Running a Shopify store, you may sometimes want to limit the quantity sold or who can purchase a given product. For example: "I only have limited stock, so I want to allow just one per customer," "For medicine, I want sales to depend on the visitor's or patient's condition," "I don't support international shipping, so I want to prevent overseas visitors from purchasing" — there are many possible reasons. However, many store owners struggle to set up these restrictions properly.
This article explains in detail the types of purchase limits (sales restrictions) and the Shopify apps that support them. Reading this will give you hints for implementing effective purchase limits on your Shopify store.
Reasons to Set Purchase Limits on a Product
To Deter and Suppress Resale
When a product gets resold, buyers can end up disadvantaged — paying more than the normal price, being unable to get manufacturer repair/exchange support because they didn't buy from an authorized source, or receiving items degraded by expired or improperly stored goods — all of which risk damaging your company's or product's brand image.
To curb resale, one countermeasure is limiting the quantity sold so that a customer can only buy up to one unit.
To Ensure Products Are Used Safely
With over-the-counter medicine or therapeutic diet food, "exceeding the recommended dosage" or "being used by someone (or a pet) who shouldn't take it at all" can negatively affect health.
To prevent this in advance, you can control sales based on the customer's condition, or restrict sales so customers can't buy more than they need.
Because You Don't Support International Shipping
As long as your Shopify store is published online, it's difficult to prevent access from overseas. Also, if a customer living abroad ends up purchasing, you may need to handle cancellations in a foreign language, taking up more time than usual.
To Create a Sense of Exclusivity (For Branding Purposes)
Limiting purchases on a product can create a sense of exclusivity and strengthen your branding. Showing "only X left in stock" can also help boost users' purchase intent.
Because Sales Are Prohibited
Some products, like alcohol or tobacco, cannot legally be sold to minors.
More Shopify stores have recently started carrying items like shisha or CBD cigarettes.
Adding age verification to your Shopify store lets you prevent sales to minors in advance.
Types of Purchase Limits and What You Can Do on Shopify
Quantity Limit - Limiting Purchase Quantity
There are cases where you want to control how many units can be purchased at once, whether due to limited stock or to prevent resale.
Using the Shopify app "RuffRuff Order Limits," you can set various quantity limits, such as "up to 1 per order," "from 3 per order," or "between 2 and 5 per order."
A demo page is also available below — please use it as a reference.
The blog article below introduces Shopify apps that support quantity limits. Please use it as a reference.
Amount Limit - Limiting Purchase Amount
There are cases where you want to set a limit on the purchase amount for an order, for various reasons such as the order amount, shipping fees, and tariffs.
Using the Shopify app "RuffRuff Order Limits," you can set various amount limits, such as " allow purchases up to a total of 3,000 yen," "allow purchases from a total of 1,000 yen," or "cap purchasable amount at under 5,000 yen for a specific category in your store."
A demo page is also available below — please use it as a reference.
The blog article below introduces Shopify apps that support amount limits. Please use it as a reference.
Weight Limit - Limiting Purchasable Weight
There are cases where you want to control whether a purchase is allowed, or the shipping fee and delivery method, based on a product's weight.
Using Shopify's native feature, you can control shipping fees. For example, you can automatically set shipping fees based on a weight range — say, 1,000 yen for 0–2.99kg, 2,000 yen for 3–9.99kg, and 3,000 yen for 10kg and above.
The blog article below explains how to use Shopify's native feature to automatically change the shipping fee based on the total weight of items in the cart. Please use it as a reference.
You can also use a Shopify app to control purchases based on weight, or hide certain payment or delivery methods.
The blog article below introduces weight limits you can implement on Shopify. Please use it as a reference.
Period Limit - Limiting the Sales Period
For limited-time products, items with a use-by or expiration date, or new products before their official launch, you may want to control sales by time period.
Choosing a Shopify app that supports setting a start and end date lets you limit purchases accordingly.
The Shopify app "RuffRuff Selling Periods" lets you show/hide the cart button and display different product messages, based on a start and end date.
Below is a demo page. There are demo products showing pre-launch announcements and limited-time sales using "RuffRuff Selling Periods" — please use it as a reference.
The blog article below introduces how to set a sales period for a product, plus recommended apps. Please use it as a reference.
Access Limit - Limiting Who Can Access
Running a Shopify store, you may want to "sell a product to only specific customers," "keep a page under construction from being publicly viewable," or "run wholesale and retail separately."
