How do I handle pre-order products?

The way you handle delivery estimates depends on whether you are launching a brand-new product, managing out-of-stock items, or shipping products that are made to order.

1. Product launches (Fixed shipping date)

If you are launching a new product and all orders will begin shipping on a specific future date, you should use the Start date setting.

1. Go to Processing > Processing schedule.
2. Click Create schedule.
3. Locate the Start date field and select the date when you will begin shipping the orders.
4. Add a Condition (such as Product or Tag) to ensure this schedule only applies to your pre-order items.
5. Save your schedule.

How it works: Delm will ignore "today's date" and start its entire delivery calculation from your chosen launch date instead.

2. Backorders (Out of stock but selling)

If a product is out of stock but you are still accepting orders, you likely need to add extra time for restocking before the carrier journey begins.

1. Go to Processing > Processing time.
2. Click Create rule and enter the extra time needed to restock (e.g., 10–14 days).
3. Add a Condition for Stock and set it to is less than 1.
4. Save your rule.

How it works: As soon as the stock level for a variant hits 0, Delm will automatically switch from your "Default" processing time to this longer restock duration.

3. Custom made products

For items that are built to order or require personalization, you can set a permanent processing delay that applies regardless of stock levels.

1. Go to Processing > Processing time.
2. Click Create rule and enter the production time (e.g., 5–7 days).
3. Add a Condition for Product tag and set it to match a tag like custom-build or handmade.
4. Save your rule.

How it works: Whenever a customer views a product with that specific tag, Delm adds your production time to the estimated delivery date. This allows you to keep your workflow inside Shopify—just tag the product, and the date updates automatically.

Updated on: 20/02/2026