Purchase orders in Shopify B2B: PO numbers, payment terms and draft orders, explained
A wholesale buyer sends a purchase order, you ship and invoice it, and they pay on terms. Shopify can run that whole cycle on every plan, not only on Plus. This guide explains how the pieces fit: companies and locations, PO numbers, payment terms, draft orders and invoices, and the mistakes that cost you time or money.
The short answer
- A customer's purchase order becomes a draft order for their company location, which applies that account's prices and payment terms automatically.
- Shopify's own Purchase orders are for buying from suppliers, not for orders your customers send you.
- PO numbers, Net terms and draft order invoices are on every plan: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Deposits and partial payments need Plus.
- Payment terms are Net 7 to 90, due on fulfillment, or a fixed date (fixed dates only on individual draft orders). Nothing is charged automatically when terms run out.
Every statement about Shopify comes from Shopify's Help Center pages listed under Sources, read on 10 October 2026. Nexus Logic Systems makes Scribe, which is mentioned in the last section.
On this page
Two different things called a purchase order
Search for "purchase order" in Shopify's help or its App Store and you'll mostly find tools for buying stock from suppliers. When we checked the App Store's search suggestions on 9 October 2026, "purchase order" pointed to its Accounting, ERP, Inventory optimization and Staff notifications categories. Wholesale sellers usually mean the opposite direction.
| A customer's purchase order | A purchase order to your supplier | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | Your wholesale buyer | You |
| Direction | They buy from you | You buy from them |
| Becomes, in Shopify | A B2B draft order, then an order, with the buyer's PO number | A record in Shopify's Purchase orders, then received stock |
| Changes in Shopify | Sales, invoices, payment terms | Inventory and cost |
| Apps to look for | B2B order entry, purchase order to draft order | Inventory, purchasing, cost of goods |
This guide is about the first kind. If you also buy stock with purchase orders and want the cost side right, our sister app's guide covers it: updating Cost per item when you receive a purchase order.
The life of a customer purchase order in Shopify B2B
Three Shopify objects carry the whole process:
- The company and its locations. A company is the business you sell to. Each location (a shop, a warehouse, a branch) has its own shipping address, catalog and payment terms. The person who sends the PO is a company contact with a role on one or more locations.
- The draft order. Shopify's Help Center says that once a B2B customer and company location are selected, “the prices, payment terms, and checkout options automatically reflect the settings for that company.” That is why the location, not the person, is what you choose.
- The order. Completing the draft on payment terms creates the order with payment due later; sending an invoice lets the buyer pay by link first.
PO numbers in Shopify
PO numbers are a B2B feature on every plan: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. On a draft order you add one in the PO number section by clicking the edit icon, entering the number and clicking Done.
For your buyer, the PO number is the key their accounts team pays against: they match your invoice to their purchase order by that number. An invoice without it, or with it mistyped, can't be matched and waits. Three habits avoid most of the trouble:
- Copy it exactly. "PO-2024-GT-9876/REV.2" is not "9876". Keep letters, dashes and slashes.
- One PO, one order. Before entering a PO, look for its number among recent orders. A PO that arrives twice is the same order, not a second one.
- Watch for revisions. "REV 2", "Change order" or a note naming an "original PO" replaces an earlier PO. Change the existing order rather than adding a new one.
Payment terms: Net 30 and the others
Shopify offers four payment-term types. These are the definitions from its Help Center:
| Term | When payment is due | Where you can set it |
|---|---|---|
| No payment terms | Immediately (the default) | Location or draft order |
| Net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 | That many days after the order is placed | Location or draft order |
| Due on fulfillment | After every item in the order is fulfilled | Location or draft order |
| Fixed date | On a calendar date you pick | Individual draft orders only |
Source: Shopify Help Center, Payment terms, read 10 October 2026.
Three behaviours surprise merchants:
- Nothing is charged when the terms run out. Shopify says payments “aren't automatically captured when the payment terms expire.” A saved card has to be charged by hand from the admin.
