Quick answer
Use Orders > Back Orders to review orders that cannot currently be fulfilled because stock or product availability may not support the order. Review the order and affected quantities before using any action button.
Common use cases
Operator: Understand why an order cannot move forward.
Admin: Review whether the blocker appears to affect a full order or only part of it.
Support: Collect the order, SKU, and quantity evidence needed for investigation.
When to use this
Orders appear in Orders > Back Orders.
Inventory is unavailable for all or part of an order.
Support needs to explain why fulfillment is blocked.
Before you start
Confirm you are reviewing the correct merchant or workspace.
Check product and inventory context before making promises about fulfillment.
Do not select BackOrder or Resolve unless your team has confirmed the action semantics for this order.
Steps
Open Orders, then choose Back Orders.
Sort the list if needed, such as by created date.
Search by order ID, merchant, or recipient.
Use the merchant selector to narrow the queue to the affected merchant.
Review whether the order is marked as a full or partial back order.
Check the affected SKUs and quantities before deciding who should own the next step.
If inventory, bundle composition, or customer promise is unclear, pause and contact support with the evidence below.
Screenshots
Steps 1-4: Open Back Orders, sort the list, search by ID, merchant, or recipient, then choose the merchant to review.
What good looks like
The team understands which order is blocked, which items or quantities are affected, and whether the next step belongs to inventory review, product setup review, or support escalation.
Common issues and next actions
If this happens | What to do next |
The order is partially back ordered. | Review the affected SKUs and quantities rather than assuming the entire order is blocked. |
The available stock looks wrong. | Compare the item with inventory guidance, then use Why is Shopify inventory not updating? if Shopify inventory is involved. |
You are unsure whether to click an action button. | Pause. The visible action may change order handling, so confirm with the operational owner or support first. |
Contact us when
Contact support when stock, bundle composition, customer promise, or order handling is unclear, or when using an action button could affect fulfillment status.
Send us this information
Order ID.
Merchant or workspace name.
Affected SKUs and quantities.
Whether the issue appears full or partial.
What the team expected to happen.
Screenshot with private data masked.