Require a deposit on a draft order in Shopify
A custom or made-to-order job should not start with no money attached. A deposit requirement on a draft order collects part of the total now and leaves the rest due later. This tutorial adds a 20% deposit to a draft order for ten Summit Hoodies, $450.00 in total.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Customer | Northgate Outfitters |
| 10 × Summit Hoodie, $45.00 | $450.00 |
| Subtotal | $450.00 |
| Deposit, 20% | $90.00 |
| Balance due | $360.00 |
Download the deposit record: deposit-record.csv (66 bytes).
The deposit split for the order: the 20% deposit and the balance due. The single line total is the $450.00 subtotal in the slip above.
1Open Drafts and create the order
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, then Drafts, and click Create order. Add the customer for the order. A deposit goes on a draft order that you or your staff create, so build the draft first and add the deposit before you send it.
2Add the ten hoodies
Click Product, search for the Summit Hoodie, select it, set the quantity to 10, and click Done. Ten hoodies at $45.00 is $450.00.
3Set payment due later
In the Payment section, select Payment due later. Payment terms let you set the date that payment is due on an order, and the deposit sits inside those terms.
4Require a 20% deposit
Click + Require deposit and enter a percentage amount deposit requirement of 20%. The deposit is 20% of $450.00, or $90.00. The balance due is $450.00 less $90.00, or $360.00. A deposit requirement for draft orders is available only on the Shopify Plus plan.
5Send the invoice
Click Save, then send the invoice to the customer. The deposit amount is shown on the invoice. The customer needs to pay the deposit amount right after you send the invoice. Do not start the custom work until the deposit shows as paid.
6Watch the payment status change
After the deposit has been captured, the payment status of the order changes to Partially paid. That status is your signal that the $90.00 is in and the $360.00 is still owed. Collect the balance when the work is done.
The arithmetic
| Line | Quantity | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Hoodie | 10 | $45.00 | $450.00 |
| Subtotal | $450.00 | ||
| Deposit, 20% of $450.00 | $90.00 | ||
| Balance due | $360.00 |
The deposit is $90.00 and the balance due is $360.00. Together they are $450.00, which is the full total of the order.
Held at the counter
A deposit needs the Plus plan. Deposit requirements for draft orders are available only on Shopify Plus. On other plans the option is not there, so do not promise a deposit split to a customer until you have checked your plan.
The deposit is due right after the invoice. When you add a deposit requirement, the customer needs to pay the deposit amount immediately after you send the invoice. A buyer who expected to pay later can be caught out, so state the deposit on the invoice message.
Do not start work on a promise. A draft with a deposit is still a draft until the deposit is captured. Start the custom work only when the payment status shows Partially paid, not when the invoice is sent.
Sources
- Creating B2B orders using draft orders — Shopify's help pages: draft orders for company customers, purchase order numbers, payment terms, deposit requirements, price locks, and local pickup.
- 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.