Regional Support: Shipping (UK)

[Victor]

Learn more about handling shipping and fulfilment while running your Shopify store in the UK.

This thread is part of the Regional Support threads offered for merchants in the United Kingdom. To see which other topics are available, you can visit the UK hub here.

Merchants based in the United Kingdom can offer both manual and third-party carrier calculated shipping rates to their customers at checkout. This second option allows UK merchants to link their FedEx and UPS accounts to Shopify and offer live rates from these providers at checkout.

Please note that the live rates can only be enabled if the merchant has the carrier calculated shipping feature enabled, which is a standard feature of our Advanced and Plus plans. However, this feature can also be added to a merchant's store for an additional cost of $20 USD per month if they are on the Shopify plan. Merchants on the Shopify plan can instead have this feature enabled at no additional cost if their subscrition is paid for on an annual basis. If you’d like to add this feature to your account, please contact our support team.

Outside of the integrated options of FedEx and UPS, there are a number of third-party applications that allow UK merchants to offer live rates from other shipping providers. Some apps will also allow you to buy shipping labels for different providers in the UK. These include:

• Royal Mail Shipping Extension (includes live rates from Royal Mail that appear at checkout).
• Starshipit Shipping & Tracking (includes live rates from the likes of DHL and DPD at checkout, as well as the ability to buy shipping labels from numerous carriers, including Royal Mail).
• Zenstores - UK Shipping App (includes the ability to buy shipping labels from numerous carriers, including DHL, DPD, Hermes, Royal Mail and Parcelforce).
• Multi Carrier Shipping Label (includes the ability to buy shipping labels from UK-based carriers including Royal Mail, Parcel Force & DHL)

Royal Mail also offer their Click & Drop app, which can be installed in the form of a sales channel in the Shopify admin. This app will allow you to easily buy and print Royal Mail shipping labels for your orders. You can refer to Royal Mail’s setup instructions to install the app in your store.

If you’re looking for more information or direct assistance with any of these apps, we recommend contacting the developers of the app directly. The developers build and support these apps and their contact information can be found on the app’s page on the Shopify App Store.

If you have a question or comment to make about shipping when based in the United Kingdom, please post it below.

[Outer_net]

Hi Victor,

Thanks for the great info!

Why does shopify restrict the feature for multi package sizes outside Canada and the US?

[Victor]

Hi @Outer_net,

Thank you for reaching out, and I'm glad that you found the information helpful. We hope these threads will prove to be an ongoing source of information for merchants in the UK moving forward.

The key difference between the UK and the US/ Canada in terms of managing shipping on Shopify is that Shopify Shipping is not currently available to merchants in the UK. This feature allows merchants to directly purchase shipping labels from shipping couriers such as USPS, UPS and Canada Post, and multiple packages can be added to the admin that can then be selected when these labels are being purchased. However, it should be noted that even for merchants in the US and Canada who are using Shopify Shipping, there can still only be one default package selected at any one time, and this is the package used at checkout when live rates are being calculated.

Making Shopify Shipping available to merchants in other countries, including the UK, is a request we've received from other merchants and it is something our product development team are aware of and are considering. I hope it's something we see in future but for the time being, there other apps currently available that you can use to buy shipping labels from couriers available in the UK. Apps such as Starshipit and Zenstores, which I referenced in my original post, are ones I'd recommend looking into. There is also an app called Boxify that allows for multiple packages to be used at checkout when calculating live rates, although I am not sure if this would work with UK-specific carriers - I'd suggest reaching out to their support team via the contact details listed on their app page, if indeed you're interested in this potential functionality.

I hope this information has helped in some way but please do let me know if you have any more shipping-specific questions!

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Outer_net]

Hi Victor,

My situation is this - 

I dont need to print labels - Or provide automated tracking as I will be integrating with a 3rd party manually. I will have no logistics sharing with them only that they will print on demand and ship to the customers address I give to them and in turn I will update the order status in shopify and add the tracking number once the order has shipped. 

I will be shipping to 51 countries. 

We will be selling items that come in 2 different form factors, tubes and flat parcels. I will be shipping orders ranging from 40 cm by 10 cm tube at 700 grams to 1 m by 2.5 m framed and glazed prints at 12 kg.

