Is Shopify trying to force shipping labels by inconveniencing us?

[Maya9]

I've never purchased my shipping labels through Shopify but never had to manually select the shipping carrier. When I added the tracking number to the order, the shipping carrier would be automatically identified and auto populated. As of a few days ago that feature is not working and I have to select manually. It's not an insurmountable obstacle but when you are a busy small business operator it is definitely more convenient and less time consuming if it is automated. Especially when you HAD that feature and were used to is. Yesterday, I accidentally selected "OTHER" from the drop down menu so my customer couldn't actually click on their tracking number for status updates nor would they receive the auto delivery status updates by email. These are small but meaningful inconveniences. 

I reached out to Shopify and after being in chat with Dexter from support for almost a full hour, answering his multiple questions, waiting while getting his assurance that they are running various back end checks, etc etc he comes back with this:

"We thank you for your time. With all the information we have gathered here with our Business Operations team we have confirmed that it is an expected behavior wherein the shipping provider will not populate automatically when adding a tracking number if you have purchased the label directly to the shipping provider. On the other hand, if you are buying a shipping label through Shopify Shipping and the label includes tracking, then a tracking number is added automatically."

This response makes ZERO sense since the issue is a VERY recent development to me (a few days) but has happened in the past to others as I found a similar post from January (without a solution or update). So is the agent's response simply an excuse to wash their hands of an issue they do not want to deal with or is Shopify disabling the feature randomly to try to force merchants into purchasing labels through them? 

There are multiple reasons why I'm using my current shipping platform so this is not going to compel me to switch to Shopify for shipping labels but I am VERY interested if others have experienced this issue.

[JoesIdeas]

I was able to paste tracking just today and have the carrier automatically get populated (USPS in this case).

The response you received also does not make sense to me. I would consider trying to contact a different support rep, maybe that one did not understand the question, or did not give correct information.

It also could be something in your workflow that changed, for example if some orders populate but others don't or some carriers do and others don't, you could try to find the pattern of why it's happening.

I would analyze that, and also try to rule out any other possibilities, for example sometimes cookies / cache can cause strange things to happen, you could try in a new browser or cleared cache / cookies just to rule out that possibility.

Good luck, I hope you find the solution for your store.

[Maya9]

Thanks Joe but it seems to be working again. It was definitely something on the Shopify end as I have been doing everything the same for years 

and knew I wasn't doing anything differently. I also knew the explanation provided didn't make any sense. 

[Maya9]

Actually still (or again) not working. I was testing using a previously used tracking code yesterday so maybe that's why it auto-populated. Today I was actually fulfilling orders and had to manually select shipping carrier each time. So it's an ongoing issue still.

[kccorine]

Can confirm - this is still an ongoing issue.

This is utterly frustrating, given that one of the reasons we switched to Shopify in the first place was the option to have this automation in the first place... ugh.

What is going on here?

[kccorine]

When will this be fixed?

[Erin · Accepted solution]

Hi, everyone. When you add a tracking number to your manual fulfillment page, the shipping carrier is automatically recognized and populated. There may be cases where this doesn't work and you will need to choose your shipping carrier manually from the drop-down menu. However, if this is happening every time you add a tracking number, please reach out to our support team through the Help Center so we can review your account with you in more detail. 

[kccorine]

I am not sure if this is an “accepted solution” given the track record of non-helpful support that is likely unable to assist with this — as reported by others above.

It seems like Shopify is deliberately removing a key convenience feature, which makes me seriously reconsider my decision to choose Shopify. One of the primary reasons we switched from WooCommerce in early 2023 was this very automation feature.

I tested this again just now with a list of tracking numbers from our supplier. Only China Post tracking numbers populate automatically; however, FedEx and DHL numbers, which I also receive, no longer auto-populate and must be manually selected from the dropdown.

Why is Shopify removing a feature that played a significant role in our decision to buy into the platform in the first place?

[kccorine]

This is what I wrote as a reply to Shopify support, which was — as expected — utterly useless and defensive by claiming the feature was removed because of “accuracy issues” with the automation…. What a joke. You are welcome to use this as a template to complain to Shopify about this underhanded removal of an automation feature we pay for with our annual fee. Please don't hesitate to spread this far and wide on social media as well.

Dear Shopify Support Team,

I am following up regarding the removal of the carrier auto-population feature when entering tracking numbers. Your initial explanation was inadequate, and further investigation has made it clear that Shopify has disabled this essential feature for most merchants unless they purchase shipping labels directly through Shopify.

This is confirmed by your own statement to another merchant:

“We have confirmed that it is an expected behavior wherein the shipping provider will not populate automatically when adding a tracking number if you have purchased the label directly from the shipping provider. On the other hand, if you are buying a shipping label through Shopify Shipping and the label includes tracking, then a tracking number is added automatically.”

