ReadyToShip checks Automation Rules from top to bottom for each imported order.
This means the order of your rules is important when an order could match more than one rule.
Example
Suppose you have these three Automatic rules:
Defer PREORDER items for 14 days
Assign Express orders to Express Post
Move Express orders to Shipping Run
You want orders containing your pre-order product to be deferred before any shipping rules are applied.
The Defer PREORDER items rule should therefore be first.
Change the priority of a rule
Go to Settings > Automation.
The rule at the top of the list has the highest priority.
Drag a rule by its handle, or use the arrows to move it higher or lower in the list.
For our example, the rules should be:
1. Defer PREORDER items for 14 days
2. Assign Express orders to Express Post
3. Move Express orders to Shipping Run
ReadyToShip now checks the Defer rule first.
Stop after a matching rule
Moving the Defer rule to the top makes ReadyToShip check it first, but ReadyToShip will normally continue checking the rules below it.
To prevent this, turn on Stop after this rule for:
Defer PREORDER items for 14 days
Now, if an imported order contains the pre-order product:
Defer PREORDER items → Match → Defer order → Stop
The Express Post and Shipping Run rules below it are not processed for that order.
If the order doesn't contain the pre-order product:
Defer PREORDER items → No match → Continue
ReadyToShip moves to the next rule and continues checking the order as normal.
When should I use Stop after this rule?
Turn on Stop after this rule when a matching rule should take priority and you don't want any rules below it to be applied to that order.
Leave it off when you want ReadyToShip to continue checking the order against subsequent rules.
Tip: Put important exception rules above your more general rules. For example, a rule that defers pre-orders may need to run before rules that assign shipping or move orders into Shipping Runs.