For tubes it is easy as they come like this:

Tubes

Small | 50 cm x 10 cm 500 grams

Medium | 70 cm x 12 cm 700 grams

Large | 100 cm x 15 cm 1kg

Extra Large | 150 cm x 15 cm 3 kg

XXL            |  200cm  x 20 cm  5 kg

Then theres everything else that comes like this - 

Square

Small (S)  |  40 cm x 40 cm x 8 cm      -  4 kg

Medium (M) |  60 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm  -  6 kg

Large (L)  |  90 cm x 90 cm x 12 cm   -    8 kg

Extra Large (XL)  |  120 cm x 120 cm x 12 cm  -  10 kg

Extra Extra Large (XXL)  |  180 cm x 180 cm x 15 cm  -   12 kg

Giant (G)  |  220 cm x 220 cm x  15 cm   -  15 kg

And also these other aspect ratios.

aspect ratios X-Tall | Tall | Portrait | Square | Landscape | Wide | X-Wide

Small (S)

Medium (M)

Large (L)

Extra Large (XL)

Extra Extra Large (XXL)

Giant (G)

So that is different parcel 48 parcels of different weights and sizes and 51 countries.

That gives me 2448 variables to input based on the way shopify functions currently.

I shouldn't have to pay £££ for an app that I don't really need. Can shopify in its native non extra app state let me pass on the correct information to the cart so that when a customer reaches the checkout the correct data is used to calculate shipping cost instead of false information. (Default Package Size) 

As a startup I hope you can appreciate my need to prioritise for advertising and marketing as opposed to the brass tacks of any ecom system as this is what I assumed would come as the basics with shopify’s offerings. 

I cannot afford to pay for an app so please can you let me know my options. 

Thank you in advance for any advice / support.

Kind regards

[Elle]

Hi, @Outer_net 

Elle here from Shopify, happy to help answer your question. 

At this time, dimensional shipping is not supported by Shopify; however, you can accomplish this with Boxify. I can certainly submit a feature request for dimensional shipping to our developers on your behalf! 

We do offer per-item shipping and the ability for you to integrate live rates from other couriers and fulfillment apps (for example: Printful) when the carrier calculated shipping feature is activated on your account. I would definitely recommend looking into this option since you're using a Print on Demand app. 

Hope this helps! 

[Outer_net]

Hi Elle,

Thanks for trying to help me out, but I wouldn't waste your time adding me
to an unknowable list that has been getting names added to it for the past
7 years with 0 change.

I do not have money for an app and only wanto help customers pay the
correct amount for shipping and not over or under charge them. Calculated
shipping does not help me in my situation as it all only applies to the
incorrect default package size.

It seems I am stuck and dont know where to turn! What makes things a lot
worse is that Shopify and its support staff fail to understand just how
basic a requirement dimensional shipping is!

Please dont recommend apps when in my post I say I cannot afford to pay for
an app!

Kind regards

[Elle]

Hi, @Outer_net 

Thanks for your feedback. It is no problem at all to submit a feature request on your behalf! We are always looking to improve our product so your feedback is valuable.

I understand you are not in a position to use an app at this time; however, I wanted to clarify all options in case this post will help others! Another workaround would be to adjust your calculated rates to reach a better balance of profit and loss from shipping.

Our support is available 24/7 if you have any other questions! 

[Outer_net]

Hi Elle,

An Even better solution would be for shopify to allow me to put accurate data into the cart concerning a products dimensions that a customer wants to buy. If the incorrect false data cannot be overridden due to shopify’s core code then I as a small merchant owner am handicapped.  I am referring to DEFAULT PACKAGE SIZE.

Regarding your offer to submit a feature request could you let me know how many times this feature has been requested in the last 10 yrs? When you offer something to someone there has-to be a reasonable chance of the outcome they are looking for being met because without that then you are creating false hope. 

All the best

[Outer_net]

Accurate data about products arriving into the cart shouldn't cost £800 per month for plus or a costly app subscription. Surely you can understand that although not engineered towards small businesses and not mitigated by encouraging an almost insatiable reliance on app purchases the core code should allow this as a basic simple function.

Without an app subscription or £800 per month or a Shopify engineer making tiny modifications to the core code I am required to input data 2448 times and update it as prices fluctuate.

I hope that you don't feel I am pointing any blame at you here, it will have been a decision made up high and maintained that way, that I get, I just don't appreciate being put on a list that has been growing for the past 10 yrs and for there to be no evidence or chance of any change. Sure there may be a chance that shopify’s management team pushes a switch tomorrow that enables this.

