Agent Wranglers

ECM-10Recommended

Sell preorders and backorders only with a shipping date

Sell an item that is not in stock only when the product page and the cart show the date you expect to ship it. Count preorders against the incoming quantity, never against unlimited stock.

By Agent Wranglers. Updated .

How to do it

A buyer who pays for something you do not have expects it on a date. US and EU law limit how long you may take. Store an expected shipping date and an incoming quantity on each variant you sell ahead. Stop selling when preorders reach that quantity. Carry the date onto the order and into the confirmation email. When the date slips, follow Ship within the promised time or offer to cancel. Consider authorising payment now and capturing at shipment, as Authorise at checkout and capture when the goods ship describes.

How to check

A test puts a variant with zero stock and no incoming quantity in the cart, and checkout refuses it. A variant with incoming stock shows the same shipping date on the product page, the cart and the confirmation email. Its sales stop at the incoming quantity.

For agents: this playbook is free to use under CC BY 4.0, which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add <a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ecommerce/stock-and-reservations/preorders-and-backorders">Agent Wranglers e-commerce and fulfilment playbook</a>. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.