When customers can pay: payment access and terms

Imagine an $8,200 quote sent Tuesday and paid Wednesday. On Thursday the vendor confirms that the selected fabric is discontinued. The customer was ready to buy; the quote wasn't ready to take their money.

Use payment access to control when the customer can pay, and payment terms to explain when the money is due. OrderPilot keeps those decisions separate, so a retail deposit and an approved trade account don't have to follow the same collection schedule.

Keep payment closed while the quote is unsettled

Vendor availability, a final freight amount, or an unresolved finish can make immediate payment premature. Tell the customer what the store is confirming and what happens next. A quote request that is still being priced should not look like a finished offer.

The request-to-priced-quote workflow explains the handoff. Quote-only requests can reach the team without showing a finished price; staff settle the configuration and send the priced quote when it is ready.

The customer doesn't need to watch the back-office work. They do need to know whether they are choosing, signing, or paying. Fabric books contain enough near-identical oatmeal shades without adding near-identical stages of agreement.

Turn on the store's customer-payment control

OrderPilot's customer-payment setting can require payment to be enabled on each order before customer pay buttons appear. The control is off by default, so a store wanting that review point must choose it deliberately.

With the control on, a new quote or order begins with customer payment closed. Authorized staff can use Enable payment when the sale is settled. Sending a payment request, recording a payment, or copying the invoice link also enables payment, so those actions belong in the same readiness policy.

The control concerns customer self-service. Staff-collected payments are not blocked by that setting, and records already carrying payments or requests remain payable under its rules. Train the whole team to use the readiness decision consistently.

Show the customer a useful next step

While customer payment is closed, OrderPilot's customer-facing pages explain that the store will say when payment is ready. After access opens, the supported pay action becomes available, subject to the order's other requirements.

Closing payment access does not itself stop signing. A customer can review and sign a settled agreement while the store keeps collection for the agreed stage. If the specification is still unresolved, finish that work before requesting the signature too.

Use terms to describe when payment is due

Shopify's payment-term types include due on receipt, due on fulfillment, net terms, and a fixed date. Its net choices include 7, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 days. Native percentage deposit requirements are Plus-only.

OrderPilot supports store defaults and terms on the individual order, kept in step with Shopify. A default is a starting point; the order should show the arrangement actually approved for this customer.

For example, a retail custom-sofa sale can require an agreed deposit, while an approved trade sale is on net 30. The collection routes still need to fit the plan: use the deposit comparison for that choice. Shopify's draft-order invoice terms announcement also distinguishes sending an invoice for review from payment becoming due.

Keep signature requirements in front of payment

Where a product or category requires a signature, the customer must complete that step before the guarded payment route opens. An OrderPilot pay link checks the current order when opened and can redirect the customer to sign a revised agreement.

That means an old email is not proof that the old specification remains payable. If a customer-facing edit invalidates the signature, obtain the new agreement before collecting through the affected route. The signature-requirements guide shows the product and category controls.

Avoid describing payment access as a scheduled collection engine. An open pay button gives the customer a route; a due date states the obligation. Someone still owns the follow-up and verifies the payment.

Write a policy the team can apply

For the illustrative $8,200 order, leave payment closed while confirming the fabric. Resolve the availability, send the settled quote, collect the required signature, and open the supported payment route.

Next, use the payment-terms explainer to choose wording staff and customers can both follow.

Sources

1. Creating draft orders: payment terms — Shopify Help Center.
2. Send draft order invoices with payment terms — Shopify, July 8, 2024.