Quantity limits

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) Rules

A minimum quantity rule blocks checkout until the cart holds at least a set number of units of the products it covers. Here is how to build and test one.

Prime MOQ Team

Updated August 2, 2026 · 3 min read

Short answer

A minimum quantity rule blocks checkout unless the cart contains at least the number of units you set. In the Conditions card, set Limit type to Quantity and fill in Minimum quantity. Whether each product must reach the minimum on its own or several products can add up to it is decided separately, in the How to count card.

Set Limit type to Quantity and fill in Minimum quantity. Leave the other fields blank if they do not apply.
How to count decides whether the minimum applies per product or across the whole matching cart.
The quick-start tile creates the same rule pre-filled with a minimum of 6.
A rule matching zero products is never enforced, whatever its saved status says.

What it does

A minimum quantity rule blocks checkout unless a shopper's cart includes at least a set number of units of the products the rule applies to. This is the classic MOQ, and the quick-start template for it is labelled Minimum quantity (MOQ).

Goal	Example
Protect margin on low-priced items	Require at least 6 units so fees and packaging do not eat the profit
Enforce a supplier-style minimum	"This item is only sold in orders of 12 or more"
Push average order value up	Set a small minimum, such as 2, across the whole store

How it is enforced

The rule compares the quantity of matching products in the cart against Minimum quantity. If the cart holds fewer units, checkout is blocked and the shopper sees your Minimum limit message.

What counts as "matching products" (each product on its own, or all matching products added together) is controlled separately, in How to count.

Create the rule

Start from the quick-start tile, or from scratch. On the Dashboard or Rules page, before you have any rules, the Minimum quantity (MOQ) tile opens a rule pre-filled with a minimum of 6. Otherwise go to Rules > Create rule, name it, and set Limit type to Quantity in the Conditions card.

Set the minimum. Enter your number in Minimum quantity. Leave Maximum quantity and Sell in multiples of blank unless you need them too.

Choose how to count. If the rule covers several products, decide whether each product must independently meet the minimum (Each item separately) or whether the shopper can mix products to reach the total (Combined total).

Choose applied products. In the Products card, scope the rule to specific products, a collection, tag, vendor, product type, or your entire store.

Write the message, optionally. In Messages, customise the Minimum limit message shown when the cart falls short, or leave it to use your shop's default template.

Save. The rule enforces immediately.

Verify it works

Cart	Expected result
1 unit, below a minimum of 6	Blocked, limit message shown, checkout stopped
6 units	Allowed
6 units with one from a non-matching product	Only the matching units count toward the minimum

In the rule editor's Preview card, drag the quantity stepper below your minimum and confirm the warning reads correctly. Then add fewer than the minimum to a cart on the live storefront and confirm both that the message appears on the product page and that checkout is genuinely blocked, not just warned about.

Common mistakes

Nothing blocks at checkout even though the rule is Active. Check that the product scope really includes the product you are testing, and that it matches at least one product. A zero-match rule is never enforced.
The minimum applies across several different products when you wanted it per product. Set How to count to Each item separately, not Combined total.
The message does not show on the product page. The app embed is most likely not enabled yet.

Frequently asked questions

Does a minimum quantity rule stop the shopper adding to cart, or only block checkout?

It blocks checkout. The product page shows the limit message as soon as a disallowed quantity is set, and the Add to cart button is disabled in the preview, but the enforcement that cannot be bypassed happens at checkout.

Can I set a store-wide minimum order quantity?

Yes. Choose All store as the Products scope. Be careful with the counting mode: a store-wide minimum of 6 counted per item means every single product in the cart needs 6 units, which is rarely what merchants intend. Combined total is usually the right choice for a store-wide minimum.

Does the minimum count variants separately?

By default yes, when How to count is set to Each item separately. Turn off Count each variant separately if a shopper should be able to mix sizes or colours of the same product to reach the minimum.

Can I apply a minimum only to wholesale customers?

Yes. Set Customer eligibility to your wholesale tag or segment, and retail shoppers never see the rule. This is the usual setup for a B2B minimum.

What happens if a customer already has fewer than the minimum in an abandoned cart?

Nothing until they check out. The rule is evaluated against the cart at checkout, so an old cart below the minimum is simply blocked at that point with the message explaining why.

Can I combine a minimum with a case-pack multiple?

Yes. Minimum quantity 6 with "sell in multiples of" 6 means one or more full cases. Both conditions are enforced together in the same rule.

Best for: Stores that lose money on very small orders, including DTC brands with low unit prices and suppliers with a genuine per-order minimum.

Applies to: Quantity limit type

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