Shopify Draft Order Price Locks: Protect a Quote Without Guessing

A draft order can be a useful way to send a customer a tailored checkout link. Prices can change between creating the draft and payment, so a merchant should understand when Shopify locks product prices, what the lock covers and which products are ineligible. A price lock is not a blanket promise that every part of the final total is fixed.

Know the default behavior

Shopify's draft-order guide says product prices are unlocked by default, but sharing a checkout link locks prices by default unless that option is changed. When prices are locked, Shopify says subsequent product price increases and decreases do not change those prices in the draft. Draft orders with subscriptions or bundles cannot have prices locked.

The exact interface and available controls can change. Inspect the draft itself before sending an invoice or checkout link and explain the quote's validity period in the business's own terms.

Build the draft and review the total

Create the draft with the correct customer, products, quantities and location. Review the price lock control and any authorized custom prices or discounts. Confirm shipping and applicable tax details before sharing. A change to the customer, address, discount or fulfillment setup can affect the final payable amount; verify the current draft and checkout rather than assuming a product-price lock settles every component.

Shopify's draft-order invoices guide distinguishes sharing a checkout link from sending an invoice. Use the method appropriate to the customer's needs and the store's process. Treat a checkout link as sensitive: send it only to the intended customer and avoid pasting it into public tickets or documentation.

Test a price change safely

Use an approved test product and test customer. Create a draft, record the product price and lock status, then change the product's test price. Compare the draft and checkout with the original. Repeat in a separate unlocked test if needed. Restore the test price and close unused test drafts according to the store's policy.

Do not use a customer's live quote as a test. If a price is wrong, correct it through an approved process and communicate the revised total. Locking an incorrect price preserves the mistake; it does not validate the agreement.

Set a quote handoff

Record the responsible salesperson, price validity, discount approval and delivery assumptions. Before collecting payment, verify that the draft is still appropriate and that inventory and fulfillment expectations have not changed. After a price lock or line-item change, review the current checkout experience rather than relying on an old screenshot.

Related guides: draft order invoice links and draft order custom items.

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