Using Shopify apps that support access restriction, like "RuffRuff Order Limits" or "Locksmith," you can restrict access to a specific page to "only specific customers," "only people who know the link," or "only people who know the password" — limiting purchases to only those who can access it.
A demo page is also available below — please use it as a reference.
The blog article below explains 3 ways to implement access restriction on Shopify, plus recommended Shopify apps and key points for choosing one. Please use it as a reference.
Bundling Restriction - Limiting Which Products Can Be Bought Together
There are cases where you don't want a product purchased together with other products, or only want it purchased alongside items from the same collection, or don't want it purchased on its own.
Using a Shopify app with a bundling-restriction feature lets you achieve scenarios like these.
The Shopify app "RuffRuff 予約販売" specializes in pre-orders, so it can prevent pre-order items from being purchased together with other items, but it can't handle more complex bundling restrictions. The Shopify app "RuffRuff Order Limits," on the other hand, can implement bundling restrictions under any condition.
A demo page is also available below — please use it as a reference.
The blog article below introduces Shopify apps that support bundling restrictions. Please use it as a reference.
Customer Restriction - Limiting Which Members Can Purchase (Customer Restriction)
There are cases where you want to limit purchases to registered members, or users with a specific customer tag like "VIP."
On Shopify, this is achievable using a Shopify app like "RuffRuff 予約販売."
RuffRuff 予約販売 supports various types of sales, such as "members-only sales," "members-only sale events," and "VIP-members-only sales."
The blog article below introduces how to implement all sorts of member-based purchase limits, such as members-only sales and VIP-members-only sale events. Please use it as a reference.
Payment Restriction - Limiting Which Payment Methods Are Available
Under certain conditions, you may need to limit which payment methods are available. For example, you might want to control which payment methods apply to high-value products, or offer payment options tailored to a specific customer group.
Using a Shopify app like "RuffRuff Order Bonus," you can set up things like "disabling cash-on-delivery for high-value products" or "hiding bank transfer for specific customers." By flexibly restricting payment methods based on conditions like these, you can prevent issues before they occur. Check the app's documentation or blog articles for specific setup instructions.
Delivery Restriction - Limiting Which Delivery Methods Are Available
Depending on the product's characteristics or the customer's situation, you may want to restrict certain delivery methods. For example, you might want to reduce risk by limiting certain shipping methods for high-value products.
Using a Shopify app like "RuffRuff Order Bonus," you can implement delivery restrictions such as "hide Nekopos for high-value products" or "prohibit in-store pickup once a certain weight is exceeded." By restricting delivery methods based on conditions like these, you can offer a safer and more efficient ordering experience.
Age Restriction - Limiting Purchasable Age
If you sell products that can't legally be sold to minors, like alcohol or tobacco, you'll likely want to prevent sales to minors in advance.
On Shopify, there are two ways to implement age verification: through your Shopify theme, or through a Shopify app.
For themes, you can filter Shopify themes by the "age verification" feature.
Shopify themes with age verification support
For apps, you can use a Shopify app like "Age Verification Supporter" that supports age verification.
The blog article below introduces how to implement age limits on Shopify, plus age-restriction apps. Please use it as a reference.
Screening Restriction - Limiting Based on Answers to Questions
For medicine, you may want to prevent sales to people who shouldn't use that particular medication.
Using a product-options app with conditional logic, like "EasyFlow Product Options" or "Globo Product Options, Variant," you can check a buyer's screening information (age, gender, whether pregnant/nursing, etc.) and block the sale if needed.
Recommended Shopify Apps for Purchase Limits
Here are recommended Shopify apps for purchase limits.
- RuffRuff Order Limits: For those who want every kind of purchase limit in one app
- RuffRuff Selling Periods: For those who want to limit purchases by period
- RuffRuff 予約販売: For those who want varied sales alongside restrictions
- Minmaxify Order Limits: For those who want purchase limits by quantity or weight
- EasyFlow Product Options: For those who want screening-based purchase limits
- LockSmith: For those who want access restriction
- Age Verification Supporter: For those who want purchase limits by age
We'll introduce each in detail below.
RuffRuff Order Limits: For Those Who Want Every Kind of Purchase Limit in One App
"RuffRuff Order Limits" fully supports Japanese and is a Shopify app that uses the Cart and Checkout Validation API — the first in Japan to do so.
