CrowdHandler Shopify App - Configure Anti Cheat & Stock Syncing

As well as automatically creating CrowdHandler waiting rooms configured to protect your Shopify products, variants and collections, the CrowdHandler Shopify app has several optional features focused on scalper/bot protection and Shopify → CrowdHandler inventory syncing.

Anti Cheat Settings

1. Prevent adding to cart when bypassing queue. When enabled, this feature detects and prevents most bots and scalpers that are using automated software from proceeding to checkout. This setting can be considered the first line of CrowdHandler defence against bots and scalpers.
2. Validate orders at checkout. When enabled, CrowdHandler inspects created orders for validity. Orders containing products that were not blessed by CrowdHandler are automatically cancelled. This is designed to catch "lucky" or more sophisticated bots and scalpers that may break through first line defences.
   
   Note: This feature requires "Prevent adding to cart when bypassing queue" to be enabled.
3. Payment capture method. Tells CrowdHandler how your Shopify store handles payment capture. This determines what action CrowdHandler takes when orders pass or fail validation.
   
   Automatic Capture (Shopify default)
   
   Most Shopify stores use automatic capture, where payment is collected immediately at checkout.
   
   

   Validation Result	Action Taken
   Order passes	No action needed - payment already captured
   Order fails	Order cancelled, inventory restocked, payment refunded

   
   Pros: Standard Shopify setup, no configuration changes needed.
   Cons: Failed orders incur refund processing fees from payment providers.
   
   Manual Capture
   
   With manual capture, Shopify authorizes (reserves) payment at checkout but does not collect it until you capture. CrowdHandler can automatically capture valid orders for you.
   
   

   Validation Result	Action Taken
   Order passes	Payment captured automatically
   Order fails	Order cancelled, inventory restocked, authorization voided (no payment collected)

   
   Pros: No refund fees for failed orders - payment was never collected. Authorization simply expires if not captured.
   Cons: Requires changing Shopify payment settings to manual capture. If CrowdHandler fails to capture any orders in the unlikely event of an error, orders need manual attention.
   
   Note: Buy Now Pay Later providers (Klarna, Afterpay, etc.) are automatically detected and skipped due to timing constraints. These orders are tagged for manual review.

Order Tags

CrowdHandler adds tags to processed orders for easy identification in Shopify admin:

Order notes provide additional detail about the action taken and the reason.

Stock Sync Settings

1. Synchronise inventory to CrowdHandler. Synchronises your protected product or product variant inventory levels to CrowdHandler. Stock Availability in CrowdHandler.

Limitations

• Anti Cheat features are incompatible with accelerated checkout buttons displayed on product pages. Once installed, CrowdHandler will attempt to hide accelerated checkout buttons on protected pages. Accelerated checkout buttons displayed on the Shopify checkout screen do not need to be disabled.
• Destroy session on checkout requires the Prevent adding to cart when bypassing queue option to be enabled.
• Buy Now Pay Later payments (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, etc.) are detected and skipped during auto-capture due to webhook timing constraints with these providers. These orders are tagged ch-attention for manual processing.