Pre-orders before the stock arrives
Preorder lets you sell WooCommerce products before they are in stock. Mark any product as a pre-order from the product editor and it stays purchasable even when out of stock — with a custom button label, an optional release date and a clear pre-order flag in the cart and on the order.
Works with
Shoppers bounce off unavailable products
A product is sold out or not released yet, so shoppers cannot buy it and leave. Without pre-orders you lose reservations for upcoming releases and restocks.
- ✗ No way to sell before a product is available
- ✗ Sold-out products cannot be reserved
- ✗ No estimated release date for shoppers
- ✗ Pre-order lines indistinguishable from normal ones in fulfilment
Preorder lets you sell before availability
- ✓ A per-product pre-order flag in Product data → General
- ✓ Stays purchasable even when out of stock
- ✓ An optional release date and custom button label
- ✓ Clear pre-order flag in the cart and on the order
What you get in the free version
Everything you need to sell products as pre-orders.
Pre-order flag
Mark any simple product as a pre-order in Product data → General.
Release date
An optional per-product date, shown to shoppers as the estimated availability date.
Custom button label
Custom add-to-cart text, globally or per product.
Purchasable when out of stock
Pre-order products stay purchasable even when their stock status is out of stock.
Cart and checkout flagging
The cart and checkout show a clear pre-order line with the release date.
Order flagging
Order line items are flagged as pre-orders (order item meta) for fulfilment.
Settings screen
WooCommerce → Pre-orders: global on/off, default button text, show/hide release date.
Secure and translation ready
Output escaped, input sanitised, nonce-protected forms, POT included, clean uninstall.
Up and running in three steps
Mark a product and test checkout.
Install
Activate Preorder alongside WooCommerce.
Mark a product
In Product data → General tick Pre-order, set the release date and button text.
Check checkout
Add the product to the cart and confirm the pre-order line flag with the release date.
Who it is for
When you want to sell releases and restocks before the product is in stock.
Product launches
Collect orders for upcoming releases with an availability date.
- ✓ Pre-order flag
- ✓ Release date
- ✓ Custom button
Sold-out bestsellers
Let shoppers reserve a product while it is out of stock instead of losing them.
- ✓ Purchasable when out
- ✓ Cart flagging
- ✓ Global toggle
Order fulfilment
Distinguish pre-order lines in the cart and order for picking.
- ✓ Item meta
- ✓ Date on the line
- ✓ HPOS compatible
Need more? Preorder PRO
FREE covers pre-orders with a release date and custom button. PRO adds an incentive discount on pre-order lines. Deposits, per-variation pre-orders and release emails are planned.
- ✓ Pre-order incentive discount — shipped in PRO
- ✓ Deposits / partial payments (planned)
- ✓ Per-variation pre-orders and release emails (planned)
Support and resources
Every plugin has its own documentation with setup walkthroughs. Bugs and questions go to the public GitHub repository for that plugin — we answer in the open.
Frequently asked questions
Does it require WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce must be installed and active.
What happens when a product is marked as a pre-order?
It becomes purchasable even when out of stock, its add-to-cart label changes, an optional release-date notice appears, and the cart and order lines are flagged as pre-orders.
Can I pause pre-orders without editing every product?
Yes. Turn off the global toggle under WooCommerce → Pre-orders and flagged products behave like normal products until you turn it back on.
Does it work with variable products?
The release-date notice and button label apply at the product level. Cart and order flagging works for both simple products and variations of a pre-order product.
Does Preorder create database tables?
No. It uses product and order item meta plus a settings option, with a clean uninstall.
Does Preorder pair with Reorder and Proof?
Yes. Reorder adds repeat orders and Proof adds sales notifications. Preorder complements them with selling before a product is available.
Add pre-orders to your store
A pre-order flag, a release date and a custom button. The full FREE edition under GPL.
Read the docsFREE is the complete pre-order flow — PRO adds an incentive discount; deposits, variations and release emails are planned.