in.

Two settings deserve a deliberate look before sending. Tax calculation can be toggled when your quote was tax inclusive, and getting it wrong changes the total the customer sees. And you can reserve or not reserve inventory behavior depending on plan and settings, which matters if the quoted items are the last units in stock and the customer takes three days to pay.

The catches worth knowing

Draft order invoices do not expire on their own in the way many people assume, so an old quote can be paid months later at last season's price unless you delete or update the draft. Drafts also interact with discounts in ways that surprise: most automatic storefront discounts do not apply at draft checkout, because the draft's prices are already manual, so do not promise a customer their code will stack.

Finally, a draft order checkout is a real checkout, with the draft's terms baked in. Proofread the totals, the shipping method, and the customer email before sending, because the customer experiences your typo as your price. Used with that care, draft orders quietly become one of the highest value tools in the admin.

Frequently asked questions

Does the customer need a Shopify account to pay a draft order?

No. The invoice link leads to a standard secure checkout where the customer pays as a guest or with their usual details. The draft attaches to their customer record on your side without them needing any login.

Do draft orders show up in sales reports?

Yes, once the customer pays and the draft converts to a completed order, it counts in reports like any other order. Unpaid drafts sit separately in the Drafts list and do not inflate your sales numbers.

Can I add a product that is not in my store?

Yes, custom items are a core feature. You can add a line with a name, price, and quantity for services, fees, or one off items, and even mark it as requiring shipping or not, which makes draft orders ideal for repairs and custom work.

Can customers use discount codes on a draft order invoice?

Generally the draft's own pricing governs, and typical automatic discounts do not apply. If you promised a discount, build it into the draft itself as a line discount or order discount before sending the invoice.