Pre-Selling

This document outlines the process for handling pre-sold items using Shopify as the storefront and NBOX WMS System for warehouse management.

Overview

Pre-selling allows you to accept orders for products that are not yet in stock. This workflow ensures that incoming orders are held and inventory is reserved until the physical stock arrives and is processed in the warehouse.

This guide is divided into two sections based on who performs the actions:

Seller Guide (Shopify) — Steps for sellers to configure products in Shopify
Operations Team Guide — Steps for the WMS team to process and release orders

Seller Guide (Shopify)

Follow these steps in your Shopify Admin to set up pre-selling for your products.

Initial Setup

1. Set SKU and Barcode Required

Navigate to Products in Shopify Admin
Select and open the product you want to pre-sell
Ensure the product variant has a SKU assigned
Add a Barcode if available
Important: SKU is required for proper product matching between Shopify and NBOX WMS System during order sync and inventory updates

2. Add Pre-order Tag Required

In the product edit page, go to the Tags section
Add the tag: pre-order
This tag identifies which products are part of your pre-selling campaign

Choose Your Pre-Selling Quantity Mode

Decide whether you want to allow unlimited pre-orders or limit the number of pre-orders you accept.

Which mode should I choose?

Unlimited: Use when you can fulfill any quantity of orders (e.g., made-to-order items, flexible supplier capacity)
Limited: Use when you have a fixed incoming shipment quantity and want to cap pre-orders to that amount

Option A: Unlimited Pre-Orders

3a. Enable "Continue selling when out of stock"

Go to the Inventory section of your product
Turn ON the "Continue selling when out of stock" option
This allows customers to purchase the item even when inventory shows zero
There is no limit to how many pre-orders can be placed

Option B: Limited Pre-Orders

3b. Set a specific pre-order quantity

Keep "Continue selling when out of stock" turned OFF
Go to the Inventory section of your product
Manually enter the quantity you want to allow for pre-orders (e.g., 50 units)
Once customers have ordered that quantity, no more orders can be placed until stock is replenished
When stock arrives and is processed in WMS, the inventory will be synced back to Shopify with the correct available quantity

Post Pre-Sale Cleanup

4. End Pre-Selling Campaign

Once the pre-sale period ends or stock has been fully allocated, clean up your Shopify settings:

Remove the pre-order tag: Edit the product and remove the pre-order tag
If using Unlimited mode: Turn OFF the "Continue selling when out of stock" option
This prevents unintended orders from coming in for items that are no longer being pre-sold

Operations Team Guide

Follow these steps in NBOX WMS System to handle pre-sold orders and stock processing.

Initial Setup

1. Enable Reserve Inventory for Pending Orders

Go to Seller Integration Configuration in NBOX WMS System
Enable the setting: "Reserve Inventory for Orders in Pending State"
This ensures that when pre-sold orders come in, the expected stock will be reserved against those orders

What happens automatically:

When a customer places an order for a pre-sold item on Shopify, the order syncs to NBOX WMS System
Because there is no available stock, NBOX WMS System automatically places the order ON HOLD
The incoming stock quantity (once received) will be reserved for these On Hold orders

Stock Arrival & Processing

2. Process Stock When It Arrives

When physical stock arrives at the warehouse, complete the standard inbound flow:

Gate Entry — Register the incoming shipment
GRN (Goods Received Note) — Verify and confirm received quantities
Putaway — Assign stock to warehouse locations

Once processed, the inventory becomes available in the system.

3. Inventory Syncs to Shopify

NBOX WMS System automatically syncs inventory back to Shopify
The Available Quantity sent to Shopify is calculated as:

Available Quantity = On-Hand Quantity − Reserved Quantity − Allocated Quantity

This ensures Shopify reflects accurate sellable stock.

Releasing On Hold Orders

4. Approve On Hold Orders

Review the On Hold orders in NBOX WMS System
Once stock is confirmed and available, approve the On Hold orders
Approved orders move from "On Hold" status to "New" orders

5. Order Proceeds Normally

The order continues through the standard fulfillment workflow:
Picking → Packing → Dispatch

Quick Reference

Seller Actions (Shopify)

Step	Action	Required
1	Set SKU and Barcode on product	Required
2	Add `pre-order` tag to product	Required
3	Unlimited mode: Enable "Continue selling when out of stock" Limited mode: Keep OFF, set quantity manually	Choose one
4	(After pre-sale) Remove `pre-order` tag and disable settings	Cleanup

Operations Team Actions (WMS)

Step	Action	When
1	Enable "Reserve Inventory for Orders in Pending State" in Seller Integration Configuration	Initial setup
2	Process inbound stock (Gate Entry → GRN → Putaway)	When stock arrives
3	Approve On Hold orders	After stock is processed

Automatic Processes

Process	Description
Orders go ON HOLD	When pre-sold orders sync from Shopify with no available stock, they are automatically placed ON HOLD
Inventory sync to Shopify	After stock is processed, Available Quantity = On-Hand − Reserved − Allocated syncs back to Shopify

Notes

For Sellers

SKU is mandatory — Without a SKU, products cannot be matched between Shopify and NBOX WMS System
Always add the pre-order tag to clearly identify pre-selling products
Communicate expected delivery timelines to customers who purchase pre-sold items
Remember to clean up settings (remove tag, disable "Continue selling when out of stock") after the pre-sale ends

For Operations Team

Monitor On Hold orders regularly to ensure timely fulfillment once stock arrives
Ensure SKU consistency between Shopify and NBOX WMS System to avoid sync issues
Process inbound stock promptly to minimize customer wait times for pre-ordered items