Issue: Development stores show “Checkouts are not available for this store” when trying to complete test checkouts, often while using draft orders or test payment methods.
Reports: Partners tried Shopify’s Bogus Gateway (test payment) and Shopify Payments test mode but receive the error, especially when starting from a draft order in the admin. Some suspect a threshold (e.g., after ~50 orders). A new dev store works for some, others see locks on existing stores. Video links illustrate the error.
Shopify guidance: This is expected behavior, not a bug. Draft orders cannot be used to test in development stores. Test orders must go through the online store checkout using Bogus Gateway or payment provider test mode. Orders can also be created via Admin REST/GraphQL APIs. Draft-order testing requires a paid plan.
Update: If a dev store processes an order via a draft order or a live payment gateway, checkout is locked for all methods. Contact Partner Support to review/unlock. Repeating disallowed methods re-locks checkout. Change was implemented due to abuse.
Action items:
Status: Guidance finalized and marked as solution; some partners dispute a possible cap, not confirmed by Shopify.
Key terms: Bogus Gateway = Shopify’s test payment. Draft order = admin-created order without checkout. Development store = partner test store. Checkout lock = store blocked from processing orders until reviewed.
@Shay
|using draft orders to test or simulate transactions while using the manual payment option or |manually enter payment details is still considered processing a live order.
Apologies, but I could not find this anywhere in the ToS. I am confused as to why any simulated transactions would be considered live. Can somebody explain?