What is a Test Order?
Test order is an act of making a simulation for the buyers about what would happen if they wanted to buy or sell something at their checkout processes.
You can control your checkouts, order processing, taxes, email notifications, inventories, and shipping on Shopify. That is how you can create a better and smoother relationship with your customers.
Before starting, you need to know that you have to be on a pricing plan and not on the free trial of Shopify to place a test order. You can change your trial or plan on your account’s Billing page.
It is not a must to perform test orders; however, it is a fact that you will gain much favor from the test orders you will make.
3 Ways of Doing a Test Order on Shopify
You can read further or jump into the techniques that will fit you best.
Get started by logging into your Shopify account and reaching your Admin panel.
Using Shopify’s Bogus Gateway
1. On your Shopify Admin panel, click Settings and then Payments.
2. Click Manage in the Shopify Payments section. Scroll down the page you view and click Switch to a third-party provider.
If the Shopify Payments section is unavailable based on your location, choose a provider in the Payment providers.
3. From the third-party provider choices, choose (for testing) Bogus Gateway.
4. Since you enable Bogus Gateway, select a reason to Deactivate Shopify Payments. Then, click Activate (for testing) Bogus Gateway.
5. Now, it’s time to create an order on your online store. Add a product to your cart, and click Check out.
6. First, fill in the contact information and shipping address for the test. Then, choose any shipping method on the next page before clicking Continue to payment.
7. Scroll down to the next page and fill in the Payments. You need to enter Bogus Gateway as the name on the card, and for the card number, there are different choices that you want to perform.
- Enter 1 to simulate a successful transaction
- Enter 2 to simulate a failed transaction
- Enter 3 to simulate an exception (An error message exists from the provider.)
8. The expiration date can be any number in the future, and the security code can be any three digits.
9. Choose the Same as the shipping address for the billing address, and click Pay now.
10. Your test order is ready. You can view it on your Orders page and cancel it from the same page, More actions dropdown on the right top.
Simulation of Successful Transaction of Shopify Payments Test Mode
The best tip we can give you before starting is that if you cannot see any Shopify Payments, it means that you need to set up your Shopify payments.
1. Click “Settings” on the bottom of the left sidebar.
2. Find “Payments” and click on it.
3. In the first section, you will see the Shopify Payments section; choose “Manage”.
4. Don’t forget to exclude your previous payments section on Shop Pay and Wallets if you have any. Uncheck them.
5. Scroll down to the page and tick the box next to Enable test mode in the Test Mode section to activate the test order mode. Then, click “Save”.
Now, since you have activated the test mode, you are not able to use your real credit cards, and you shouldn’t :).
6. To try the test order, click the eye icon on the Online Store tab.
7. Go to your Online Store page and add one of your products to your cart.
8. You can view your cart and click Check out to continue the process.
9. You need to fill in the required details on the checkout page. It is recommended to add an email address to have email notifications. Lastly, click “Continue to shipping”
10. Choose your shipping method available and click “Continue to payment”.
11. Some test card details must be considered for a successful payment transaction.
12. While filling in the payment section, you need to write at least two words with space for the Name on Card.
- The expiry date should be a date in the future, and for the security code, enter any three digits to fill.
13. Select Same as shipping address for the Billing address. Later, click Pay now.
You can see your order success page later on.
14. You can view your orders on the Orders page.
15. While viewing your order details, you can also delete or refund the order from this section.
16. To disable the test mode, go back to the Payment section from Settings and click Manage.
You can turn off your test mode immediately or follow the progress through the Manage page.
17. Scroll down the page and uncheck the Enable test mode.
After trying for a successful transaction, you can check the boxes between Shop Pay and Wallets and deactivate Shopify Payments.
Simulation of Failed Transaction of Shopify Payments Test Mode
We need to remind you that if you cannot see any Shopify Payments, it means that you need to set up your Shopify payments.
1. On the Shopify admin panel, click Settings and Payments to Manage Shopify Payments.
2. Disable any previous payment actions, like Shop Pay and Wallets.
3. Then, check the box Enable test mode and then “Save”.
4. Now, go to your Online Store and add a product to your cart.
5. Click Check out to head to the customer details page.
6. For further progress, you need to fill in the related details. Using your real information is unnecessary since it’s a failed simulation.