At least as a minimum our products we have set up should be able to be updated using metafields. 

All the best

[Elle]

Thanks again for your feedback, @Outer_net. 

At this time, internal data cannot be shared externally. 

Your business is important to us and we do hope to offer this feature in the future. 

Cheers,
Elle

[Outer_net]

Was it engineered this way? Do the developers have any say or contribution to the decision making process that leads towards certain features being developed and others not? 

I have tried to explain my dilemma here as clearly as possible.

https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-Discussion/Does-size-Doesn-t-Matter/td-p/659639

Any more advice or support would be greatly appreciated!

Just to clarify - I don’t need shipping labels or 95 % of shipping app’s features and cant afford an app 🥴 

I just need to give products different parcel sizes.

All the best

[Elle]

Hi, @Outer_net 

At this time Shopify does not support dimensional shipping. I understand your frustration and I'll be sure to pass along your feedback to our developers. 

Our product teams work together constantly to build and improve our product features. Your feedback is very important to this process. 

There are some workarounds you can use such as:

- adding a fixed amount to your flat rates or a fixed percentage to your calculated rates.

- increasing your product prices to cover your shipping costs. 

Thanks again for reaching out. Our support is available 24/7!

[Outer_net]

Hi Elle,

Hey @Elle 

Thankyou for getting back to me.

I actually dont even need dimensional shipping ! The size doesn't matter neither the weight.

All I need to do is give shipping cost A to product 1 and cost B to product 2 

If product 1 is tubed print it will cost A to ship

and Product 2 is a print framed / glazed and bigger than the average person so therefore it will cost B to ship.

MY Issue is that I have Products Type - PRINTS and then 

Dimensional shipping would only come in useful for calculated rates not flat rates. 

All I need to do is assign Price B to product 2 and price A to product 1.

I dont need dimensional shipping I just need to not be stuck with the one size fits all approach that Shopify has decided to take in regards to shipping.

If you can think of a way I can get shipping cost  A to product 1 and B to Product 2 then I would be eternally grateful! You'll have payed it forward ?

Theres one simple question here - Can I get different shipping costs to different products and if so how ? 

I have prepared this sheet to start laying it all out if you or your colleagues have any ideas I would be so so very grateful!

As you will see in the sheet multiples of anything dont have any influence on the cost of shipping so columns Cost 3 - 5 and Cost 5 + can be ignored. Also the only difference between the sheets - Mounted Prints / Stretcher frame and Framed products is the ETA + 1 day.

I think that 2 opposing formulas are at odds here, dead weight shipping VS dimensional shipping. The fulfilment centre size only matters not weight. Shopify Weight can only matter size is stuck in default. However I fall right between as I already know all the cost for shipping  in the 5 different zones and that the factor influencing shipping cost being longest edge of the parcel, weight does play a factor but not as much as size.

Thinking aloud is it possible to not have any parcel sizes within Shopify settings and leave weight blank and to just assign a cost to certain product?

Alternatively interpolating the weight so 1 kg becomes 10 kg > to match required cost and so on? 

Maybe using a zone for each country

All the best

[Anindo]

You can definitely get dimensional weight shipping with the Multi Carrier Shipping label app which allows you to set up : 

- dimensions for each product

- define multiple box sizes

- Based on this, it calculates the dimensional weight of the package and compares it with actual weight.

- Finally the app uses the higher of the two values and calculates rates based on that. So the rates are damn accurate.

[sssarakelyan]

Hello, who could help me activate/add feature of CARRIER CALCULATED SHIPPING, I'm trying to contact support but no luck. Would you be able to help perhaps or maybe referring to someone who can? Thank you,

Serge

[Victor]

Hi @sssarakelyan,

Thank you for getting in touch, and I'm sorry to hear you've had issues contacting support. If you're unable to access our support team, please always feel free to reach out here or over Facebook and Twitter, where we also offer support.

I'd be happy to take a closer look at this for you, so I will send you an email shortly to discuss this with you. I'll send the email to the address linked to your Forums profile.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[George_Greenhil]

You REALLY need to allow Northern Ireland to be spilt up from Mainland UK in shipping settings.

I lose money on orders from N.I as I can't charge an increased price for shipping.

