How auto-actions on order fulfillment work for pre-orders

Overview

In K1 Pre-Order Manager → Settings, the section When a pre-order is fulfilled lets you choose what K1 should do automatically the moment a pre-order reaches Fulfilled status in Shopify. This is helpful when your fulfillment workflow itself confirms that the customer has paid (or is about to be charged) the remaining balance.

This setting is app-wide, not per-rule. The default is Do nothing — K1 takes no action on fulfillment unless you opt in.

Available actions

• Do nothing — Default. K1 won't take any action when a pre-order is fulfilled. You manage balance collection on your own.
• Auto-charge balance when order is fulfilled — For rules where the customer's payment method is saved (auto-charge balance collection). When the order is fully fulfilled, K1 charges the remaining balance using the saved payment method.
• Auto-mark balance as paid when order is fulfilled — For rules where you collect the balance offline (cash, wire, in-store, B2B invoice). When the order is fully fulfilled, K1 marks the order as paid in Shopify without charging the customer.

Only one action can be selected at a time.

When the action triggers

The action triggers on Shopify's orders/fulfilled event — when the entire order moves to Fulfilled status (every line item is fulfilled).

The action does not trigger on:

• Partial fulfillment (some items shipped, others still pending)
• Cancelled fulfillments
• Individual line items in isolation

Mixed-cart and multi-item scenarios

This is the most common source of confusion, so it's worth covering explicitly.

Pre-order item + in-stock item in the same order

A customer buys a pre-order T-shirt and an in-stock mug in one checkout.

• The mug is shipped right away. Order status: Partially fulfilled.
• The T-shirt arrives later and is shipped. Order status: Fulfilled.
• The fulfillment action triggers at this point — when the whole order is fulfilled.

Two pre-order items, only one shipped so far

A customer pre-orders item A and item B in one order.

• Item A arrives first and is shipped. Order status: Partially fulfilled.
• The fulfillment action does not trigger yet — the balance is not charged or marked paid.
• Item B arrives later and is shipped. Order status: Fulfilled.
• The fulfillment action triggers now — for the whole remaining balance, not for item A separately.

When the action does not apply (silent skip)

If the selected action does not match the order's balance collection mode, K1 silently skips it. No error is logged for the merchant.

• You selected Auto-charge balance, but the order's rule is configured for offline balance collection (no saved payment method) → action skipped.
• You selected Auto-mark balance as paid, but the order's balance was already charged via auto-charge → action skipped (the order is already paid).

This means it's safe to switch the global setting even if you have rules with mixed balance collection modes — irrelevant orders are simply ignored.

What happens if Auto-charge fails

If the saved payment method is declined, expired, or revoked when K1 tries to charge the balance:

• K1 logs the failure and surfaces it the same way as any other scheduled balance charge failure.
• You'll be notified through your usual K1 notifications channel.
• K1 will retry the charge using the standard retry schedule.
• The order remains in its current state — the fulfillment is not reversed.

How to choose the right action

• You mostly use auto-charge balance collection → choose Auto-charge balance when order is fulfilled. This closes the loop automatically: customer pays the deposit at checkout, K1 charges the balance the moment you ship.
• You mostly use offline balance collection (cash on delivery, wire transfer, in-store pickup, B2B invoice) and you only fulfill orders after receiving the balance → choose Auto-mark balance as paid when order is fulfilled. Your fulfillment step itself signals that payment was received.
• You want to control balance collection manually, or your workflow doesn't tie payment to fulfillment → keep Do nothing.

How to change the setting

1. Open K1 Pre-Order Manager → Settings.
2. Scroll to When a pre-order is fulfilled.
3. Select the radio option you want.
4. Click Save in the top bar.

The new setting applies to future fulfillment events only. Orders that were already fulfilled before you changed the setting are not affected — K1 does not retroactively charge or mark them as paid.

Troubleshooting

• The order is fully fulfilled but the balance wasn't charged. Check (1) the global setting is Auto-charge balance when order is fulfilled, (2) the rule for that order uses auto-charge balance collection (a saved payment method exists), (3) there is no failed-charge notification for this order. If all three look right and the balance is still not charged, contact support.
• The order is fully fulfilled but it wasn't marked as paid. Check (1) the global setting is Auto-mark balance as paid when order is fulfilled, (2) the rule for that order uses offline balance collection. If both match and the order is still not marked paid, contact support.
• An action triggered for an order I didn't expect. Confirm the order is actually in Fulfilled status (not partially fulfilled). Mixed-cart orders trigger only when the entire order is fulfilled — see the Mixed-cart scenarios section above.