7. Also, select the shipping method on the next page and click Continue to payment.
8. On the Payment page, you need to fill in the credit card details with some certain information.
- It is better to choose the card number failure method on the table.
- You need to write at least two words for the Name on the Card blank.
- You can write one of those in the table above for the credit card number or the other details. If you try all the details together, it will also be a problem to continue the process.
9. Choose Same as shipping address and click Pay now.
10. You will get an error message on the current page without further progress.
11. To disable test mode, click Manage on Shopify Payments again. Then, scroll down the page and uncheck the Enable test mode.
After trying for the failed test order simulation, you should deactivate Shopify Payments; and activate your Shop Pay and Wallets.
Why is Shopify Test Order Important?
The most straightforward answer is that test order on Shopify provides a seamless checkout process for your customers. Therefore, it is highly beneficial for you and your customers to know how your payment process works.
It also guarantees your service for your customers since you are not charged for test orders, and it is smooth with no errors.
Besides, the taxes are calculated easier with the test order you prepare, and you can easily do orders for testing.
Tips for Shopify Test Order
Certain tips for applying while doing test orders on Shopify:
- You need to be on a specific pricing plan and not
- It is not probable to use real credit cards when activating the test mode.
- Don’t fulfill any test orders with the real details that belong to you. It can charge you with real information, even if it’s a test order.
- Don’t forget to activate your test mode before acting because if your account automatically fulfills the orders, you will be charged.
- No payouts or transaction fees on test orders. You can’t receive any of them, so you shouldn’t be worried.
Sum Up
Knowing how to do a test order on Shopify can help you in the distant future since you don’t need it all the time, but it is best to know if you need it in any case.
You can check your checkout process and payments from time to time to keep track of your business and your customers’ experiences.
We hope the techniques of doing a test order on Shopify can help you with your company and your sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
Test orders on Shopify may create some questions in your mind. We have listed a few of them for you.
Is It Possible to Delete Test Orders on Shopify?
Yes, it is. You can simply delete test orders in all types of test order techniques. After you have completed your test order, you can view it on the Orders page, as we emphasize. Then, when you decide to delete it, click More actions and Cancel order. That is how you can delete the process you have done.
Can I Do a Test Order Before I Launch My Website?
Yes, you can. Even it’s an advantage for you to try before launching your website. You can try and see if your customers' checkout process is smooth. Also, you can benefit from controlling payments.
Why Shouldn’t I Use Real Information for the Test Order on Shopify?
Because if you skip the step of enabling test orders and put your real information in the related fields, it can actually charge you. Therefore, avoid using your real information when you do a test order on Shopify.
Other Shopify Articles
If you want to learn more about Shopify, you can check out the following articles as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do a test order on Shopify?
1. To do a test order on Shopify, first make sure your store is on a paid plan (test orders can be limited on a free trial), then decide which testing method fits your setup: if you use Shopify Payments, go to your Shopify admin and navigate to Settings > Payments, click Manage in the Shopify Payments section, and enable Test mode so you can place an order without using a real card; if you don’t want to toggle Shopify Payments settings (or you want a simple simulation), you can use Shopify’s Bogus Gateway by switching to a third-party provider “(for testing) Bogus Gateway,” then place an order on your storefront as a customer would (add an item to cart, proceed through checkout, enter shipping details, and on the payment step enter the required bogus details to simulate a successful or failed transaction); alternatively, you can place a real order using an actual payment method and then immediately cancel/refund it, which is useful when you want to confirm that real payment capture, taxes, inventory, shipping rates, and notification emails behave exactly as they will at launch.
What does test mode do on Shopify?
2. Test mode on Shopify (specifically Shopify Payments test mode) lets you simulate the checkout and payment flow so you can confirm your store is ready before selling to real customers, including verifying that your checkout pages work, taxes and shipping rates calculate correctly, discounts apply as expected, inventory adjusts, and order confirmation emails/notifications are triggered properly—without charging a real credit card or moving real money; it’s especially helpful for spotting issues like misconfigured shipping zones, incorrect tax settings, or missing email templates, but it’s important to remember that test mode is for internal validation only, and you should disable it before launch so customers can pay normally (and you should also be aware that some third-party gateways and apps may behave differently in test mode than in live transactions).
