Sales
Made to order
How to sell products you make or source on request: no stock tracking, with a down payment and an estimated delivery date.
Quick answer
Turn on Made to order for a product without stock tracking, choose the down payment (percentage or fixed amount) and the estimated delivery date. The customer sees the down payment and balance before ordering, and the order records that down payment as due.
On this page
Made to order is for products you make or source when someone asks. You collect a down payment and say when you will deliver.
Turn it on for a product#
- Open Sales tools → Preorders and find the product, or edit its preorder from the product page.
- Choose the Made to order mode. The product must not track stock.
- Choose the Down payment type: Percentage (1 to 100) or Fixed amount per unit, and type the Amount.
- Type the Estimated delivery date or a Delivery date text, for example mid-November.
- If you want a cap, set Max units.
- Turn on Active and save.
Warning
If the product tracks stock, you will see a prompt to switch it to Made to order. Made to order means no stock tracking: it does not mix with inventory.
What your customer sees#
- The PREORDER badge and the Estimated delivery.
- The product's Down payment and Balance.
- In the order, the total, the down payment and the balance.
They cannot mix made-to-order products with regular items in the same order. If no places are left, they see Preorder capacity reached.
How you get paid#
Shelfkat does not collect payments for you. You agree on the down payment with your customer over WhatsApp and record it as a regular payment on the order. You collect the balance on delivery.
Note
Shelfkat does not hold or refund down payments, and it does not set refund rules. Agree your terms with your customer before you collect.
Last updated: 2026-10-06