Your physical product settings are store-wide defaults that apply to all your physical products unless you override them on a per-product basis. Find them at Store > Products > Physical Products.
How to open physical product settings
- 1
Click Store in your sidebar
Then click Products in the sub-menu to open the product settings page.
- 2
Select the Physical Products tab
The page has three tabs — Physical Products, Bookings, and Reviews. Click Physical Products.
- 3
Adjust your settings and save
Changes apply immediately across your whole store.
What each setting does
- Allow Backorders — when switched on, customers can place orders even when a product is out of stock. Great for made-to-order items. When switched off, the product shows as Sold out and blocks new orders at zero stock.
- Auto-fulfill Paid Orders — when switched on, your page marks physical orders as Fulfilled automatically as soon as payment clears. Use this only if you fulfil every order instantly (for example, you hand over items at collection). Leave it off if you need to pack and ship before marking an order fulfilled.
- Low Stock Threshold — a number. Whenever a product's stock falls to this level or below, it appears highlighted in your Inventory list and you receive a low-stock notification. The default is 5.
These are defaults, not locks
The backorders and auto-fulfill settings are store-wide defaults. You can override them product by product on each product's edit page — for example, enable backorders on one made-to-order item while keeping it off everywhere else.
Stock alerts go to your Notifications
To receive low-stock emails, make sure Inventory alerts is switched on — click your name or avatar at the bottom of the sidebar and select Notifications. The threshold here decides when an alert fires; the notification switch decides whether you hear about it.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to existing orders if I turn off Allow Backorders?
Existing orders are not affected — they have already been placed. The change only affects new orders from that moment on.
Can I stop auto-fulfill on specific products?
Yes. Open the product, scroll to the Fulfillment section, and you will find a per-product override. That setting takes priority over the store default.
What is a sensible stock alert threshold?
It depends on how long it takes you to restock. If it takes a week to get more stock in, you might set the threshold to your average weekly sales so you have time to order before you run out.