Take deposits for weight-based products on Shopify

Learn how to set up Downpay for weight-based products so customers can place a deposit at checkout you're able to adjust the final price after the product is weighed.

This setup is ideal for Shopify merchants selling variable-weight products such as meat, seafood, produce, farm boxes, and specialty food items.

This guide is designed for Shopify merchants who sell products by weight and need to collect a deposit upfront, adjust the order total after final weigh-in, and accurately collect the remaining balance without overcharging customers, losing margin, or relying on manual refunds or follow-up payments.

On this page:

Overview

Considerations

Setting up weight-based deposits with Downpay

• Installing and configuring Downpay
• Duplicating your live theme
• Installing Downpay on your unpublished theme
• Creating a weight-based deposit purchase option
• Adjusting the wording of fields on checkout and email templates

Adjusting the order total price after final weigh-in

• Increasing the order total for extra weight
• Reducing the order total for lower weight

Collecting the remaining balance

Testing the experience

Publishing your theme

Frequently asked questions

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up weight-based product deposits using Downpay, allowing customers to pay a deposit at checkout and have the final order total adjusted after the product is weighed.

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By the end of this setup:

• Customers place an order with a deposit
• You weigh the product during fulfillment
• You adjust the order total based on actual weight
• Use Downpay to charge the remaining balance to the card on file

Considerations

Before setting this up, keep the following in mind:

• Ensure any weight based products in Shopify have their estimated final price set as the product price.
• Customers must understand that the final total depends on actual weight across the entire buying journey, so make this clear where possible on your theme.
• Order adjustments are made after checkout using Shopify order editing.
• Shopify allows only one discount code per order which means if a discount code is already applied at checkout, additional discounts cannot be added during order editing which results in requiring a refund if the weight is lower than expected.

Setting up weight-based deposits with Downpay

Installing and configuring Downpay

1. Install Downpay from the Shopify App Store.
2. Open Downpay and complete the in-app onboarding, except for theme block installation.

Duplicating your live theme

To avoid impacting your live storefront during setup, we recommend working on a duplicate of what you have live which can then be published once everything has been set up to your liking.

1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Locate your live theme.
3. Click ... and select Duplicate.
4. Rename the duplicated theme (for example, “Weight-based deposits – Downpay”).

Installing Downpay on your unpublished theme

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Click Customize on this new unpublished theme.
3. Open the product template you're using for the weight-based products.
4. Add the Downpay product block and click it to customize it's settings. Full guide can be found here
5. Update the copy to clearly explain that pricing is finalized after weigh-in.
6. Save your changes.
7. Optional: Enable the Downpay cart subtotal block for additional clarity and click it to adjust it's settings.
8. Click save on your theme once you've set up these two pieces.

Creating a weight-based deposit purchase option

1. Open Downpay and create a new purchase option.
2. The name of the purchase option will be used as an internal order tag. We recommend deposit product or similar.
3. Assign your weight-based products to the purchase option by tag, or individually selecting them.
4. Set the deposit amount (fixed or percentage). If you choose to use a fixed deposit amount, this will apply per line item, not across the cart total.
5. Disable the pay in full option if you'd like to ensure all orders come in with a deposit.

6. Set your balance due date. A date must set however nothing will be forced to happen on this date. Normally we recommend basing it on your expected timelines.
7. Save the purchase option.

Adjusting the wording of fields on checkout and email templates

In most cases, you'll want to adjust the balance due date wording at checkout and on your email templates. There are several places where this appears and we have compiled a full guide to help you do this.

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Adjusting the order total price after final weigh-in

Once the product is weighed, update the order in Shopify before collecting the remaining balance.

Increasing the order total for extra weight

Use Shopify order editing to add a custom line item reflecting the additional weight cost.

Reducing the order total for lower weight

Use Shopify order editing to apply a discount that reduces the original line item price.

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Collecting the remaining balance

Once the order reflects the correct total, collect the remaining balance using one of the following methods:

• Charge the stored card
• Send an updated invoice
• Collect payment using Shopify POS at pickup

All methods keep the order and payment history in Shopify.

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Testing the experience

Before going live:

1. Preview your unpublished theme.
2. Place a test order using a supported payment method.
3. Weigh the product and adjust the order total.
4. Collect the remaining balance.
5. Review customer emails and order history.

Publishing your theme

Once testing is complete:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Click Actions > Publish on your updated theme.

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Frequently asked questions

Can customers see that pricing is finalized after weigh-in?

Yes. The Downpay product and cart blocks clearly communicate that the deposit is collected upfront and the final balance is based on actual weight.

Do I need to refund customers if the weight is lower?

No. Use Shopify order editing to reduce the order total before collecting the remaining balance.

What happens if a discount code was used at checkout?

Shopify allows only one discount code per order. If you need to lower the balance for orders that already have a discount code applied, you will need to charge the total order and then issue a refund as required.

Does this require Shopify Plus?

No. Downpay works on all Shopify plans and does not require Shopify Plus.

Is this a buy now, pay later solution?

No. Downpay is not a BNPL provider. It collects deposits and charges the customer’s own card on file at a later time.

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Updated on: 14/01/2026