Taking phone orders at a Shopify trade counter

Which Shopify route fits each trade customer

Customer pays when the runner collects: save the cart as a draft

1. Add the items and the customer to the cart.
2. Tap the ⋯ (More actions) icon at the top of the cart, then Create draft order.
3. When the runner arrives, tap the Order icon, then Drafts, pick the draft, tap Load to cart and check out.

Shopify documents holding stock only on admin drafts, so if you’re running low, set the items aside.

Customer pays by card first: email the cart from POS

For a contractor paying now and sending the apprentice later, tap ⋯ > Send cart, enter their email and tap Send. They pay on Shopify’s checkout, and the sale is credited to the POS channel, your location and the sending staff member (if they signed in with email, not a PIN). Send cart is email only; to text instead, see how to text a draft order payment link. See also phone orders without card details and manual entry vs payment links.

To let the runner collect, turn on Pickup in store for your location (Settings > Shipping and delivery). Shopify doesn’t say whether an emailed POS cart offers pickup, so send yourself a test cart; if it doesn’t, send an admin draft invoice with Pickup in store chosen.

Regulars who pay later: Mark unpaid, then invoice

For a regular who settles up next week, load their draft, or build a cart with them as the customer, tap Checkout (or Charge), then Mark unpaid on the Select payment option screen. Some EU locations, such as France, Italy and Spain, can’t mark a sale as unpaid.

In the admin, open the order, which should show as Payment pending. Click ⋯ in the Payment pending section, then Add payment terms, pick a term and save. If it isn’t paid by the due date, Shopify marks it Overdue.

To bill them, click Collect payment > Send invoice to email a checkout link. Shopify won’t send the invoice for you, so do it now or when the bill is due. It can email payment reminders from the due date (Settings > Notifications > Payment reminder). If they pay otherwise, click Mark as paid.

Account customers on terms: use Shopify B2B

Use B2B when your regulars are companies with standing terms. Since April 2026 it’s on Basic, Grow and Advanced as well as Plus (not Starter or Retail). Every plan with B2B includes net terms, saved cards and PO numbers; B2B deposits, partial payments and company-assigned catalogs need Plus (see Shopify’s B2B plan features).

Turn on customer accounts (not legacy ones; see Shopify’s B2B considerations), then set each customer up once under Customers > Companies > Add company, with their terms. For each order:

1. Create a draft (Orders > Drafts > Create order) for the company location, with the items and any PO number.
2. Select Payment due later; Shopify fills in the location’s terms.
3. For a runner, add Pickup in store under Add shipping or delivery. Shopify lists B2B pickup as off by default (Support turns it on), so test it on an invoice to yourself first.
4. Click Send invoice > Review invoice > Send invoice, then Create order.

The customer pays with Pay now in their customer account, or you charge a card saved to their company location (Shopify Payments only) with Collect payment when it’s due.

One gap: Shopify documents B2B in the admin, not at the counter, and merchants have asked about it. Some POS apps add net terms at the register, such as Molsoft’s B2B Orders for POS (as of October 2026, US$89 a month, needs POS Pro, no reviews yet).

Where Pay Link fits

Pay Link, from Countermade, is for trade customers who pay by card before anyone drives over. It makes a payment link from an order built in Shopify POS:

• The customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout, so staff never see or type card details.
• A double tap makes one link, not two.
• Staff see the total before the link goes out, with a note when shipping will be added at checkout.
• Staff can see whether a link has been paid, so the runner collects a paid order.

It needs POS Pro. Checkout asks for a delivery address and may add shipping, so turn on Pickup in store (above) and the customer can choose pickup.

Compare Shopify’s POS payment link options or see Pay Link’s page.

Next step

For card payers, Pay Link makes the link from the POS cart with the total up front and a paid status. Pay Link is from Countermade, the Shopify POS apps from Invenire Studios: join early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready for your store.