- Buyers can pay early. They click Pay now in their customer account at any time before the due date. After it, they can still pay, and the order shows as Overdue.
- Deposits are Plus-only. A deposit requirement on a company or a draft order needs Shopify Plus.
Draft order, invoice, or order on terms?
From one draft order you can go three ways. Which one fits depends on the account:
Review first
For a PO that needs a check: a new buyer, a price question, a line you couldn't match. Nothing is sold until you complete it.
Paid before you ship
The buyer gets an email with a link to pay. Good for new or occasional accounts without terms.
Order on terms
The order is created now and paid by its due date. For established accounts with Net terms on their location.
What each Shopify plan includes for B2B purchase orders
B2B isn't only for Shopify Plus. These rows come from Shopify's B2B features by plan page:
| Feature | Basic, Grow, Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Companies and company locations | Yes | Yes |
| Net terms | Yes | Yes |
| Draft order to invoice | Yes | Yes |
| PO numbers | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout to draft | Yes | Yes |
| Shopify Flow with B2B objects | Yes | Yes |
| B2B catalogs | 3, assigned through B2B markets | Unlimited |
| Catalog assigned directly to a company | No | Yes |
| Deposits and partial payments | No | Yes |
Source: Shopify Help Center, Shopify B2B features by plan, read 10 October 2026. On Basic, Grow and Advanced, B2B catalog features need the new Shopify Markets.
Seven common mistakes with customer purchase orders
- Drafting for the person instead of the location. The draft loses the account's catalog prices and terms.
- Trusting the PO's prices. Buyers work from old price lists. Your catalog is the price; the PO's price is a check, and a difference is a conversation.
- Entering the same PO twice. Resends and forwards are routine. Search the PO number first.
- Adding a revision as a new order. A revised PO replaces the original.
- Mixing units. "4 CS" from a buyer who means cases of 12 is 48 single items, unless you sell the case as its own variant.
- Missing the delivery date. Put it on the order where your packing team will see it, and check it hasn't already passed.
- Placing on terms for an account that is overdue. Check unpaid orders before adding more credit.
Getting purchase orders into Shopify without retyping
Everything above happens after somebody has read the PO. That reading step is the slow part, and it is where most mistakes start. Shopify Flow can't help with it, because none of its triggers fires on an incoming email. You can move buyers onto your B2B storefront, or have the emailed PO read for you.
The second route is covered step by step in turning an emailed purchase order into a Shopify draft order. Before trusting any tool with it, read the checks a purchase-order reader should run.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?
The buyer writes the purchase order: it says what they want to buy, at what price, and gives it a PO number. You write the invoice: it says what you supplied and what they owe, and it should quote their PO number so their accounts team can match the two. In Shopify, the PO becomes a draft order, and the draft order's invoice is what you send.
Can B2B customers pay later on Shopify without Shopify Plus?
Yes. Net payment terms are on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus according to Shopify's B2B features by plan. You can set Net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90, or due on fulfillment, on a company location, and a draft order for that location uses those terms automatically.
Can I give Net 30 to one customer only?
Yes. Payment terms are set per company location (or for all of a company's locations at once) under Customers › Companies. Other accounts keep their own terms or none.
Does Shopify charge the buyer automatically when payment terms run out?
No. Shopify's Help Center says payments aren't automatically captured when the payment terms expire; a saved card has to be charged manually. Buyers can pay early from their customer account, and an unpaid order shows as Overdue.
Can I take a deposit on a B2B purchase order?
Only on Shopify Plus. Deposit requirements for companies and for draft orders, and partial payments, are Plus-only features according to Shopify's B2B features by plan.
What are Shopify's own Purchase orders for?
Buying from your suppliers. Shopify's Help Center describes them as records of the terms you agree with suppliers, for example to order new inventory. They are not used to receive orders from your wholesale customers; a customer's PO becomes a draft order or order instead.
Where should a buyer's PO number appear?
In the PO number field of the draft order or order, so it appears on your invoice and order documents. Keep it exactly as the buyer wrote it, including letters and dashes, and use it to spot the same PO arriving twice.