shopify-orders

Shopify Order Management

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Web-search site:shopify.dev graphql admin api orders for order queries and mutations
2. Web-search site:shopify.dev fulfillment order api for fulfillment model
3. Web-search site:shopify.dev returns refunds api for returns processing
4. Fetch https://shopify.dev/docs/api/admin-graphql and search for fulfillmentCreateV2, returnCreate, refundCreate for current input schemas
5. Web-search site:shopify.dev order editing api for order modification workflow

Order Lifecycle

Created → Paid → Fulfilled → Completed
  ↓         ↓       ↓
Cancelled  Refunded  Returned

Order Statuses

Status	Meaning
OPEN	Order placed, payment authorized or pending
CLOSED	All items fulfilled and no further action needed
CANCELLED	Order cancelled by merchant or customer

Financial Status

Status	Meaning
PENDING	Payment not yet processed
AUTHORIZED	Payment authorized but not captured
PAID	Payment captured successfully
PARTIALLY_PAID	Partial payment received
PARTIALLY_REFUNDED	Some items refunded
REFUNDED	Fully refunded
VOIDED	Authorization voided

Fulfillment Status

Status	Meaning
UNFULFILLED	No items shipped
PARTIALLY_FULFILLED	Some items shipped
FULFILLED	All items shipped
RESTOCKED	Items returned and restocked

Querying Orders

# Pattern: paginated order query with filter
# Fetch live docs for current queryable fields
query Orders($first: Int!, $query: String) {
  orders(first: $first, query: $query) {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        name
        createdAt
        displayFinancialStatus
        displayFulfillmentStatus
        totalPriceSet { shopMoney { amount currencyCode } }
        customer { id firstName lastName email }
      }
    }
    pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor }
  }
}

Filter examples: "financial_status:paid fulfillment_status:unfulfilled", "created_at:>2025-01-01", "tag:rush".

Fetch live docs for the full query filter syntax and available displayFinancialStatus/displayFulfillmentStatus enum values.

FulfillmentOrder Model

The modern fulfillment API (replaces legacy Fulfillment):

• Each order has one or more FulfillmentOrder objects
• Each FulfillmentOrder is assigned to a fulfillment location
• Supports third-party fulfillment services
• Lifecycle: OPEN → IN_PROGRESS → CLOSED

Key Fulfillment Mutations

Operation	Mutation
Create fulfillment	fulfillmentCreateV2
Cancel fulfillment	fulfillmentCancel
Update tracking	fulfillmentTrackingInfoUpdateV2
Move to new location	fulfillmentOrderMove
Hold fulfillment	fulfillmentOrderHold
Release hold	fulfillmentOrderReleaseHold

Fulfillment creation requires: fulfillment order ID, line items with quantities, tracking info (number, URL, company), and notify customer flag.

Fetch live docs for FulfillmentV2Input fields and fulfillmentOrderLineItems shape — these are the most commonly misused inputs.

Returns and Refunds

Returns

Return Requested → Return Approved → Items Received → Refund Issued

Key mutations:

• returnCreate — initiate a return (requires order ID, line items, quantities, return reason)
• returnApproveRequest — approve customer return request
• returnRefund — issue refund for returned items

Return reasons: DEFECTIVE, WRONG_ITEM, SIZE_TOO_SMALL, SIZE_TOO_LARGE, STYLE, COLOR, DAMAGED_IN_TRANSIT, OTHER, UNKNOWN.

Fetch live docs for ReturnInput fields and the current list of return reason enum values.

Refunds

Key mutation: refundCreate (requires order ID, line items, quantities, restock type, optional shipping refund).

Restock types: RETURN (back to location), CANCEL (restock), NO_RESTOCK (don't adjust inventory).

Fetch live docs for RefundInput fields — refund shipping, note, and currency options vary by API version.

Draft Orders

Orders created manually by merchants or apps:

• draftOrderCreate — create draft with custom pricing
• draftOrderComplete — convert to real order (charges payment)
• Use for: custom orders, B2B quotes, phone orders, wholesale pricing
• Can apply custom discounts and shipping rates

Fetch live docs for DraftOrderInput fields — custom line items, applied discounts, and shipping lines shape.

Order Editing

Modify orders after creation (three-step workflow):

1. orderEditBegin — start editing session (returns calculated order ID)
2. Make changes: orderEditAddVariant, orderEditSetQuantity, orderEditAddDiscount, orderEditRemoveLineItemDiscount
3. orderEditCommit — apply changes (adjusts payment if needed)

Fetch live docs: Web-search site:shopify.dev order editing api for exact mutation sequence and calculated order fields.

Order Metafields

Store custom data on orders via metafieldsSet (same pattern as product metafields — specify ownerId as the order GID).

Transactions

Payment records on orders:

• Types: authorization, capture, void, refund
• Multiple transactions per order (e.g., authorize then capture)
• Gateway-specific transaction data accessible via order.transactions

Webhook Topics

Topic	When Fired
orders/create	New order placed
orders/updated	Order modified
orders/paid	Payment captured
orders/fulfilled	All items shipped
orders/cancelled	Order cancelled

Fetch live docs for the complete list of order-related webhook topics and payload shapes.

Best Practices

• Use FulfillmentOrder model (not legacy Fulfillment) — it's the current standard
• Always check financial status before fulfilling
• Use order editing API instead of cancelling and recreating
• Implement idempotent order processing (check for existing orders before creating)
• Use webhooks (orders/create, orders/paid, orders/fulfilled) for real-time notifications
• Store custom order data in metafields
• Use query parameter for filtering orders server-side (not client-side filtering)
• Handle partial fulfillments — one order can span multiple locations

Fetch the Shopify order and fulfillment API documentation for exact mutation inputs, order lifecycle states, and fulfillment patterns before implementing.