# Pre-ordered orders - Preorderline 1.x documentation

> How a pre-order waits in its own status, what happens to stock, and orders that mix pre-orders and other products.

## The Pre-ordered status

A paid order with pre-ordered items goes to **Pre-ordered** instead of Processing, so it stays out of your fulfilment queue until the product is released. You'll find it under **WooCommerce → Orders**, filtered by the Pre-ordered status, with a purple status pill.

![A pre-ordered order with the release date on its item](https://storage.extendiment.com/media/1016/screenshot-5.png)

How an order gets there depends on the payment method:

| Payment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Paid at checkout (cards, wallets…) | The order goes straight to Pre-ordered. |
| Cash on delivery | Straight to Pre-ordered. |
| Paid later (bank transfer, check) | The order waits On hold as usual. When you mark it as Processing once the payment arrives, it goes to Pre-ordered instead. |

Each pre-ordered item shows **Pre-order: Ships from …** on the order screen and in emails until it's released. Pre-ordered orders count in WooCommerce's sales reports like processing ones.

## Mixed orders

An order can hold pre-orders and products that are in stock. It waits as Pre-ordered until every pre-ordered item in it is released, then moves to Processing and everything ships together. If the items have different release dates, the customer is told the latest one.

## Stock

Stock is taken when the order enters Pre-ordered, as for any order. Since the product usually has none yet, its stock goes below zero: -12 means 12 units are owed. When the delivery arrives, add it to the product's stock as usual.

A pre-order that's cancelled or refunded before it's released gives its stock back.

## Cancelling and refunding

Cancel or refund a pre-order from the order screen, as any order. Preorderline doesn't send emails of its own for that; WooCommerce's usual ones apply.

Source: https://extendiment.com/plugins/preorderline/docs/1.x/pre-ordered-orders