Shopify shipping is an essential part of your ecommerce setup. Shopify has put extra emphasis on order fulfillment to make it as easy as possible for online merchants. Shopify allows you to order and print multiple shipping labels at once, making it easier to process orders and ship them out faster.
It is important to understand Shopify shipping so that you can maximize your shopping experience. The following guide will help you understand how to set up Shopify shipping.
How to set up shipping on Shopify
To set up Shopify shipping correctly, follow these simple steps provided by a Shopify developer company.
Add Shipping Places
Shipping location is the address from which all orders will be shipped. Important to remember that your default shipping address is the one you entered when creating your Shopify store. If you have different shipping addresses than the one you entered when setting up your Shopify store, or any fulfillment services on your behalf, make sure to include them.
Different location restrictions are allowed depending on Shopify’s plan. See below.
- Shopify Lite – 3 Shipping Locations
- Basic Shopify – 4 Shipping Locations
- Shopify – 5 Shipping Locations
- Advanced Shopify – 8 Shipping Locations
- Shopify Plus – 20 shipping locations (but you can contact Shopify Plus if you require over 20 shipping locations)
Steps to Add Shipping Locations
1. Click “Settings”, then click “Location” in your Shopify dashboard.
2. Click on the “Add Location” button.
3. Enter the address and name of the shipping address.
4. You can “Fulfill online orders from this address” by ticking the box below the name of the location.
Create Shipping Profile
Shopify stores come with one shipping profile that defaults to general rates. A simple shipping setup will usually suffice to create a general shipping rate. However, stores with multiple locations will need to create shipping profiles. This allows for easier shipment management and reduces costs.
Steps to Create a Custom Shipping Profile
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to “Custom Shipping Rates”, and then click “Create a New Profile”.
3. Use the search bar to create a profile and then add products to the “Products Section” below.
4. Make any necessary changes to your location.
5. Follow the below steps to complete each shipping zone for your shipping profile.
- Click “Create Shipping Zone” in the “Shipping To” section.
- Next, give the shipping zone a name. Then choose the countries and regions that will be included in the shipping zone. To create the zone, click “Done”.
- For every shipping rate within the zone, click “Add Rate”. To confirm shipping rates, click on “Done”.
Set Shipping Zones
Shipping zones are a group of countries and regions that all fall under the same shipping rates. This means that if you own a warehouse in Germany you can create a shipping area for all EU countries. All customers who are located within the zone will have the same shipping rates.
To ensure that your customers can receive orders from these countries, you will need to set up shipping.
Steps to Create a Shipping Zone
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the shipping profile and click “Manage Rates”.
3. Click “Create Shipping Zone” next to the list of locations where you want to add a shipping area.
4. Enter a shipping zone name.
5. Below, select the countries and regions that you want to include in this zone. To create the zone, click “Done”.
6. Click “Save” to add any rate you wish for the zone.
Set Shipping Rates
Here’s how to set Shopify shipping rates. Remember to set up your shipping zones and shipping profiles before setting your shipping rates. This allows you to set individual rates for each profile.
There are four types of shipping rates you can choose from: flat shipping rates; calculated shipping rates; mark-up or discounted calculated rates; and free shipping rates
What’s a Flat Shipping Charge?
Flat shipping rates are a flat fee that customers pay at checkout for shipping. A flat shipping rate can be set for orders that fall within a specific shipping zone. You can also limit it to orders that have a particular price or weight. If Europe is selected as your shipping zone, you can create a flat rate for orders up to PS50 and another flat rate for orders above PS50.
How to set up flat shipping rates on Shopify
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the shipping profile and add the shipping rate. Click “Manage Rates”
3. Click “Add Rate” next to the area you want to add a rate.
4. You can choose to add conditions that are not mandatory. These can be based on your weight or price, if necessary. This option can be used:
- Click “Add conditions”.
- You can choose to have a price- or weight-based condition.
- Please enter the minimum and maximum values for your chosen condition.
5. Click “Done”, then click “Save”.
What’s a Calculated Shipping Charge?
