How a post-checkout ID check and optional order hold work

With a post-checkout ID check, the buyer pays as usual and then gets a link to photograph a government ID. If you turn on the optional hold, the order waits unfulfilled and releases on its own when the check passes.

Here is each step, what your buyer sees, and what you see in Shopify.

This page explains how Carded age verification works. We make it.

What happens after the buyer pays?

1. The buyer checks out as usual. Nothing is added to checkout.
2. Carded age verification spots the order. If it has a product you marked as age-restricted, the order gets the tag age-pending. If the hold is on, the order is also put on hold, so it cannot be fulfilled yet.
3. The buyer gets a secure link right away. It arrives by email right after checkout, and the same link is on the thank-you page and the order status page. On a computer, the buyer can scan a QR code and finish on their phone.
4. They photograph their ID. A driver's license, ID card or passport. No selfie, no face scan. It takes about 2 minutes.
5. The check decides.
   • Passed: the order is tagged Age Verified, Carded age verification removes its hold, and the order is ready to ship.
   • The name on the ID does not match the order: the check goes to Needs review, and you decide.
   • Failed (for example under your minimum age): if you use the hold, the order stays held for your review. You can approve it, reject it, or let the buyer try again.
6. No answer? The buyer gets two reminder emails, after 24 and 48 hours, sent under your store name. If they still have not finished at 72 hours (or at the time you set, if automatic cancelling is on), the check expires and they get a last email saying the order was not verified. The order is tagged age-failed and age-not-verified and waits for you.
7. Next time, faster. A verified customer passes later orders without a new check, until your re-verification period ends or you raise the minimum age. You are not billed for those.

The minimum age comes from the order's shipping country, using the ages you set per country (16 to 25). Carded's US minimum is 21. US state rules can also flag or hold orders to states you mark as blocked.

Should I hold orders or only tag them?

You choose in Settings. New stores start with the hold on, marked "recommended".

The middle column is the default hold setting with "Hold the order until the customer is verified" unticked: orders can ship during the check, and failed or unfinished checks are held.

Only tag the order means Carded age verification adds tags and never holds or cancels the order for the ID check. The order can ship at once, so you check the tag before you ship.

One exception: US state rules are a separate setting. If you set blocked shipping states to "Flag and hold fulfillment" or "Cancel and refund (opt-in)", an order to a blocked state is still held or cancelled, even on tag only. The default for state rules is "Flag the order", which holds nothing.

If you want your own rules, the tags work with Shopify Flow. For example, Flow's "Hold fulfillment order" action can hold orders that carry a tag you choose (Shopify Help Center). Check that Flow is on your plan.

What do I see on a held order in Shopify?

On the order in your Shopify admin you see:

• An On hold section with the note "Held by Carded until the customer's age is verified." The order cannot be fulfilled until the hold is released (Shopify Help Center: Holding fulfillments).
• The tag age-pending.

When the check passes, Carded age verification removes its own hold and adds the tag Age Verified. It never removes a hold that you or another app placed. If the check fails or expires, the hold stays, with the note "Age verification failed. Awaiting merchant review."

Inside the app, every order with an ID check is listed on the Verifications page with its status. You can approve an order by hand there, which also releases the hold.

If Shopify cannot place a hold, for example on some orders sent to a third-party fulfillment service, Carded age verification records it and alerts you, so you can check that order yourself.

What happens if a buyer never verifies?

They get reminders after 24 and 48 hours. At 72 hours (or the time you set, if automatic cancelling is on) the check expires, the buyer gets a last email, and the order is tagged age-failed and age-not-verified. With the default setting ("Hold for my review, never cancel"), the order stays held and you decide: approve it, reject it, or contact the buyer.

Automatic cancelling is off unless you choose it. If you pick "Hold, then cancel and refund if still unverified" in Settings, Carded age verification cancels, refunds and restocks an unverified order after the time you set (72 hours to 30 days), after both reminders. It first checks the order again and skips it if it was already fulfilled, verified, cancelled, or held by someone else.

What happens if the name does not match?

The check goes to Needs review instead of passing. Some differences are normal, for example a middle name. You look at the record and approve or reject.

Do returning customers verify again?

No. A verified customer passes later orders without a new check, until your re-verification period ends or you raise the minimum age. They are not billed.

FAQ

Does this change my checkout?

No. Checkout stays the same. The ID step comes after the buyer pays.

When does the buyer get the link?

Right after checkout, by email. The same link is on the thank-you page and the order status page.

Can I cancel orders automatically?

Only if you choose to. Automatic cancelling is off unless you turn it on, and it waits at least 72 hours.

Can held orders ship by mistake?

A held order cannot be fulfilled until the hold is released, by the app when the check passes or by you in Shopify. If Shopify cannot place a hold on an order, the app alerts you.

What if the ID is from outside the US?

Carded age verification accepts ID from 190+ countries. The minimum age follows the order's shipping country, using the ages you set.

How am I billed?

Through Shopify, for each completed check, passed or failed. Checks that are never finished are not billed. Returning verified customers are not billed. If a buyer fails and tries again, the new check counts as another check.

All key facts on one page: Facts. Prices: Pricing. Questions: Contact.