Locking quoted prices in Shopify when vendors raise prices

The price letter arrives on Tuesday: an increase on every frame from the start of next month. In this example, the vendor is raising prices by 8%, and the store has twenty-three open quotes containing those sofas.

Decide how to handle those quotes before changing them. The catalog needs the new figures for future selling; existing agreements need a separate review. Shopify's draft price lock helps preserve a quoted product price, while OrderPilot keeps saved template prices with the customer's configuration.

Lock the selling price you intend to preserve

Shopify introduced draft-order price locking in its Winter '25 work, described in a December 11, 2024 article. A locked draft preserves product prices when the catalog changes; unlocked pricing follows the catalog. Review the lock state before sending a quote you intend to honor. The control records the chosen price behavior. It doesn't decide whether the store should absorb the vendor increase.

For a sample $2,000 vendor cost rising by 8%, the new cost is $2,160. If the selling price stays $3,000, the difference before other costs falls from $1,000 to $840. A selling-price lock doesn't freeze the purchase cost.

Review the agreement before passing on an increase

Begin with the quote's status, validity, customer approval, and vendor commitment. A paid deposit isn't permission to change the selling price. Preserve the agreed amount while the store reviews the terms and any proposed change.

For unsigned quotes, apply the store's stated validity policy and communicate the result before asking the customer to proceed. Don't let a catalog update deliver the news through a silently changed total.

There isn't one sensible validity period for every maker and product. Match the policy to the vendor's pricing arrangements and the way the store confirms costs. OrderPilot's default Valid until date is 30 days from quote creation; resending doesn't restart it, and merchants don't directly set the number of days.

Use the price-protection terms guide for the agreement side. This is a pricing workflow, not a shortcut around what the customer already accepted.

Update the catalog for future quotes

In OrderPilot, maintain option prices and costs on the template or shared bundle that owns them. Review template overrides where they differ from the shared values.

A saved quote retains its recorded option prices. Updating the template doesn't silently reprice quotes already sent, and the price change doesn't generate a warning on those saved template lines. Review the affected open quotes deliberately.

Newly added option selections can use current pricing, so inspect the full result when revising an existing configuration. Don't assume that changing one choice refreshes every old price or that every earlier price must be discarded.

The vendor price-letter guide helps organize the affected products and open work. A shared bundle is particularly useful when the same fabric collection appears across a family of pieces.

Revise a signed order as a new customer decision

If the customer agrees to a change that affects what they see, update the order through the revised-agreement process. OrderPilot invalidates the earlier signature and requests a new one, while preserving the earlier signed record.

Explain the changed amount or specification in the revised-quote message. The customer should know whether the change concerns price, fabric, quantity, or a delivery charge before opening the document. The revised-quote guide covers that communication. A useful sample message is: “The revised quote reflects the fabric change we discussed. The updated total and unchanged delivery arrangement are shown for your review.”

A one-off catalog price edit in OrderPilot applies to the draft stage and is locked once placed. Use the supported order-change process after placement instead of treating the original draft controls as still available.

Keep long-open drafts under review

Price protection isn't record retention. Shopify's March 24, 2025 announcement says drafts created on or after April 1, 2025 are subject to removal after a year without activity.

Keep an active-quote review routine and preserve the agreement evidence the business needs. Don't assume a locked price makes a draft a permanent archive.

A quote that returns after a long pause also needs a product review. The exact fabric may no longer be offered, and the customer's room may have acquired a different rug in the meantime.

Use this checklist when the price letter arrives

• Record the vendor's effective date and affected products.
• Update the correct template or shared bundle for future quotes.
• List affected open quotes and placed orders separately.
• Review agreed prices, validity, signatures, deposits, and vendor commitments.
• Lock native draft prices where that matches the store's decision.
• Explain any proposed revision before asking for customer approval.
• Preserve the earlier signed record and obtain the required new signature.
• Review the resulting margin and purchasing figures.

For a vendor surcharge specifically, follow the surcharge-to-re-sign workflow. Then return to the complete made-to-order guide to keep the pricing decision connected to purchasing and delivery.

Sources

1. Draft orders: what they are and how to use them — Shopify, December 11, 2024.
2. Draft orders automatically removed after one year of inactivity — Shopify Changelog, March 24, 2025.