This decision is not only outrageous but also unethical. Shopify's justification of “accuracy issues” appears to be a disingenuous cover for a clear attempt to coerce merchants into purchasing shipping labels from you. This change prioritizes your revenue goals over the needs and business models of your paying customers, many of whom, like myself, pay over $4,000 USD annually for a platform that should enhance, not hinder, our operations.

Our business model does not even allow for the purchase of shipping labels through Shopify. Our supplier in China manages all shipping and provides tracking numbers directly from FedEx and DHL. Shopify's unilateral decision to remove this feature now penalizes us for having a different business model—one that doesn’t align with your strategy to monetize shipping labels. This not only demonstrates a disregard for the diversity of businesses using your platform but also creates a substantial risk of manual errors. The increased error margin from manually selecting carriers degrades customer trust and satisfaction by mismatching tracking information with the carriers they chose at checkout.

Furthermore, the removal of this feature without prior notice or transparency is a significant degradation of service, especially for those of us who must now manually enter hundreds of tracking numbers each week. Suggesting that merchants verify tracking numbers with carriers directly is impractical and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the operational demands we face.

If there are merchants who do not want this feature, the solution is not to eliminate it for everyone, but to provide a toggle option. This would allow merchants like myself, who depend on automation, to maintain efficiency without compromising accuracy.

Given that I now have to manually enter hundreds of tracking numbers weekly, I am considering a chargeback for a portion of the annual fee due to the significant loss of functionality. While I recognize it may be difficult to quantify the exact monetary value of this feature, its absence clearly disrupts my workflow, significantly increases the likelihood of errors, and ultimately harms my customers' experience. I expect a swift response regarding how Shopify plans to compensate for this reduced service level.

Sincerely, ...

[Maya9]

Mine is still not auto-populating. I have to select the carrier manually every time since this began a few weeks ago. Not sure how there is an "accepted solution" for this thread as there has been no solution provided and no resolution.  For the record, I tried using a different browser and same problem so not a cache or cookie issue.

[Mad-Z]

8 years on Shopify with millions in sales each year, the support gets worse and useless every time we encounter them, and we rarely use them. This function they removed are definitely annoying to us, when company start removing features you originally have, plus the increasing number of incompetent support personnel, you know it is time to look elsewhere.

[kccorine]

Agreed.

Removing effective automation features that a) no merchant ever asked to be removed, and b) were a primary reason for moving to Shopify from other platforms (as was the case for us), is an outright slap in the face to all merchants who rely on Shopify’s services and pay substantial annual fees for these very functionalities.

Shopify’s decision to strip away a well-functioning feature without consulting or notifying its customers demonstrates a lack of respect and consideration for the needs of its users. This is not just an inconvenience—it’s a betrayal of the trust we placed in Shopify when choosing your platform over competitors like WooCommerce. The removal of automation tools that streamline order fulfillment disrupts our daily operations and undermines the efficiency gains that Shopify claims to offer.

If Shopify is going to continue down this path of reducing functionality while maintaining or even increasing fees, then you are failing to honor the value proposition that convinced us to join your platform in the first place. We expect immediate action to either restore this critical feature or offer an alternative solution that meets our operational needs.

[momo514]

Just to add something since this issue is causing me troubles as well. I reached support and they said:

I understand that this is a challenge since you are used to the process of the shipping carrier being autopopulated and our business development team are actually aware at the issue that is why they temporarily made the update. I will personally provide this feedback to the team in order to fix the issue as soon as possible and return the feature to all couriers.

(...)

To answer the question, it works for some couriers like UPS or China Post as they have very distinct tracking numbers. Other carrier tracking numbers are more ambiguous like the 16 digit format for Canada Post and the FedEx tracking numbers.

I can tell from my side, it is working for some carriers:

• China Post
• UPS
• USPS
• Royal Mail

It's not with most of the others like FedEx, Canada Post, LaPoste, DP...  I informed my carrier reps. to let them aware of this.

I don't think it's made to force people to buy labels from Shopify, but it's very annoying and I'm surprised it had not been addressed already.

[Maya9]

Thank you for posting this Momo. 

[KOlsen]

We are also experiencing this issue, and have been for a few months.  The "accepted solution" is not helpful, and is not even a temporary band-aid for this problem.  It's just the obvious next step to manually submitting a tracking number. 

We've spent hundreds of dollars trying to find a solution to the carrier issue, and it's still not resolved.  We use SmartConnect to send our tracking numbers to Shopify and it automatically fulfills the orders.  With how things are currently set up, if it's not a USPS or FedEx Smartpost/Economy tracking number, then our customers are receiving a number with no URL or sign of what carrier is used.  Having to go in and edit every order that's shipped is tedious and makes us look bad as a seller.

I'm disappointed and yet unsurprised that this has not been resolved.  The multiple payouts issue we are also experiencing with their launch of Paypal Wallet took months to start working properly for us, and is still technically an issue.  Others are also still struggling to get their own money deposited because of this change.  If they're handling money like this, I'm unsurprised they haven't touched the carrier issue.