---
title: "Per-Customer Quantity Limits"
description: "Limit the total number of units a customer can purchase across multiple orders."
contentType: "docs"
locale: "en"
localized: true
source: "https://orderrules.com/docs/customer-rules/per-customer-quantity-limits"
slug: "customer-rules/per-customer-quantity-limits"
---
## Limit Total Units Per Customer

While per-customer order limits restrict how many orders someone can place, quantity limits restrict how many total units they can buy. This is useful when you want to allow multiple small orders but cap the overall volume.

## How to Set Up

1. Go to **Customer Limits**
2. Click **Add Customer Limit**
3. Choose **Quantity** as the limit type
4. Select the product or leave it as "All products"
5. Set the maximum units and the time period
6. Click **Save**

## Example: Total Units Per Month

```
Rule:    Max 10 units of any product per customer per month
Target:  All customers

Order 1: Customer buys 6 units -- OK (6/10 used)
Order 2: Customer tries to buy 5 units -- Blocked (would exceed 10)
Order 2 (revised): Customer buys 4 units -- OK (10/10 used)
No more units this month.
```

## Product-Specific Quantity Limits

You can restrict quantities for a specific product across all of a customer's orders:

```
Product:  Limited Edition Print
Max:      3 units per customer (lifetime)

Order 1: Customer buys 2 prints -- OK (2/3 used)
Order 2: Customer tries to buy 2 more -- Blocked (would exceed 3)
Order 2 (revised): Customer buys 1 print -- OK (3/3 used)
No more prints ever for this customer.
```

## Collection-Scoped Quantity Limits

A quantity limit can also target a **collection**, capping the units a customer buys across every product in it — not just one product at a time.

```
Rule:       Max 3 units per customer per month
Scope:      Collection "Fragrances"

Order 1: 2 units of Eau de Parfum A -- OK (2/3 used)
Order 2: 2 units of Eau de Parfum B -- Blocked (different product, same collection)
Order 2 (revised): 1 unit -- OK (3/3 used)
```

This is the rule to use for allocation categories, regulated groups, and fair-share drops, where a per-product cap would let a customer take three of every item in the range.

### Which scope to use

| Scope | What it counts | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| All products | Every unit the customer buys, storewide | Overall volume control |
| Single product | Units of one product across all their orders | Limited editions, collectibles |
| Collection | Units across every product in the collection | Allocation categories, regulated groups, fair-share drops |

A per-product cap lets a customer take the maximum of *every* item in a range; a collection cap is what stops that.

## Combining Order Limits and Quantity Limits

Both types work together. A customer might be allowed 2 orders per week but only 5 total units per week. If either limit is hit, the order is blocked.

```
Order limit:    2 orders per week
Quantity limit: 5 units per week

Order 1: 3 units -- OK (1/2 orders, 3/5 units)
Order 2: 3 units -- Blocked (would exceed 5 unit limit, even though order count is OK)
Order 2 (revised): 2 units -- OK (2/2 orders, 5/5 units)
```

## What Customers See

**On product pages (logged in):**
- "2 remaining for you this week"
- "You've reached your limit for this product"

**At checkout:**
```
"You can only add 1 more unit of Limited Edition Print (limit: 3 per customer, already ordered: 2)."
```

## Tips

- Lifetime limits are great for limited releases and collectibles
- Use monthly limits for subscription-style products where you want to control demand
- Guest customers are tracked by email after their first order -- encourage account creation for better tracking

## Related

- [Per-Customer Order Limits](/docs/customer-rules/per-customer-order-limits)
- [Limit Periods](/docs/customer-rules/limit-periods)
- [Weight-Based Customer Limits](/docs/customer-rules/weight-based-limits)
- [Collection Limits](/docs/product-limits/collection-tag-limits)