> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Pre-orders > Sell stock before it arrives. Set an order-by time, add products, choose pickup or delivery and how customers pay, then share your pre-order page. A pre-order lets customers order and pay for food you haven't got yet: a shipment of fish, a harvest, a special bake. You choose what's on it, the price and the time orders close. When the stock comes in, you set the pickup or delivery date, pack the orders and hand them over. Pre-orders work the same in the business portal (business.localpass.ca) and in the Local Pass Business app. Where the two differ, this guide says so. > [!NOTE] > > Pre-orders are for shops, farms and other stores. Restaurants and catering businesses don't see them. ## Where to find it * **Portal:** in the sidebar, **Sell → Pre-orders**. It opens to **All pre-orders** and **Pre-order settings**. * **App:** in the menu, under **SELL**, tap **Pre-orders**. A small yellow count beside **Pre-orders** shows what's new: reservations and payments since you last opened the bell, plus every overdue payment and every dispute. Open the bell on the Pre-orders page to see them (**Pre-order updates**). In the portal, the dashboard also has a **Pre-orders this week** card. ## Before you start Pre-order payments go straight into your own payment account. You need it set up first. Until it is, the page says **Finish your Stripe setup to take pre-order payments.** with a link to set it up. You can build a pre-order while you wait, but you can't open it. It's worth setting up [Pre-order settings](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/settings.md) first too: your pickup locations, delivery zones, how customers pay and your policies. Every new pre-order starts from them. ## Step by step: run a pre-order From an empty draft to the last order handed over. The sections below explain each part in more detail. **1. Set up your Pre-order settings** Open **Pre-order settings**. Add your pickup locations and delivery zones, choose how customers can pay (**Pay now**, **Reserve and pay later**, or both) and whether they pay **In full** or a **Deposit, then the rest**, and check your policies. See [Pre-order settings](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/settings.md). **2. Make the pre-order** Press **New pre-order**. A draft opens on its **Settings** tab. Add the **Title**, **About it** and your photos, then set when **Orders close**. The pre-order shows **Draft**: only you can see it. **3. Add products** On the **Products** tab, press **Add from my store** to pick products you already sell, or **New item** for something sold only on this pre-order. Open each item to set its pre-order price, the smallest amount and the steps. Each row then shows the price customers see. See [Products in a pre-order](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/products.md). **4. Check payment, pickup and delivery** Back on **Settings**, check **Payment**, **Pickup** and **Delivery**. They come from your Pre-order settings, and changes here are for this pre-order only. If you know the dates, give each place its date (**On a date**). If not, choose **Set it later**. **5. Open it and share the link** Press **Save**, then **Open pre-order**, and confirm in the **Open this pre-order?** box. The status changes to **Open** (or **Opens …** if you chose a start time). Press **Copy link** and share your pre-order page. If something is missing, you see **Fix these to open it** with what to fix first. **6. Follow orders and remind unpaid customers** Orders appear on the **Customers** tab as they come in. Press **Unpaid** to see reservations nobody has paid for yet. Tick them and press **Remind**: you see how many reminders were sent and how many were skipped. To put an unpaid order's stock back on sale, press **Release**. **7. Close orders** Orders close at the time you set. To stop them sooner, choose **Close now** in the **⋯** menu. The status changes to **Closed**, and the pre-order comes off the Market. **8. Set the pickup and delivery dates** When your stock is on its way, open the **Delivery** tab. Press **Set date** on each place, choose the date and press **Save and email them**. Each customer there gets an email and a text with the date. Customers who paid a deposit also get the bill for the rest. **9. Enter final weights** For items sold by weight, open the order on the **Customers** tab and enter what you weighed in **Final weights**. For a deposit order, press **Send the final bill**. For an order paid in full that weighed less, press **Save and refund the difference**. See [Final weights](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/customers-and-payments.md#final-weights). **10. Pack** Open the **Pack list** tab and pick the date. Pack from the pick list and tick each order as you go, or tap **Start packing** in the app to use [Packing mode](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/packing-mode.md). Press **Print pick list and slips** for a packing slip per order. **11. Hand over** When a customer collects a paid order, open it on the **Customers** tab and press **Picked up**. You see "Marked as picked up." and the order shows **Picked up**. A delivery order shows **Delivered** once you mark it delivered on your [Delivery routes](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/delivery-routes.md). ## The Pre-orders list At the top: **Open pre-orders**, **Orders this week**, **Paid** and **Owing**. If people asked to hear about your next pre-order, a line says how many. Each pre-order shows its status, its orders (and how many are unpaid), the money paid and owing, when it closes, and whether it shows in search. The statuses are: | Status | What it means | | - | - | | **Draft** | Only you can see it. | | **Opens …** | Open, but orders start at the time you set. | | **Open** (app: **Open for orders**) | Customers can order until it closes. | | **Closed** (app: **Orders closed**) | Nobody can order. You still set dates, send final bills and pack. | | **Cancelled** | Every order was cancelled and refunded. | Search by name, filter by status, and sort by **Closes soonest**, **Newest** or **Most paid**. In the app, these are in the **Filter and sort** sheet. The **⋯** menu on each row has **Open**, **Customers**, **Settings**, **Duplicate**, **Download CSV** and **Report**. ## Make a pre-order 1. Press **New pre-order**. It starts as a draft, copied from your Pre-order settings, and opens on its **Settings** tab. 2. On **Settings**, fill in the **Page** part: the **Title** (for example "Fresh fish and vegetables from India"), **About it**, a cover photo, and up to 24 photos and videos. 