FAQ
Does it require WooCommerce?
Section titled “Does it require WooCommerce?”Yes. WooCommerce must be installed and active.
What happens when a product is marked as a pre-order?
Section titled “What happens when a product is marked as a pre-order?”It becomes purchasable even when out of stock, its add-to-cart button label changes to your pre-order text, an optional release-date notice is shown, and the cart and order lines are flagged as pre-orders for fulfilment.
Do I have to set a stock figure or use backorders?
Section titled “Do I have to set a stock figure or use backorders?”No. The pre-order flag handles purchasability on its own — the product stays buyable while its stock status is out of stock. You do not need to fake stock or enable WooCommerce backorders.
Can I pause pre-orders without editing every product?
Section titled “Can I pause pre-orders without editing every product?”Yes. Turn off the global toggle under WooCommerce → Pre-orders and every flagged product behaves like a normal product until you turn it back on. The per-product flags are preserved while paused.
How do I end a pre-order when stock arrives?
Section titled “How do I end a pre-order when stock arrives?”Untick Pre-order on that product. It returns to normal stock-managed behaviour. Existing pre-order order lines keep their flag for fulfilment.
Does it work with variable products?
Section titled “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.
Where is the release date shown?
Section titled “Where is the release date shown?”To shoppers as the estimated availability date on the product page (when Show release date is on), alongside the line in the cart and checkout, and on the order line item for fulfilment.
Can each product have its own button text?
Section titled “Can each product have its own button text?”Yes. The per-product button text field overrides the global Default button text for that product only.
Is it compatible with HPOS and the block cart/checkout?
Section titled “Is it compatible with HPOS and the block cart/checkout?”Yes. Preorder is compatible with WooCommerce HPOS (Custom Order Tables) and the Cart/Checkout Blocks, and the pre-order flag carries through both classic and block flows.
Does it connect to any external services?
Section titled “Does it connect to any external services?”No. Everything runs on your own site against your own WooCommerce products.
How do I remove all plugin data?
Section titled “How do I remove all plugin data?”Delete the plugin from the Plugins screen. Its options are removed on uninstall; Preorder creates no custom database tables, so your database is left clean.
Free vs PRO
Section titled “Free vs PRO”The free edition is the full pre-order toolkit: the flag, release date, custom button text, out-of-stock purchasability, cart and order flagging and the settings screen. Preorder PRO adds a pre-order incentive discount on pre-order cart lines to reward early buyers; deposits/partial payments, per-variation pre-orders and automatic release emails are planned.