[Elle]

Hi, @George_Greenhil 

I will be sure to pass this along as a feature request to our developers. 

In the meantime, you may be interested in the Better Shipping app which will allow you to set rates based on certain zip codes. 

Thanks so much for your feedback! 

[Victor]

Hi @George_Greenhil,

Thank you for sharing this feedback with us, as I understand the inability to do this has been a source of frustration for many UK-based merchants over time. As Elle mentioned, your feedback has been shared with our development team and will be considered by them when it comes to implementing changes to the platform in future. I personally hope this change is one we will see made before long, and I'll be sure to post here if any adjustments are made to the UK shipping zone in future.

If you have any further questions for me, please let me know.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[George_Greenhil]

Hi @Victor 

To be honest I got this sent over to the dev team before but nothing was added. This was about 2 years ago.

Still waiting. 

Thanks,

George

[sgr]

@Victor  Can you explain why New Zealand is split into 16 regions (along with a number of other countries) whereas the UK is just one? Surely if this can be implemented for other countries it can be implemented for the UK too? I don't understand what's preventing the dev's from implementing this feature. 

This is one area where Woocommerce is much better at the moment. You can even break down shipping rates by postcode and have different rates for different products. With no extra apps required. 

[Victor]

Hi @sgr,

I sympathize with this completely, and recognize that it's troublesome for merchants in the UK (especially to those shipping across the Irish Sea). We've also seen merchants from other countries and regions request more flexibility when it comes to their native shipping zone as well, so it's not just a problem for merchants shipping to the UK. I am not sure of the exact reasons why some countries are deemed necessary to split and others aren't, although it could be a case of not recognizing the importance of being able to split these countries in the past.

I know that this request has been logged numerous times via our internal feedback system and is something our development team are aware of and are considering. As there are hundreds of requests that are logged via this system, we cannot address and roll out each feature request we want to implement as quickly as might be the case in an ideal situation. That said, each time I have come across a merchant in the Community who has expressed a desire to be able to split the UK shipping zone, I have been sure to log that feedback. Generally, the more merchants that request a feature, the more likely it is to be implemented.

This has been a request made numerous times over the years, so I appreciate that it's a frustration being told that this is not a change set to be made imminently. I will continue to advocate for this change and submit feedback as often as I see it, and will of course be sure to update this thread if I receive confirmation that it is coming.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Tom_D1]

Hey everyone.

I’m just wondering how people offer pre-paid returns labels to their customers?

I currently send all my orders with Royal Mail and am looking for the best method to send pre-paid labels to customers who would need to return items.

Item are usually small parcels and weight less that 500g.

Thanks in advance.
Tom.

[Victor]

Hi @Tom_D1,

Thank you for reaching out with your question. I know that the Royal Mail do offer a tracked returns service, which would allow your customers to easily access a returns label online. However, they do specify that this service is only available to merchants who receive over 20 returns a week (or 1000 a year). How many returns requests do you receive on average?

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Tom_D1]

Hey Victor,

Thanks for the reply.

We have around 5 a week so we don’t fall into that category unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!)

Thanks
Tom

[Victor]

Hi @Tom_D1,

It looks like @Outer_net has a potential solution so I'd definitely recommend checking out what they have suggested. @Outer_net, thank you for your contribution!

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[St3v3]

Just to add my name to this list of people who need the United Kingdom splitting into different zones. Currently it is costing me money to ship items to Northern Ireland and there is nothing I can do until this is split up.  If i continue to keep getting orders from the UK i will unfortunately be forced to look elsewhere to another provider that does offer this.

[Victor]

Hi @St3v3,

Thank you for providing your feedback. I recognize how helpful this feature would be for merchants in the UK and I will log your feedback in our internal system, as I have done with others who've flagged this issue. It's been mentioned before in this thread, but an alternative option for the time being is the Better Shipping app, which offers greater flexibility in terms of localizing shipping rates.

Thanks again for posting your comment here and I appreciate your patience on this matter. I hope this is something we will see implemented before long.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[St3v3]

Hi Victor,

Yes I read in this thread that I could use the Better Shipping app to resolve this. But im not paying a monthly fee to do something that should already be apart of the current setup, just like it is in other countries.

As already stated, if I continue to receive orders from Northern Ireland and this is not implemented soon I will be left with little choice but to move to an alternative shop setup.