3. Under **When people can order**, choose when **Orders open** (**When I open it**, or **At a time**) and when **Orders close**. Times are Victoria time. After the closing time, nobody can order. 4. Check **Payment**, **Pickup**, **Delivery**, **Order rules** and **Policies**. They come from your Pre-order settings. Changes here are for this pre-order only. 5. On the **Products** tab, add what you're selling. See [Products in a pre-order](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/products.md). 6. Press **Save**, then **Open pre-order**. The **Open this pre-order?** box tells you when customers can order, and that your products show on the Local Pass Market marked "Pre-order". After it opens, you can still change prices and settings for new orders. You can't reopen a pre-order once it closes; duplicate it instead. If something is missing, the pre-order can't open and you see a list under **Fix these to open it**, for example "Set when orders close.", "Add at least one product." or "Offer at least one pickup location or delivery zone." ### Page options * **Show how many have ordered**: shows "38 orders so far" on your page. On by default. * **Show in Google and AI search**: lets Google, Bing and AI assistants find the page while orders are open. Your customers' details are never shown. Off by default. ### Photos and videos * **Cover photo**: shown wide across the top of your page. JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 15 MB. * **Photos and videos**: up to 24. Videos can be MP4, WebM or MOV, up to 10 MB and 5 minutes. A bigger video gets "Videos up to 10 MB. Trim it or record a shorter clip." * You can also add a **YouTube or Vimeo link** with a **Video title**. ## Share it Once it's open, use **View page** and **Copy link** (the app also has **Share**). The link opens your pre-order page on localpass.ca, with your store's name at the top. If people asked to hear about your next pre-order, press **Email *n* people about this pre-order**. You can do this once per pre-order. Each person gets an email with the title, the order-by time and a link. You only see how many were sent, not who. ## While it's open The top of the pre-order shows **Orders**, **Money** (paid and owing), **Closes** and **Needs a date**. Its tabs are: * **Customers**: every order, its payment and its place. See [Customers and payments](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/customers-and-payments.md). * **Products**: what's on it and how much is reserved. See [Products in a pre-order](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/products.md). * **Delivery**: set pickup and delivery dates. See [Dates, pack list and packing](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/dates-and-packing.md). * **Pack list**: what to pack, by place and by order. * **Settings**: everything above. While a pre-order is open, saving updates your live page straight away. ## Close, duplicate or cancel All in the **⋯** (**More actions**) menu at the top of a pre-order: * **Close now** (or **Mark closed** once the closing time has passed): nobody can order after this, and it comes off the Market. Every order stays as it is. Customers aren't emailed. * **Duplicate**: copies it as a new draft named "(copy)". The open and close times and every place's date are cleared, and sold-out switches are reset. * **Download CSV** and **Report**: see [Customers and payments](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/customers-and-payments.md#export-and-report). * **Packing mode** (app only): see [Packing mode](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/packing-mode.md). * **Cancel pre-order**: every order is cancelled and every customer gets back everything they paid. They're emailed. The card processing on those payments isn't returned by the card company, so it stays on your statement. This can't be undone. ## What it costs Local Pass takes 5% of each order (at most \$25), plus tax on that fee, unless your agreement with Local Pass says otherwise. The card fees come out of each payment. You choose whether customers cover card processing in your prices, or you do. See [Pre-order settings](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/settings.md#payment). When you refund a customer, they get the full refund from your payment account balance. Local Pass's fee and the card fee aren't returned. ## Pages in this section > **[Products in a pre-order](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/products.md)** > > Add products from your store or new pre-order-only items, set prices and limits. > **[Customers and payments](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/customers-and-payments.md)** > > Orders, unpaid reservations, reminders, final weights, refunds and reports. > **[Dates, pack list and packing](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/dates-and-packing.md)** > > Set pickup and delivery dates, pack by place and print slips. > **[Pre-order settings](https://localtechnologiesinc.mintlify.site/merchants/pre-orders/settings.md)** > > Payment, pickup locations, delivery zones, notifications and policies. > [!NOTE] > > Local Pass connects you with customers and takes their payments. You're responsible for your own permits, licences, labels and tax, including whether your items carry GST. If you're not sure, ask your accountant. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.