Customer Wants to Change Order After Production Started

Whether you can change the order depends on one thing: has your print provider already submitted it to production? Before that, a change may be possible. After that, assume it is not, and reply with what you can do instead of a vague “let me check.”

This post covers size, color, design text and quantity. For address changes, see How to Change a Shipping Address on Shopify (Before It Ships).

The decision table: what is possible at each stage

Find the stage first, then pick the reply. The provider’s own order status is the source of truth, not your Shopify order page.

Stage	Can you change size, color, design or product?	What to do
Not yet submitted to production	Maybe, but confirm with your provider first	Make the change where your provider lets you, then match Shopify. Confirm the provider order shows the new version before replying “done.”
Submitted to production	Assume no	Tell the customer plainly. Offer a new order or keep-as-is options (Template 2 or 3).
Shipped or fulfilled	No	Shopify won’t let you remove fulfilled items or change their quantity. Offer a new order or a goodwill option (Template 4).

Quantity changes follow the same stages. Adding or removing a unit changes what the provider produces, so treat it like a product change.

Why a Shopify edit alone is risky

Shopify lets you edit an order: “you can add or remove products, adjust item quantities, and update shipping fees,” per Shopify’s order editing guide. That sounds like the whole answer for a POD seller. It is not.

Shopify’s own considerations page warns: “If your fulfillment services don’t work with order edits, then editing an item can cause missed or incomplete orders.” Its example: “if you edit an order to remove an item, then your fulfillment app might not remove the item.”

It also says to “contact your fulfillment services to verify whether you can edit items that are fulfilled by the fulfillment service.”

So the safe order of operations is:

1. Check the order’s status with your provider.
2. Change it at the provider if they allow it.
3. Only then edit Shopify so the records match.
4. Confirm the provider’s copy shows the new version before you tell the customer it is done.

A few Shopify limits worth knowing, all from the same considerations page:

• Fulfilled items are limited: “You can edit unfulfilled items in an order, but you can’t remove fulfilled items or adjust their quantity.”
• “You can’t edit orders that were paid for using Shop Pay Installments.”
• After an edit, “the data in your apps might be incorrect,” so recheck the app side.

If the edit changes the total, Shopify handles the money. If more payment is needed, “you can send the customer an updated invoice.” If the total decreases, “you can issue a refund.”

What print providers say about changes after production starts

I can speak to Printify’s terms directly. Check your own provider’s terms and help center for the same points.

Printify’s terms of service say that by submitting an order to production, either manually or via an automatic setting, you acknowledge that “the Order execution or Order contents (products, shipping method, delivery and return addresses) cannot be further modified.”

There is a narrow exception. You “may submit requests for change of certain Order details, including address change or delivery method change,” and Printify “at its discretion will let you know whether it is possible to accommodate your request.” The examples named are address and delivery method. Size and color are not listed.

Two more points matter for your wording:

• The merchant is responsible for “relaying the correct information from the Merchant’s Customers.” If the customer ordered the wrong size or color, “Printify can not be held responsible.”
• Products are made to order. Printify says “they are non-refundable.”

In plain terms, if a customer picks the wrong size and production has started, the cost of fixing it usually falls on you. Decide your policy before the emails arrive.

Template 1: Change possible (before production)

Use this only after you have confirmed the provider order is still changeable. Ask for the exact new spec so you don’t guess.

Subject: Your order [Order Number]: change request

Hi [First Name],

Good news: your order hasn’t gone into production yet, so I can still change it.

Current: [Item, Size, Color, Design] New: [Item, Size, Color, Design]

[If the price changes: The new total is [Amount]. I’ll send an updated invoice for the difference. / The new total is lower, so I’ll refund [Amount] to your original payment method.]

Please reply “confirm” and I’ll make the change right away. Once it goes into production it can’t be edited.

[Your Name]

Asking for “confirm” protects you from a second change after you have already edited the order.

