While it looks like it might be one of the only solutions, the cost for large ticket items is prohibitive — I’m not discounting the cost of credit card processing, I’m just saying even 1/2 a percent on a 20k purchase is a lot to pay for basic functionality that shopify lacks. This seems like a very viable solution for lower-cost / higher-margin transactions.
Topic summary
Merchants are requesting the ability to accept partial payments (deposits/down payments) on draft orders and manual orders, similar to functionality available in Shopify POS, Square Invoice, and PayPal Invoice.
Core Need:
- Accept initial deposits (e.g., 50%) when sending draft order invoices to customers
- Collect remaining balance later via email link or follow-up invoice
- Properly track partial payments within a single transaction for accounting purposes
Current Limitations:
- Partial payments work in Shopify POS but not in admin/draft orders
- Shopify support suggests creating multiple separate draft orders for each payment installment
- This workaround creates accounting reconciliation issues and inflates transaction counts
Workarounds Mentioned:
- Opening draft orders through POS on iPad to process partial payments
- Third-party apps: Wholster, Downapy, Manual Partial Payments
- Processing deposits outside Shopify (QuickBooks, PayPal) and marking orders as “paid outside of Shopify”
Status:
This remains unresolved despite years of merchant requests. Multiple users express frustration that this “foundational” e-commerce feature hasn’t been prioritized, with some considering switching platforms. The discussion reflects ongoing dissatisfaction with Shopify’s response to what merchants view as basic B2B functionality.