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How to Place a Test "Pre-Order" in Shopify

Learn how to place a test order in Shopify to confirm your checkout, payment, and shipping settings. Includes test mode, real transactions.

Updated over a week ago

Placing a test order is the best way to confirm that your checkout flow and order settings are working correctly. We recommend doing this during your initial store setup or whenever you make changes to your payment, shipping, or notification settings.

Test orders help verify that your setup works across:

  • Order processing

  • Inventory updates

  • Shipping rates and methods

  • Email notifications

  • Tax calculations

You won’t be charged for test orders if done in test mode.

You can place a test order by simulating a transaction through either of these methods:

  1. Place a test order with a real transaction


In This Article:


1. Place a Test Order Using Shopify Payments

If you’re using Shopify Payments, enable test mode to simulate purchases without real charges.

Steps:

  1. Open your Shopify admin.

  2. Go to Settings > Payments.

  3. Enable Test mode in Shopify Payments.

  4. Visit your storefront and go through checkout like a customer.

  5. Use test credit card details provided by Shopify to complete the order.

No charges will be processed. This method is safe and recommended.


2. Place a Test Order With a Real Transaction

You can also place a real order using your live payment provider, then cancel and refund it.

Important: You may incur non-refundable transaction fees from your payment provider. This method is not available on development stores.

Steps:

  1. Set up the live payment provider you want to test.

  2. Purchase from your store using real credit card details.

  3. After the order is processed, log into your payment provider to confirm funds were received.

  4. Cancel and refund the order right away to recover your funds. Any third-party transaction fees that have been charged are not refunded.

Reminder: Check your payment provider’s terms before testing with a real transaction.


3. Test Your Shipping Settings

To confirm your shipping configuration is correct:

  • Create a test order that qualifies for specific conditions (e.g., free shipping over a certain amount).

  • Go through the checkout to verify that the shipping rules are applied as expected.

This helps ensure promotions or shipping rate tiers are working properly.

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