It has earned "Built for Shopify" status, the mark of top-tier quality.
With a single app, you can achieve every kind of purchase limit — quantity limits, multiple-of-N limits, amount limits, weight limits, customer limits, bundling restrictions, payment restrictions, delivery restrictions, and view (access) restrictions.
List of Purchase Limits RuffRuff Order Limits Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | ✅️ |
| Amount limit | ✅️ |
| Weight limit | ✅️ |
| Period limit | - |
| Access limit | ✅️ |
| Bundling restriction | ✅️ |
| Customer restriction | ✅️ |
| Payment restriction | ✅️ |
| Delivery restriction | ✅️ |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | - |
RuffRuff Selling Periods: For Those Who Want to Limit Purchases by Period
RuffRuff Selling Periods is a Shopify app that makes it easy to run a "new product launch announcement" or "limited-time sale."
When a product is outside its selling period, the cart button is automatically hidden; when it's within the selling period, it's automatically shown. You can also display different product messages before, during, and after the sale.
It has earned "Built for Shopify" status, the mark of top-tier quality.
List of Purchase Limits RuffRuff Selling Periods Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | - |
| Amount limit | - |
| Weight limit | - |
| Period limit | ✅️ |
| Access limit | - |
| Bundling restriction | - |
| Customer restriction | - |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | - |
RuffRuff 予約販売: For Those Who Want Varied Sales Alongside Restrictions
"RuffRuff 予約販売" is a Shopify app that makes it easy to run pre-orders on your Shopify store. By skillfully using this app's pre-order rules, you can achieve not just pre-orders but also things like "limited-time sales," "VIP-members-only sales," and "one per customer" restrictions.
It has earned "Built for Shopify" status, the mark of top-tier quality.
List of Purchase Limits RuffRuff 予約販売 Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | ✅️ |
| Amount limit | - |
| Weight limit | - |
| Period limit | ✅️ |
| Access limit | - |
| Bundling restriction | ✅️ |
| Customer restriction | ✅️ |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | - |
Minmaxify Order Limits: For Those Who Want Purchase Limits by Quantity or Weight
"Minmaxify Order Limits" is one of the more popular quantity-limit apps on Shopify. Besides quantity limits like "from 1 to 5 per order," it also supports sales restrictions by weight or amount. It can also enforce sales in fixed units (e.g., in sets of 3 or 5).
The blog article below introduces Minmaxify Order Limits' features and setup. Please use it as a reference.
List of Purchase Limits Minmaxify Order Limits Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | ✅️ |
| Amount limit | ✅️ |
| Weight limit | ✅️ |
| Period limit | - |
| Access limit | - |
| Bundling restriction | - |
| Customer restriction | - |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | - |
EasyFlow Product Options: For Those Who Want Screening-Based Purchase Limits
EasyFlow Product Options is a Shopify app for adding customizable product options to your product pages. Since it can show/hide option fields and text based on conditions, it's a recommended Shopify app when you want to control sales based on a buyer's status or choices.
⚠️ This app can only display a warning message saying a sale isn't possible under certain conditions — it cannot actually prevent the sale.
EasyFlow Product Options is available starting with a free plan, which supports all option types except file uploads, and lets you show/hide options based on selections using conditional logic. It also offers a bulk edit/apply feature to edit multiple products at once, plus live chat support.
The paid Unlimited plan offers unlimited option sets, a file upload feature, an add-price feature, and priority support. The free plan already offers plenty of functionality, but if you need more advanced features, the Unlimited plan is recommended.
Using this app can make your product pages more appealing, improving customer satisfaction and boosting sales.
This is one of the option apps that doesn't conflict with "RuffRuff 予約販売," a popular pre-order app on Shopify, so if you're considering using RuffRuff 予約販売, this app is also a good choice.
The blog article below covers EasyFlow Product Options' detailed pricing plans, plus other product-options apps besides EasyFlow Product Options. Use it as a reference when choosing a product-options app.
List of Purchase Limits EasyFlow Product Options Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | - |
| Amount limit | - |
| Weight limit | - |
| Period limit | - |
| Access limit | - |
| Bundling restriction | - |
| Customer restriction | - |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | ✅️ |
LockSmith: For Those Who Want Access Restriction
"LockSmith" is a Shopify app that lets you control access to specific pages.
It can restrict access to visitors from a specific region only, or to users who know a specific password or have a specific tag on their account.
