Turn a draft order into a paid order in Shopify
A draft order becomes a real order when it is paid. You can take the payment yourself in the admin, or send an invoice and let the customer pay through the checkout link. This tutorial converts a draft for Jordan Hale into a paid order by accepting payment of $153.00.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Customer | Jordan Hale |
| 1 × Heritage Jacket, $85.00 | $85.00 |
| 2 × Trail Crew Tee, $28.00 | $56.00 |
| Subtotal | $141.00 |
| Shipping | $12.00 |
| Total before tax | $153.00 |
Download the conversion check: draft-to-paid-check.csv (95 bytes).
The lines for the draft being converted. The two line totals add to the $141.00 subtotal in the slip above.
1Open the draft
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, then Drafts, and click the draft for Jordan Hale. Read the lines before you take payment: one Heritage Jacket at $85.00 and two Trail Crew Tees at $28.00, a subtotal of $141.00, plus $12.00 shipping, for $153.00 before tax.
2Check the customer and the total
Check that the customer is on the draft and the address is set, so the tax is calculated for the right place. Shopify adds tax once the customer and their address are on the draft, using the tax settings for that address. This tutorial states no tax figure: the tax depends on the address.
3Choose how the draft is paid
A draft can be finished three ways: send an invoice by email, accept payment from the customer, or set payment terms. The customer is on the phone now and will pay by card, so this tutorial accepts payment in the admin.
4Accept the $153.00 payment
In the Payment section, click Collect payment, and then click Credit card. Enter the customer's billing and card details for the $153.00 before tax plus the tax shown on the draft, and click Charge — the button displays the order total. Charging the card creates an order for the draft on the Orders page. Collect payment also offers Mark as paid, but that only records a payment you have already received outside the admin: it does not charge a card, so do not use it for a card payment taken on the phone.
5Confirm the order exists
Go to Orders and find the new order. It should show as paid, with the same lines as the draft. If the order is not there, the payment was not accepted and the draft is still a draft. The draft stays on the Drafts page with a completed status once it converts.
The arithmetic
| Line | Quantity | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Jacket | 1 | $85.00 | $85.00 |
| Trail Crew Tee | 2 | $28.00 | $56.00 |
| Subtotal | $141.00 | ||
| Shipping | $12.00 | ||
| Total before tax | $153.00 |
The total before tax is $153.00. Tax is added by Shopify once the customer and address are set, so the paid total is $153.00 plus the tax on this order.
Held at the counter
A saved draft is not an order. Saving the draft only stores it on the Drafts page. No payment is taken and nothing ships until the customer pays through the invoice or you accept payment. No order number exists until then.
Do not mark a draft as paid before the money arrives. If you send an invoice and mark the draft as paid before receiving the payment, the link in the invoice will not work and the customer will not be able to complete the checkout.
The invoice link needs contact details first. Before you complete the draft you need to add the email address or phone number. If you do not include contact information, the order confirmation will not be sent, and you cannot send it after the draft is created.
Sources
- Creating draft orders — Shopify's help pages: the full create-draft steps, custom items, inventory warnings, reserving items, and the invoice, payment, and payment-terms options.
- Sending invoices for draft orders — Shopify's help pages: sending an invoice with a checkout link, sharing a checkout link, and the checks to run before you send an invoice.