[bearandbabe]

Adding name for option of split UK shipping rates, as mentioned by others, the lack of this option is costing us money where by other providers offer as standard.

[Outer_net]

Hey Tom,

With RM it is handled through your OBA account - Log into your click & Drop portal and then you can follow these instructions.

You can pre generate a number of labels and include these in your shipments if you so wish.

You only pay for them if they are used.

Do you send an invoice or packing slip? You can even print it on the back of this to save on paper.

I am not sure about any automated apps that would handle this. 

You can update the tracking or send this url with the tracking number on the end - 

https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item?trackNumber= 

All the Best

Abbas

[EZB]

Is there a petition feature on SHopify forums to request the UK be split out into regions for shipping and tax purposes ? I'm sure there are a few thousand customer who would benefit. 

[lolly2020]

I have started a new request/question - link below, since this is coming up as solved

https://community.shopify.com/c/Payments-Shipping-Fulfillment/United-Kingdom-split-out-Zones-Norther...

[Outer_net_]

When a country like the UK that has very high taxation and a strong online retail market then that is all it probably takes to justify limitIng [or not implementing] the functionality to then force people to pay for apps that put more £ back into the ecom platform. It is business and a very underhand way to do business.

[St3v3]

---

@sgr wrote:

@Victor  Can you explain why New Zealand is split into 16 regions (along with a number of other countries) whereas the UK is just one? Surely if this can be implemented for other countries it can be implemented for the UK too? I don't understand what's preventing the dev's from implementing this feature. 

This is one area where Woocommerce is much better at the moment. You can even break down shipping rates by postcode and have different rates for different products. With no extra apps required. 

---

Think I will be looking at Woocommerce then if they have this already in their setup and Shopify just seem to sit and do nothing even though other countries already have this option.

[George_Greenhil]

It's starting to become a joke really now. Really disappointed after years of pointing this out to them they still ignore us.  

[St3v3]

---

@George_Greenhil wrote:

It's starting to become a joke really now. Really disappointed after years of pointing this out to them they still ignore us.  

---

Didn't realise it had been going on for that long!! Thats terrible service from Shopify.

Definitely time to look for alternatives then, I am fed up of losing money on orders due to Shopify's inability to resolve this.

[George_Greenhil]

Still nothing, still losing money. @Victor  any update?

[Victor]

Hi @George_Greenhil,

I don't have any updates at this time, no. I know that our development team are currently considering and working on a number of potential initiatives to better help our merchants during this difficult period, and if there is anything announced that I feel is of particular interest to UK-based merchants I will be sure to post here with more information.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[George_Greenhil]

Hi @Victor 

Is there a legal issue or something with splitting the UK up?

I really don't understand it, you've launched a new whole email platform this week and come out with loads of cool complicated new features like product recommendation algorithms.

But you can't add 4 tick boxes after 5 years. It's so strange.

Thanks,

George

[Victor · Accepted solution]

Hi @George_Greenhil,

I am not aware of the specific reasoning behind why this hasn't be done yet, although I don't believe it's due to any issues of legality. We've also had requests from merchants in other countries who are wanting more specificity when setting up shipping zones for their region.

Many of the more recent features announced, including Shopify Email, have been in the work for some time prior to their launch. Some features and their launches have also been prioritized due to the ongoing pandemic (e.g. the launch of the curbside pickup feature). I do believe it is mainly a question of prioritizing which features are rolled out first, although I understand that this is something UK-based merchants have been requesting for years and personally I hope it is something that is addressed soon, as I know it would be a huge help to many of you.

I've advocated for this feature internally and am continuing to log all feedback we receive on this in the merchant feedback system we use here. As mentioned before, I will be sure share more information about this feature here if and when it comes.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Peng15]

I would like to add my request to the list for UK to be separated out with Northern Ireland. Its vital to my business as its illegal at the moment for me to ship to Northern Ireland without tests that cost 20 times the product. 

What is best current work around and please can I have an idea of how long before this will be available

[lolly2020]

Any Update shopify !!

[EZB]

What a joke! 

12 pages of replies and Shopify has its head in the sand. 