The blog article below introduces Locksmith's plans, setup, and specific usage. Please use it as a reference.
List of Purchase Limits Locksmith Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | - |
| Amount limit | - |
| Weight limit | - |
| Period limit | - |
| Access limit | ✅️ |
| Bundling restriction | - |
| Customer restriction | - |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | - |
| Screening restriction | - |
Pricing: From $12/month
Age Verification Supporter: For Those Who Want Purchase Limits by Age
"Age Verification Supporter" is a Japanese-supported age-verification app.
Installing it lets you verify age on your Shopify store's cart page, blocking purchases by users under the age you've configured.
List of Purchase Limits Age Verification Supporter Can Achieve
| Restriction | Supported |
|---|---|
| Quantity limit | - |
| Amount limit | - |
| Weight limit | - |
| Period limit | - |
| Access limit | - |
| Bundling restriction | - |
| Customer restriction | - |
| Payment restriction | - |
| Delivery restriction | - |
| Age restriction | ✅️ |
| Screening restriction | - |
Summary: Purchase Limits Each App Can Achieve
| App | RuffRuff Order Limits | RuffRuff Selling Periods | RuffRuff 予約販売 | MinMaxify Order Limits | EasyFlow Product Options | LockSmith | Age Verification Supporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity limit | ✅️ | - | ✅️ | ✅️ | - | - | - |
| Amount limit | ✅️ | - | - | ✅️ | - | - | - |
| Weight limit | ✅️ | - | - | ✅️ | - | - | - |
| Period limit | - | ✅️ | ✅️ | - | - | - | - |
| Access limit | ✅️ | - | - | - | - | ✅️ | - |
| Bundling restriction | ✅️ | - | ✅️ | - | - | - | - |
| Customer restriction | ✅️ | - | ✅️ | - | - | - | - |
| Payment restriction | ✅️ | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Delivery restriction | ✅️ | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Age restriction | - | - | - | - | - | - | ✅️ |
| Screening restriction | - | - | - | - | - | ✅️ | - |
How to Choose a Purchase Limit App: 5 Key Points
When choosing a purchase-limit app, it's worth paying attention to the following 5 points.
- Does it support Japanese?
- Does it support the Cart and Checkout Validation API?
- Does it have the features you need?
- Can it be set up with no code?
- What does it cost?
We'll explain each point in detail below.
1. Does It Support Japanese?
Shopify has many purchase-limit apps, but language support is an important factor. If it doesn't support Japanese, translation work and support inquiries may end up taking extra time and cost. Check the following:
- The storefront (the part users see on the site)
- The app's admin interface
- Help pages
- Support contact
2. Does It Support the Cart and Checkout Validation API?
The Cart and Checkout Validation API is a new technology Shopify released in 2024. Choosing a purchase-limit app that supports this API lets you block purchases in cases such as:
- Purchases via a cart button generated by a Buy Button
- Purchases via a cart button generated by a third-party app
- Purchases of restricted products still remaining in the cart
- Purchases via a cart button forcibly displayed through custom code
Choosing an app that supports this API helps you prevent unintended orders before they happen.
3. Does It Have the Features You Need?
Purchase-limit apps vary a lot in the features they offer. Beyond simple min/max quantity limits, it's important to identify in advance whether you need features like multiple-of-N limits or multi-language support.
4. Can It Be Set Up with No Code?
Some purchase-limit apps require inserting a snippet of code into your Liquid files, while others offer an "embedded app" or "app block" that lets you set them up with no code. No-code apps are easier, and have the benefit of leaving no source code behind after uninstalling.
5. What Does It Cost?
Consider how much budget you can allocate, based on how much functionality your Shopify store needs for purchase limits.
In Closing
Purchase limits are an important feature needed for a variety of reasons — deterring resale, ensuring safe product use, restricting by region or age, and more. Implementing the right purchase limits can boost customer satisfaction and protect your brand image.
This article explained in detail the types of purchase limits, concrete countermeasures, and recommended Shopify apps. Use this information to set up the ideal purchase limits for your Shopify store, and provide a better customer experience.
We also covered how to choose a purchase-limit app. Considering points like Japanese-language support, whether it has the features you need, no-code setup, and cost will help you find the best app for your needs.
Finally, beyond purchase limits, we also introduce recommended Shopify apps for various other purposes — customer acquisition, sales growth, blog content expansion, and more. Be sure to check out the article below to further strengthen your Shopify store.