An order detail and a third-party shipping company calculates the shipping cost. This allows merchants to charge customers the exact same shipping rate as their shipping carrier for purchasing a shipping label.
How to Calculate Shipping Rates for Shopify
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the shipping profile and add the shipping rate. Click “Manage Rates”
3. Click “Add Rate” next to the area you want to add a rate.
4. Look for the “User carrier/app to calculate rates” option.
5. From the drop-down menu, select the shipping service that you want to add calculated rates to.
6. Select the shipping method you wish to offer your customers when they check out from this shipping service. You can then choose from the non-mandatory options listed below.
- You can choose to offer new services automatically when the shipping service introduces them.
- If applicable, add handling fees to the calculation rate.
7. Click “Save”.
What’s a mark-up or discount calculated shipping rate?
To mark-up or reduce the shipping costs at checkout, you can adjust the calculated shipping rates. You can offer a percentage discount to increase your customer base. You could also raise the shipping rate to minimize losses. You can mark up shipping rates by charging a flat fee, or by increasing a percentage.
How to set up mark-up or discount calculated shipping rates on Shopify
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the shipping profile and add the shipping rate. Click “Manage Rates”
3. Scroll down to the rate that you wish to adjust, then click the “…” drop-down menu and click “Edit Rate”.
4. To adjust rates, go to the section “Handling Fee”.
5. Click “Done”, then click “Save”.
What’s a Free Shipping Rate?
Customers are not charged shipping fees, as the name implies. Free shipping can be added to any order. It can be for all orders or just for orders above a certain amount.
How to set up Shopify’s free shipping rates
1. Click “Settings”, then choose “Shipping & Delivery” in the drop-down menu.
2. Scroll down to the shipping profile and add the shipping rate. Click “Manage Rates”
3. Click “Add Rate” next to the zone where you want to add a free shipping charge. Make sure the cost field value equals “0”.
4. You can choose to add conditions that are not mandatory. These conditions can be based on your weight or price, if necessary. This option can be used:
- Click “Add conditions”.
- You can choose to have a price- or weight-based condition.
- Please enter the minimum and maximum values for your chosen condition.
5. Click Save
Essential Shipping Terms
When you set up Shopify shipping, it is helpful to be familiar with the key terms. Below are some key terms.
- Shipping companies – These are the companies that fulfill your orders. They pick up orders at your chosen location or drop them off at your designated location to deliver to your customers.
- Shipping charges – Customers must pay an additional charge at checkout for their order to be delivered. It is based on factors such as distance, weight, dimensions, etc.
- Shipping labels – These are tags that identify the recipient of a package. These labels also contain information that aids shipping carriers in delivering the package to the correct person at the right address using the right service.
- Shipping profiles – Merchants can create shipping rules based on product data to accurately set shipping prices. If you have fragile products, you can create separate shipping profiles for them. This allows you to charge extra for additional care during transit.
Advanced Shipping Rules
Multiple Dropship Vendors
You can set different shipping rules for different products and control how they are mixed together.
Printers on-Demand
Integrate directly to Printful, Pixels and Printify shipping rates APIs. Flat rates can be set up for other people.
Comparison of small and large items Heavy Items
Small items are sent USPS first class. Medium items are shipped via UPS. Heavy items are sent flat rate. You can mix and match rates between all product types.
Free Shipping/Free Shipping +
You can have most of your products shipped free. However, you may not be able to ship some items free. Set shipping prices for free products.
Method and Zone Restrictions
You can prevent certain products from being shipped to specific areas. You can also prevent certain methods from being available for products.
Advanced Carrier Options
Multiple package dimensions and weights can be set, including commercial vs. residence address detection, negoiated rate, and many other options.
Some products can be delivered locally
Use postal codes to create sub-zones in your shopify zones. You can set different rates for products in each sub-zone.
Different package dimensions
You can choose a different package size for each product group. Different dimensions can be set based on the number of products.
There are many options for the same method
Multiple versions of the same carrier can be set up, but each version can have different modifications. ( UPS Ground, UPS Ground Signature Required)