[bakeryben]

Hi, 

Our bakery is offering local delivery within our city. We split different areas into different days to make it possible for our drivers, and people select their area based on the map on our site. Often however it goes wrong, due either to site glitches or human error people end up in the wrong group. Is there an app that will work out if someone's address falls within a given area, perhaps even not based on postcode, and then informs them which day they will receive their delivery?

Many thanks!

Ben

[Victor]

Hi @bakeryben,

Thank you for detailing your current set up and I can see why this may lead to errors with customers falling into the wrong group. There are a number of apps that can help merchants offer local delivery options to their customers, however I am not sure if it would be possible via these apps to restrict delivery days to specific postcodes or regions—nonetheless, I'd recommend checking these apps out and seeing if they're of any use to you:

• Local Delivery
• Store Pickup + Delivery
• Store Pickup + Local Delivery

You can make use of the free trials these apps offer to install them into your store and see how they work, and if they'd improve the management of your deliveries and the checkout experience for the customer.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Yegordrozdov]

Hello , Victor! I have a question about enabling payment.

My business is registered and operates in the United States ,but I am a citizen of another country. I do not have an SSN , how can I enable Shopify Payment? I have all the other business documents , but no SSN. What should I do?

[Victor]

Hi @Yegordrozdov,

Shopify Payments is only available in specific countries, and as a result you would need to meet specific criteria in terms of verification we may request from you. For example, if you are in the United States, in order to use Shopify Payments you will likely need to provide a Social Security Number, as well as an account from a bank with a physical location in the United States. It's not real feasible for merchants outside of the US, who do not have a presence there, to use the gateway.

Can you let me know which country you are based in? I may be able to suggest some alternative options for you.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Simply1]

Hi, Im just starting out on Shopify. Ive read lots of information on shipping. Am I correct in saying that i need Royal Mail extension app to enable the shipping to be calculated ? I can only have this app at $10 a month and only on an upgraded plan ? ( i am currently on the basic ).

Also if all the above is correct. If I were to use this app, and i add each products weight individually. What is the box information used for please. I really do not understand the box information page.

Does this app accomodate muliple items in the shopping cart ? does it adjust the shipping accordingly ?

Thank you

Regards

Alison

[Victor]

Hi Alison,

Thank you for reaching out with your question, and yes, this is correct—the Royal Mail Shipping Extension will allow you to offer live, calculated rates to your customers within Shopify. The app has a monthly cost of $10 USD p/m, although it does also require you to have the carrier-calculated shipping feature enabled on your store. You can add this feature to your plan for an additional $20 USD p/m, or you can receive it for free if you decide to switch from a monthly to an annual billing cycle for the Basic plan. Please let me know if you've any questions on this.

I believe the app will take the average parcel size you enter in here—letter, large letter, small parcel or large parcel—and accommodate this into its calculations, along with the total weight of the customer's order and their shipping address. It would then take these variables and present the customer with as accurate a shipping rate as possible, which they can then select and pay for at checkout. This will work for single-product orders and for orders with numerous items. You will want to ensure that your product weights within Shopify are accurate, as these are used in the app's calculations.

I'd also point out that whilst I am familiar with the app and know roughly how it works, it is not made by Shopify and instead by a third-party developer. If you have any further questions about the app please feel free to ask them here, but you can also reach out to the developers directly at support@developify.co.uk. I'd also suggest checking out the reviews for the app on its page on the App Store, linked above, to see how other merchants have used it.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Daviddbx]

I ship a lot of items to the USA from the UK. All small items.

I’m currently using RM click and drop integration. The integration is perfect for my needs. Love it. Uk shipping is great but US shipping has always been problematic with long delays (like 3 weeks being a regular delivery time!) Since covid its just beyond a joke. USPS will put me out of business if i carry on like this.

I’m trying to use UPS. I’ve done a few trial runs and the delivery times to the USA are fantastic.

Problem is, I can’t find a label app for UPS! Just about every other shipper in the world is well catered for, but hardly any for UPS.

a) Can someone recommend a UK appropriate app for UPS (and ideally, Royal Mail)?

b) Can someone tell me if these apps will offer the same sort of functionality as click and drop?

Any help much appreciated. It seems a really hard / opaque thing to do considering how fundamental a part of selling through shopify shipping is.

Thanks,

David.

