Is it possible not to send customer an email when creating Draft orders?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Merchants need to create draft orders without triggering automatic email notifications to customers, particularly for wholesale orders, gifts, influencer packages, and purchase order workflows.

Core Issue:

  • When marking draft orders as paid, Shopify automatically sends order confirmation emails that cannot be disabled
  • This creates problems for businesses handling non-standard transactions (gifts, wholesale deals, purchase order systems)
  • Merchants want customer information in orders for shipping/tracking purposes without notifying customers

Current Workarounds:

  • Save draft orders without marking as paid (doesn’t solve tracking needs)
  • Add customer information after marking as paid
  • Create customers without email addresses, then optionally add emails later
  • Delete customer email from order before generating, uncheck “update customer” box

Business Impact:

  • Schools/institutions using purchase orders receive duplicate invoices with different numbers
  • Gift recipients get unexpected order notifications
  • Professional appearance suffers when clients must be told to ignore automated emails

Status:
Unresolved after 4+ years (2021-2025). Multiple users have requested a simple checkbox option to disable notifications when creating/marking orders as paid. Shopify staff acknowledged the feedback for product development consideration but no feature has been implemented. Community members express frustration at the lack of this basic functionality.

Summarized with AI on October 30. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
7

Olivia

I have the exact same problem in my business. I work with a lot of schools and departments who require a very convoluted process of purchase orders and delivery prior to payment. I have been generating invoices in MYOB for the quotes and loading a draft order. I sent a Tax Invoice (generated in MYOB from the quote) for payment with the order and also via email.

However, when the order is (finally) paid and I want to mark the payment into Shopify it sends the client another Tax Invoice (which has different invoice number) and I then have to email and tell them to ignore that invoice. It’s very cumbersome and very unprofessional.

I have tried creating a Draft Invoice when the Purchase Order comes in and I select ‘Mark as Pending’. This option at least gives me the correct Invoice number but again, when the payment is finally received and I select ‘Mark a Paid’ another invoice is sent…

Being able to control invoice emails for draft orders would be super-helpful for those of us operating under slightly different business structures.

I’d love your thoughts.

1 Like