How to run a test sale on Shopify POS?
3. To run a test sale on Shopify POS, open the Shopify POS app, add a product to the cart, and (optionally) attach a customer by tapping Add customer so you can verify receipts and customer profiles; then proceed to Checkout and choose how you want to test: if your payment provider and hardware support a training/test environment, enable the provider’s test mode (or use a test payment method) so the transaction processes without actually charging, and complete the sale to confirm taxes, discounts, tips (if used), and receipt delivery work as expected; if you can’t run a true “test” transaction through your POS hardware, the most reliable alternative is to run a small real transaction (for example, $1 on a low-cost product), then immediately refund it from the POS or Shopify admin—this still validates the full end-to-end flow including payment capture, order creation, inventory updates, and refund handling, which is often what merchants most need to confirm before opening to customers.
How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?
4. How much Shopify takes from a $100 sale depends on (1) your Shopify plan, (2) whether you use Shopify Payments or a third-party gateway, and (3) whether the sale is online or in-person, because Shopify charges payment processing fees (and sometimes additional transaction fees) that vary by plan and payment method; for example, on a common Shopify Payments setup in the U.S., an online credit card transaction might be around 2.9% + $0.30 on some plans (so roughly $3.20 on a $100 order), while higher-tier plans often have lower percentages, and in-person rates can be different as well; if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, you typically pay that provider’s processing fee plus Shopify’s additional transaction fee (which also varies by plan), so the total cost can be higher—because exact rates differ by country and plan, the most accurate way to calculate your $100 example is to check Settings > Payments in your admin (or Shopify’s pricing page for your region) and apply the listed percentage plus the fixed fee to your order total.
How to use test order on shopify?
5. Using a test order on Shopify means placing a “practice” purchase through your own storefront to confirm everything works the way a customer will experience it, and it’s best done with a structured checklist: start by confirming your products, prices, variants, and inventory are correct, then run test checkouts that cover key scenarios such as different shipping addresses (to validate shipping zones and rates), taxable vs. non-taxable products (to verify tax rules), discount codes (to ensure eligibility and stacking rules), and different payment outcomes (successful, failed, and pending); you can do this by enabling Shopify Payments test mode, using the Bogus Gateway to simulate payment results, or placing a small real order and refunding it, and after each test order you should review the order timeline in Shopify admin, confirm inventory changes, verify fulfillment/shipping settings, and check that customer-facing emails (order confirmation, shipping confirmation, refund notice) are sent and look professional—because the real value of test orders is catching configuration issues before customers do.
What is Shopify test order card numbers?
6. Shopify test order card numbers are special test credentials used to simulate payment outcomes without using real card details, and the exact numbers depend on the method you’re using: if you enable Shopify Payments test mode, Shopify provides test card numbers (typically in Shopify’s help documentation) that let you simulate approved and declined transactions so you can validate the full checkout flow and order creation without charging a real card; if you use Shopify’s Bogus Gateway instead, you don’t use real-looking card numbers at all—instead, you enter “Bogus Gateway” as the card name and use simple values (commonly 1 for a successful transaction, 2 for a failed transaction, and 3 for an error/exception scenario) to force different outcomes; the key point is that these test numbers are only for testing in a non-live context, won’t work for real purchases, and should be used only by store staff while confirming checkout, taxes, shipping, and notifications.
How to delete a test order on shopify?
7. To delete a test order on Shopify, go to your Shopify admin, open Orders, click the test order you created, and if it’s eligible you can choose More actions (or the relevant order menu) and select Delete order; if you don’t see a delete option, it usually means the order can’t be fully deleted due to its status or permissions (for example, it may need to be canceled first, or your staff account may not have the required permission), so the practical approach is to cancel the order and, if any payment was captured, issue a refund, then optionally archive the order to keep your order list clean; also note that even when deletion is available, many merchants prefer canceling/archiving so there’s an audit trail of testing activity—especially useful when you’re validating taxes, inventory adjustments, and email notifications during store setup.