[Victor]

Hi @Daviddbx,

Thank you for reaching out with your question and for detailing your predicament. I've taken a look through our App Store and have found the following apps which should allow you to purchase UPS shipping labels:

• Easyship
• Multi Carrier Shipping Label
• eShip
• ShippingEasy
• Shippo

All of the above apps claim to integrate with UPS, although I am not sure if all will allow for UPS label purchases for merchants based in the UK. I would recommend installing the apps that interest you—all are either free to install, or offer a free trial period—and see if UPS is a label purchase option for you. I don't know if these apps will allow for the same functionality you've experienced with the Click & Drop app, but they will allow for the buying and printing of shipping labels via the Shopify admin.

Give these a try, and please let me know if you've more questions about this.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Da_Do]

I have built & will manage an eCommerce site for the UK called planetsal.co.uk - novelty gifts, cards & now face masks.

We have done very few sales to date but have come across two related issues.

I cannot see how to configure the shipping to match UK Royal Mail rates which are based on weight AND size - I don't see where the package size is used in any calculation.

(The size of this enterprise probably precludes the cost / benefit of eg the Royal Mail extension, especially having to upgrade the Shopify Plan as well).

I have been using a quick & dirty workaround by specifying a fixed price on every item, via a fictitious item weight which equates to a Postage rate - so an item weighing 1.5 LBs would mean a cost of £1.50.

That works for individual items, especially when the product is 'unique' & only likely to be bought singly.

However, multiple face masks could easily be ordered - the above workaround is then broken as the customer gets charged eg £1.50 for each mask in the order.

I may be misunderstanding something so can you please suggest a way forward.

Thank you,

Ron

[Victor]

Hi @Da_Do,

Thank you for reaching out with your question. The problem you're experiencing here is a relatively common one, and it often requires some creative shipping rate creation to find the best solution for your store.

I'll point out first of all that the weight of the default package on file is included in the total weight of the order, which is used at checkout when the system is calculating which shipping rate to offer to the customer:

In this instance from my test store, the system will add together the total weight of the products in the customer's cart with the weight of the default package on file, which in this case is 0.188kg. This total weight will then determine which shipping rate is offered to the customer. This is something that will need to be considered when you are setting up your shipping rates, and sometimes it's best to set the default package weight to 0 so that you can dictate shipping rate eligibility by the weight of the products alone.

Using fictitious weights is totally fine when you are using manual rates, as this allows you some creativity and more control when it comes to setting up your shipping rates. However, as you've experienced, it can get a bit more complicated when you are considering what happens if a customer orders multiple units of a product, and what shipping rate they should be paying then. Can you tell me a bit more about your store and how you want your rates to display, in an ideal world? Do you sell numerous products or is it just the face masks that you referenced? Can you also tell me at what point you would need to use a larger package if the customer orders numerous packages of face masks?

If you can provide more details about your ideal set-up, I'll see what I can recommend in terms of configuring your shipping settings.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Da_Do]

Thanks for the reply, Victor - especially highlighting the weight of the default package which I hadn't picked up on & will consider as we progrees this issue. As you say, there are pros & cons in including it.

Masks - I'm awaiting details from the store owner but the large envelope must take 5, with a mixium of 10. So, in practice, its unlikely that customers would would order more than 5. As a safety measure we could set the inventory level to avoid 'bulk' orders.

Physical shop - gifts, cards & novelties. Eventually we may advertise products available in the store as a catalogue but without online purchase.

Online shop - currently masks are the only items that fall into the 'problem' area, & my thinking has progressed since my initial query. As I said above, almost all orders ought to fit into what we could the default package size. There are some items we sell with free shipping (taken care of), then there are larger items that we have priced delivery individually. We may in the future sell packs of gift cards which would 'fill' a Large Letter more quickly than the cloth face masks.

To summarise :

- masks probably OK

- fixed delivery cost OK as long as cumulative weight of eg masks or other future products did not increase to the level of the fictious rates

-  ideally I would like to cater for all eventualities for ever (!) but I'm beginning to warn the Store Owner that we may have to be pragmatic, & just deal with what we sell now & worry about the future in the future !

[Victor]

Hi @Da_Do,

Thank you for providing these additional details. Setting up your shipping rates correctly is often done via some trial and error—ideally you want to cover yourself for every potential order combination and make sure the shipping costs are handled correctly, but there are some eventualities that are unlikely to occur (e.g. a large order of masks) and that may be something you deal with if and when it comes. One thing I will say is you could indeed use inventory tracking to configure a set number of masks available at one time, and then just adjust the inventory levels when the masks have been purchased, although there are apps such as Order Limits that allows for greater control on how many units of a product a single customer can order. You can also just add a note in the product description notifying customers of a maximum order limit to deter larger orders.

