Replace a SKU in New Shopify Orders Automatically

7 min setup

No coding required

Runs automatically

When a product is discontinued, renamed or replaced by a new version, orders can keep coming in for the old SKU and someone has to edit each one by hand. This workflow watches new Shopify orders, and when a line item has the old SKU, it edits the order to swap in the replacement variant at the same quantity and tags the order so your team knows it changed.

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Shopify Order Created (Trigger)

Shopify Retrieve Product Variant Details from SKU

Shopify GraphQL Query

Shopify GraphQL Query

Shopify Order Add Tag

How it works

7 steps to swap an old SKU for its replacement on every new order

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 1 minute

Runs for every new order.

App connector: Loop • Time to complete: 1 minute

Go through the order's line items one at a time.

App connector: Filter • Time to complete: 1 minute

Continue only for a line item whose SKU matches the old SKU you want to replace, and that is not yet fulfilled.

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 1 minute

Look up the replacement variant by its SKU to get its variant ID.

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 1 minute

Run an order edit: begin the edit, set the old line item's quantity to 0, and add the replacement variant at the same quantity. Return the calculated order ID.

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 1 minute

Commit the order edit with the calculated order ID, without notifying the customer.

App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 1 minute

Tag the order sku-swapped so your team can see which orders were changed.

Trusted by 1,000+ merchants

Ready to swap an old SKU for its replacement on every new order

Get setup in 7 minutes.

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FAQs

Does the customer pay a different price?

Shopify recalculates the order with the replacement's price. If the prices differ, you can add a discount to the new line item in the order edit, or keep the two variants at the same price.

Can I replace more than one SKU?

Yes. Use a logic step in place of the filter to map each old SKU to its replacement, or keep a list of old and new SKUs in a sheet and look up each line item.

Will this change orders already fulfilled?

No. The filter skips fulfilled line items, and the workflow only runs on new orders.

Personalize this template

Customize this workflow even further:

Email the customer about the change

Set the order edit to notify the customer, or add a Send Email step that explains the replacement.

Only swap when the old SKU is out of stock

Check the old variant's inventory first and swap only when it can't ship, so remaining stock still sells.

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swap an old SKU for its replacement on every new order

7 min setup • Fully supported if you need help

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