Template 2: Already in production, can’t change

This is the honest “we can’t change it, here’s what we can do” reply. Say no in the first line, then give options.

Subject: Your order [Order Number]: update on your change request

Hi [First Name],

Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately your order has already gone into production, and at this stage the item can’t be changed. Each item is made specifically for you, so I can’t swap the [size/color/design] on this one.

Here’s what I can do:

1. Ship it as ordered. It’s on its way to you as planned. Expected delivery: [Date range].
2. Place a new order with the change you want. [Your terms: e.g. “I can do this at [Price/Discount]” or “at full price”]. The original order would still arrive.

Let me know which you’d prefer. If you choose option 2, please send me the exact [size/color/text] you want so I get it right this time.

[Your Name]

Don’t promise to cancel the original order unless you have confirmed that is possible. Printify’s terms say that after an order is placed it “cannot guarantee that it will be possible to issue a full or partial Refund,” and that it decides whether a cancellation is eligible. Printify’s terms also say refunds are issued as credit to your Printify balance.

Template 3: Design text or quantity change in production

In my mug stores, typos in names and dates are the change requests I see most. Be specific about what is and isn’t possible, and check whether the customer’s own text was the error.

Subject: Your order [Order Number]: your text/quantity change

Hi [First Name],

Thanks for catching that. Your order is already being made, so I’m not able to edit the [text on the design / quantity].

The design on this order reads: “[Text as ordered]”. [If it matches what they submitted: That matches what was entered at checkout, so I can’t treat it as a production error.]

What I can offer:

• A new order with the corrected [text/quantity] at [Price/Discount].
• Keeping the original as is.

If you’d like the new order, reply with the exact wording or quantity (“[Example: Mark’s 50th, June 2027]”) and I’ll place it today.

[Your Name]

Check the customer’s original submission before you reply. If the error is on your side (the wrong artwork got sent), that is a different conversation, covered in Wrong Item Received Email Template for POD Sellers. Check your provider’s reprint terms too. Printify, for example, reserves the right to refuse a request for Refund or Reprint, so confirm who caused the problem before you promise a free fix.

Template 4: Already shipped

Once an item is fulfilled, it is past the point where a change makes sense.

Subject: Your order [Order Number] has shipped

Hi [First Name],

Your order has already shipped, so I can’t change the [size/color/design] anymore. Tracking: [Tracking Link].

If it doesn’t work for you when it arrives, reply to this email and we’ll sort out the best next step. [Your policy: e.g. “I can place a new order at [Discount]” or “I can offer [Option]”.]

[Your Name]

Don’t offer a free swap by default. Printify’s terms say made-to-order products are non-refundable, so a free exchange is a cost you pay. Set the rule once. For the money side, see Handling Refund Requests on Shopify (Without Losing Money).

Where the time goes, and how to speed it up

The slow part of this email is not the writing. It is checking the stage: open Shopify, open the provider dashboard, compare items, then pick a template.

LzyReply does the first half of that. It reads the Shopify order (status, tracking, items, shipping address) and drafts a reply in your brand voice for you to approve. It does not connect to Printful, Printify or other suppliers, so it can’t change or cancel the supplier order. That step stays with you. More on how that setup works is in Customer Support for Print-on-Demand Stores.

Prevent the next one

Most change requests come from small gaps at checkout. These fixes cost nothing:

• State on the product page that items are made to order and can’t be changed once production starts.
• Put a size chart next to the size selector.
• Add one line to your order confirmation: “Need a change? Reply within [X hours] and we’ll check if it’s still possible.”

Be careful with that last window. Printify’s terms cover orders submitted “either manually or via an automatic setting.” If your orders auto-submit, production may start before your window ends, so the promise is not real. If your provider lets you approve orders manually or delay submission, use it to make the window true. Check your provider’s settings, then pick a window you can actually keep.

Then keep your templates in one place. A shared set like Ecommerce Customer Service Email Templates is a good base for the rest of your order emails.