Add a discount to a draft order in Shopify
A draft order carries its discount with it, so the price you quote on the invoice is the price the customer pays. This tutorial adds a discount to a draft order four ways: an existing code, the automatic discounts, a custom order discount typed in for this draft, and a discount on one line item. The worked draft holds 2 Summit Hoodies at $45.00 and 1 tee at $28.00, which is $118.00 of products, plus custom shipping of $12.00, for an undiscounted total of $130.00. A custom order discount of 10% takes $11.80 off and brings the total to $118.20. The draft itself is an ordinary draft of the kind built in the guide to creating a draft order for a wholesale order.
Written November 13, 2026 · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 6 minutes read
The worked example
| Draft | 2 × Summit Hoodie $45.00 + 1 × tee $28.00 |
| Products | $118.00 |
| Custom shipping | $12.00 |
| Undiscounted total | $130.00 |
| Custom order discount 10% | $11.80 off, total $118.20 |
| Line-item route | $5.00 off each hoodie, $10.00 off, total $120.00 |
| Existing 10% code | $11.80 off, the same as the custom discount |
Download the worksheet: draft-discount-worksheet.csv (287 bytes).
The four routes on the same draft side by side: no discount, the custom order discount, the line-item discount, and an existing code. Use it to price a quote before you open the draft.
1Open the draft
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, then Drafts, and click the draft to open it. A draft you are still building starts the same way, from Create order. Add the products and the shipping first, so the discount is worked out against the real total: on this draft, $118.00 of products and a $12.00 custom shipping rate.
2Click Add discount in Payment
In the Payment section of the draft, click Add discount. Every route in this tutorial starts from that one panel: the code field, the automatic discounts box, and the custom order discount box all live there, and a line-item discount starts from the product's price.
3Route A: type an existing code
In the Discount codes field, type the code and click Done. The code is read with its own settings, so a 10% code takes 10% off this draft's products: $11.80 off $118.00, the same figure the custom route gives in Step 5. A code that has expired or been switched off will not apply here.
4Route B: apply the automatic discounts
Check Apply all eligible automatic discounts and click Done. Automatic discounts do not apply to draft orders on their own: a draft shows none of them until this box is checked, even when the same products would be discounted at checkout.
5Route C: set a custom order discount
Check Add custom order discount, then set a currency amount or a percentage. Add a Reason for discount if the draft needs one; the customer can see that text. Click Done. At 10%, this draft's discount is $11.80 and the total falls to $118.20. A custom order discount applies on top of item-specific discounts, which is the trap covered in Step 7.
6Route D: discount one item
Click the price of the product on its line, choose the Discount type, and enter the Value. A value on a line is read per unit: $5.00 entered on the hoodie line takes $5.00 off each of the 2 hoodies, $10.00 off the draft in total. Add a reason if the draft needs one, then click Done.
7Read the total before you send the draft
Custom order discounts and line-item discounts both apply to the total price. Setting the 10% custom discount and the $5.00-per-hoodie line discount on the same draft takes both off, $11.80 and $10.00, even when you meant only one saving. Pick the route that gives the figure you quoted, and read the total on the draft against your quote before the invoice goes out.
8Know the limits before you promise a code
An order can carry at most 5 discount codes. Shipping discount codes are not supported on draft orders; use a custom shipping rate on the draft instead. Buy X get Y codes are not supported either. By default, customers cannot apply discount codes at checkout on draft order invoices and payment links; you can allow codes on a single draft order when you set it up. If both you and the customer apply codes to the same order, the order can end up discounted by more than you intended.
9Fix or remove a discount on the draft
In Payment, click Edit discount. Click the trash icon to remove a code, and uncheck the automatic discounts or custom order discount boxes to remove those. Click Done, then Save. A code that becomes invalid while a draft sits open, for example one that was deactivated early, blocks you and the customer from completing the order until it is removed here.
The arithmetic
The same draft priced four ways. The two 10% routes agree; the line-item route is a different saving, not a smaller version of the same one.
| Route | Discount | Products after | Total with $12.00 shipping |
|---|---|---|---|
| No discount | $0.00 | $118.00 | $130.00 |
| Custom order discount 10% | $11.80 | $106.20 | $118.20 |
| Line-item $5.00 per hoodie | $10.00 | $108.00 | $120.00 |
| Existing 10% code | $11.80 | $106.20 | $118.20 |
The draft itself: 2 × $45.00 = $90.00 for the hoodies, $90.00 + $28.00 = $118.00 of products, and $118.00 + $12.00 shipping = $130.00. The custom route: $118.00 × 10% = $11.80 off, $118.00 − $11.80 = $106.20, and $106.20 + $12.00 = $118.20. The line-item route: $5.00 × 2 hoodies = $10.00 off, $118.00 − $10.00 = $108.00, and $108.00 + $12.00 = $120.00. These routes are alternatives on this draft, not amounts to stack.
Held at the counter
Both discounts apply, whether you meant both or not. A custom order discount sits on top of item-specific discounts, and both come off the total. A draft discounted in two places by habit can be priced below the quote you sent. Read the total, not the settings, before the invoice goes out.
Shipping codes and Buy X get Y codes do not work on drafts. Neither kind is supported on a draft order. A shipping saving on a draft is given as a custom shipping rate instead, and a Buy X get Y offer has to wait for a checkout the customer places themselves.
The reason text is written for the customer. A Reason for discount on a custom or line-item discount is visible to the customer. Write it as you would write it on the invoice, not as an internal note about the deal.
Sources
- Adding discounts to draft orders — Shopify's help pages: the four discount routes on a draft, the code limits, which code types are not supported, and removing a discount.
- Creating draft orders — Shopify's help pages: opening and building a draft order, and where drafts sit in the Orders section.