> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.goodnative.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release orders

> Receive Shopify inventory or release held pre-orders in Bloom so covered orders become unfulfilled and ready for your fulfilment app.

Bloom holds pre-order fulfilment orders until you release them. A release makes the order **Unfulfilled** for your fulfilment app. It does not dispatch or fulfil the order.

> Shipping & inventory management software typically will see the status change and trigger fulfilment processes but sometimes requires manual actions or work arounds.

## Which orders are released?

Orders are released, earliest first, and only when all pre-order inventory required is available.

If an order has two pre-order products and only one is on hand today the order will be held. When the other product's inventory is on hand, the whole order will be released.

## Ways you can release pre-orders

1. In bulk / staged release from on hand inventory
2. In bulk ignoring on hand inventory
3. Automatically when inventory is on hand - off by default, [turn it on](#releasing-orders-automatically)

## Example inventory changes for a product on pre-order

1. Available & on hand are 0
2. 30 units are pre-ordered
3. Product A inventory is -30 available
4. You add 10 inventory
5. Availalbe becomes -20, and on hand 10
6. Orders for up to 10 units are available for release
7. Releasing orders reduces on hand by 10 to 0

## How to release orders

Bloom monitors when Shopify inventory changes from any source: manual updates, imports, integrations and received purchase orders.

1. **Manual confirmation** - the default. Covered orders stay in **Ready** until you confirm them.
2. **Automatic release.** Turn it on under **Apps → Bloom → Settings → Pre-order → Auto-release orders** and matching orders release as **On hand** stock increases.

<Note>
  Bloom only checks an inventory update when that variant has held pre-order lines. Stock changes for unrelated variants do nothing here.
</Note>

## Full release history

You can see every time a product / order is released in Bloom, whether it's manual / bulk or automated. In each release you can see all the orders updated, and orders are tagged with the release ID.

\[screenshot of releases]
\[screenshot of order tag]

## Bulk release orders

Use **Ready** to release orders covered by current stock. Bloom releases the oldest eligible orders first.

1. In Shopify admin, open **Apps → Bloom → Products → Release orders**.
2. Select the variants to release.
3. Choose **Prepare orders for release**.
4. Check the order preview.
5. Click **Release orders**.

Each selection releases whole orders, not individual lines. An order containing a selected variant is released as one fulfilment order.

<Warning>
  **Prepare all orders for release** bypasses the stock check. It can release orders whose required stock is not on hand. Use it only when your warehouse can fulfil those orders.
</Warning>

## Releasing orders automatically

Automatic release is **off by default** - covered orders wait in **Ready** for you to confirm. Under **Apps → Bloom → Settings → Pre-order → Auto-release orders**:

* **Automatically release pre-orders when stock arrives** - *off by default*. Releases the oldest fully covered held orders without confirmation. The Releases page becomes the record of what released. The four settings below only apply while it's on.
* **Minimum stock increase to auto-release** - the smallest single stock arrival that triggers an automatic release. Smaller increases stay available and do not reduce the pre-order limit.
* **Reduce pre-order limit as stock arrives** - on by default. Lowers the oversell limit by received stock, so stock allocated to held orders does not reopen pre-order sales.
* **Auto-release quiet period (seconds)** - a delay after the latest inventory update before releasing. Groups the tens or hundreds of variant updates that arrive seconds apart during imports and purchase orders, instead of triggering individual releases.
* **Auto-release maximum wait (seconds)** - caps how long Bloom will wait, in case inventory keeps updating.

## Inventory statuses explained

* **Bloom uses on hand** inventory to decide if pre-orders can be fulfilled
* **On hold is not unfulfilled.** A held fulfilment order stays out of Shopify's **Unfulfilled** list. Your 3PL should not ship it.
* **Released means unfulfilled.** Bloom removes its hold. Your fulfilment app can now import, allocate and dispatch the order.
* **Available and on hand change together when you receive units.** Bloom adds received units to Shopify's **Available** inventory at the selected location. **On hand** rises by the same amount.
* **Incoming is not on hand.** A Shopify purchase order creates **Incoming** inventory. It cannot release an order until you receive the units.

## Receive units in Bloom

If you would like to bulk update on hand inventory and release orders at once.

1. In Shopify admin, open **Apps → Bloom**.
2. Go to **Products → Release orders**.
3. Enter the quantity under **Receive units** for each variant.
4. Select the receiving location.
5. Open **Prepare orders for release**, review the orders, then click **Add units & release orders**.

Bloom records the inventory adjustment with Shopify's `received` reason. It adds units at the selected receiving location only. The **On hand** figure can include other online-fulfilling locations.

The preview recalculates after your receipt. It shows the oldest orders now covered by stock. Confirming the receipt queues those orders for release in the same action.

## Related

* [Shipping & fulfilment apps](/bloom/pre-order/fulfillment-apps) - what your 3PL sees before and after release
* [Pre-order data reference](/bloom/pre-order-data) - Bloom's `Pre-order: Hold` and `Pre-order: Ship` tags
* [Configure a pre-order product](/bloom/pre-order/product-config) - set the variant oversell limit