📦 How to Edit Orders, Submit Partial Refunds, or Collect Additional Payments in Shopify

If you've already placed an order in Shopify and need to make changes — whether that's editing a backorder, issuing a partial refund, or collecting an additional payment — this guide will walk you through how to handle it all smoothly

✅ Understanding Unfulfilled vs. Backordered Orders

When an item is out of stock but a customer still purchases it, Shopify treats it as unfulfilled, not as a "backorder". These orders will appear in your Orders page as "Unfulfilled" until the product is restocked and fulfilled.

You can still edit unfulfilled orders, including those with backordered items — just remember that discounts and shipping fees may need to be adjusted manually.

✏️ How to Edit an Unfulfilled Order (Including Backorders)

To make changes to the product quantities or add new items to an unfulfilled order:

On Desktop:

1. Go to your Shopify admin and navigate to Orders.
2. Select the order and click Edit.
3. Adjust quantities or add/remove products as needed.
4. To prevent removed items from being restocked, deselect "Restock units".
5. Optionally, leave an internal note under "Reason for edit".
6. Review and update the order to save changes.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Shopify app and select the order.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (...) and choose Edit.
3. Adjust the quantity by tapping the product, then Set quantity and tap Done.
4. Optional: deselect Restock units if applicable.
5. Add an internal note and tap to update the order.

💳 How to Collect Additional Payment After Editing

If you increased the item quantity or added products, the system will calculate the new balance due.

To send an invoice to the customer:

1. In the order, click Collect payment > Send invoice.
2. Add a message if you'd like (optional).
3. Click Review Invoice.
4. Slick Send Invoice.

Your customer will receive a checkout link to submit payment. If shipping rates are impacted, update them manually before sending the invoice.

💸 How to Issue a Partial Refund

If you removed items or reduced the quantity, here's how to issue a refund:

1. Go to Orders in your Shopify admin and open the order.
2. Select the items or amount to refund.
3. Under Refund method, choose the refund type (original method, store credit, or both).
4. Adjust the refund amount if needed.
5. Deselect Send a notification to the customer if you don't want them to receive an email.
6. Click Refund.

You can issue multiple partial refunds as long as the total refunded doesn't exceed the original payment amount.

⚠️ Important Notes:

• Shipping rates and discounts don't automatically update when you edit orders — double-check before finalizing.
• You cannot edit or refund items that have already been fulfilled.
• If inventory is allocated but not on backorder, follow the same steps and make sure to adjust your stock accordingly.
• Consider using a backorder management app from the Shopify App Store for more advanced tracking.

Need Help?

If you're unsure about which steps to take or run into an issue with an order edit, partial refund, or collecting additional payment — our team is here to help!