Rule Recipes: Common Order Limit Setups

This guide shows you how to set up common order limit scenarios. Each recipe tells you which features to combine and links to the full setup instructions.

How to use this guide: Find the goal that matches what you're trying to achieve, then follow the recipe.

Only tagged customers can buy this product

Goal: Anyone can view the product, but only customers with a specific tag (VIP, Wholesale, Members, etc.) can purchase it.

Recipe:

1. Create a Quantity & Price Limit (Order Limit)
2. Set Max Quantity = 0
3. Under Exclusion Rules, add the customer tag (e.g., VIP )

How it works: Everyone is blocked from purchasing (max 0), except customers with the excluded tag.

→ Full guide: Using Exclusion Rules

Tagged customers can buy, but only once

Goal: Only customers with a specific tag can purchase, and they can only buy once ever (lifetime limit).

Recipe:

1. Create a Customer Purchase Limit
2. Set Max Quantity = 1
3. Under Customer Eligibility, select Customers with Specific Tags and enter the tag
4. Under Guest Handling, select Block and require login

How it works: Only tagged customers can purchase, and their purchase history is tracked across all orders. After buying once, they're blocked.

→ Full guide: Customer Purchase Limits

This product must be purchased alone

Goal: A product cannot be purchased with any other items in the cart.

Recipe:

1. Create a Mixed Cart Rule
2. Set Trigger to your solo-order product
3. Set Target to All Products
4. Set Restriction to Block target products

How it works: When the solo-order product is in the cart, all other products are blocked (and vice versa).

→ Full guide: Solo-Order Products

Customers can only buy one sample (total across all samples)

Goal: Limit customers to 1 sample per order, regardless of which sample they choose.

Recipe:

1. Create a Quantity & Price Limit (Order Limit)
2. Set Max Quantity = 1
3. Under Product Eligibility, select your sample products (or use a tag like sample )
4. Under Product Grouping, select Any Item

How it works: All sample products share one combined limit. Customer can pick 1 sample total, not 1 of each.

→ Full guide: Setting Up Order Limits

Max 1 of each sample per order

Goal: Customers can order multiple different samples, but only 1 of each.

Recipe:

1. Create a Quantity & Price Limit (Order Limit)
2. Set Max Quantity = 1
3. Under Product Eligibility, select your sample products
4. Under Product Grouping, select Per Product

How it works: Each product has its own independent limit. Customer can add 1× Sample A + 1× Sample B + 1× Sample C.

→ Full guide: Understanding Product Grouping

VIP customers get higher limits than regular customers

Goal: Regular customers are limited to 2 per order; VIP customers can buy up to 5.

Recipe: Create two rules:

Rule 1 — Regular customers:

1. Create a Quantity & Price Limit
2. Set Max Quantity = 2
3. Under Exclusion Rules, add the tag VIP

Rule 2 — VIP customers:

1. Create another Quantity & Price Limit
2. Set Max Quantity = 5
3. Under Customer Eligibility, select Customers with Specific Tags and enter VIP

How it works: Rule 1 applies to everyone except VIPs (they're excluded). Rule 2 applies only to VIPs with a higher limit.

→ Full guide: Using Exclusion Rules

Block a product from being purchased with specific other products

Goal: Product A cannot be purchased alongside Product B (but can be purchased with other products).

Recipe:

1. Create a Mixed Cart Rule
2. Set Trigger to Product A
3. Set Target to Product B (or multiple specific products)
4. Set Restriction to Block target products

How it works: When Product A is in the cart, Product B is blocked. Other products are still allowed.

→ Full guide: Mixed Cart Limits

Limit total spending per customer (lifetime)

Goal: Each customer can spend up to $500 total across all orders, ever.

Recipe:

1. Create a Customer Purchase Limit
2. Set Max Spending = $500
3. Under Guest Handling, select Block and require login

How it works: The app tracks each customer's total spend. Once they hit $500, they're blocked from further purchases.

→ Full guide: Customer Purchase Limits

Employee purchase program with annual reset

Goal: Employees (tagged customers) can buy up to 5 items per year, resetting every January.

Recipe:

1. Create a Customer Purchase Limit
2. Set Max Quantity = 5
3. Under Customer Eligibility, select Customers with Specific Tags and enter employee
4. Under Guest Handling, select Block and require login
5. Set up a Shopify Flow to reset limits annually

How it works: Only employees can purchase. Their usage is tracked and resets to zero each year via automation.

→ Full guide: Customer Purchase Limits

→ Full guide: Resetting Limits with Shopify Flow

Related articles

• Which Limit Type Should I Use? — Decision tree for choosing Order Limits vs Customer Purchase Limits
• Setting Up Order Limits — Full guide to quantity and price limits
• Setting Up Customer Purchase Limits — Full guide to lifetime tracking
• Using Exclusion Rules — How to exclude products or customers from limits
• Setting Up Mixed Cart Limits — Control which products can be purchased together