In terms of your shipping rates, I'd recommend continuing using the fictitious weights and managing your shipping rates via this method. If you can fit 5 masks into a large envelope, as you mentioned, then you could set a shipping rate that maxes out at [weight of mask] x 5. You mentioned in your initial message that a 1.5lb item would cost £1.50 to ship, so you could set the weight of the mask at 0.3lbs, presuming that you're happy to ship up to 5 masks for a price of £1.50. You could then set a higher shipping rate for orders of 1.51lbs and up, meaning if a customer orders more masks—or some masks and other products—they'll be paying a higher shipping rate, and you're covering yourself financially if this situation occurs.

It's not a perfect solution, but you can usually cover yourself for most possible order combinations with some creative shipping rate configurations using fictitious weights for your products. I hope this has explained things further, but let me know if you still have more questions.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[panterandhall]

Hello, I'm dealing with some fragile/valuable items so can't have a standard shipping option on the website for everything. I was wondering if there was a way to have two £0 shipping options at checkout but one would say 'Free' and the other would say 'To Be Determined' so we could be in touch with a specialist quote later?

For example, the options I want to have are: 

1. Collect - Free
2. We will be in touch to arrange a quote - To Be Determined

I have worked out how to change the text between the two options by editing the theme language but I can't see a way to have both - if it's possible I would love to hear how! 

Many thanks 

Beth

[Victor]

Hi @panterandhall,

Thank you for getting in touch! In an ideal world, would you rather have one shipping rate appear for non-fragile items and another for fragile ones? If so, you can use shipping profiles to separate products into individual profiles, and then set shipping rates that only apply for each one. This would allow customers an easier, more straightforward checkout if they are purchasing easy-to-ship items and they don't need a quote, and only when customers are buying fragile items will they be presented with this option.

Even without using separate shipping profiles, you should be able to set up these two rates to appear at checkout simultaneously. In your shipping settings, you can set up two price-based rates of £0 and above, and title them as you wish. They'll then appear at checkout for every customer with a product in their cart.

I'd encourage you to check out the linked Help Center page on shipping profiles, as it's very thorough and informative. I believe that this may be the best way for you to set up your shipping rates. Please let me know if you've any further questions!

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[CA75]

I'm utterly astounded that you cannot separate the UK. 

I seriously cannot believe this most basic of functions within woo commerce isn't available. I have a Northern Irish based business and have spent the last few weeks working on my migration to shopify.

What an utter waste of money and time this now seems. Of course I have separate rates between North, South Ireland and the UK.

Have you not heard about brexit?????? What do you think customs charges and tariffs will do to standardised UK Shipping costs?

Even if the nonsense of brexit didn't exist I still have to separate my domestic market. Why does Ireland have separate counties but you can't even provide the UK countries

I don't need live courier pricing - I have a contract and know what the costs are. I only need the most simplest thing to split the UK countries.

So i'm expected to pay $50+ a month for an app and data feed for something I don't need and for a result it may not even do.

Pathetic 

[nicolema]

Hello Shopify team,

Our UK company is setting up an online store where we have below product categories and are planning to offer international shipping. Our store will start quite small scaled with just a few product types and not massive qty. 

1. Book (one size for now, 50 pcs)

2. Ceramic vessels (few different sizes, 10-20 pcs, fragile and heavy)

3. Art prints (5-6 sizes, 50 pcs, handled with care)

I have been reading the help centre and this forum thoroughly but still couldn't find the best solution. Our shopify plan is basic and what I understand is that we can opt to pay $20 monthly for calculated shipping rate feature, otherwise we would have to manually check with selected carrier and input shipping fee based on weight/ price/ destinations one by one, is it correct? 

To be more cost and time efficient, what would you normally suggest merchants of similar scale like us to do? I am assuming it is best to use carrier's calculated shipping rate systems like DPD/ UPS/ DHL/ Fedex? But would be great to know of smarter suggestion and learn from your experience.

Thank you.

Best regards,
Nicole

[Victor]

Hi @nicolema,

Thank you for detailing your situation and for asking your question here. I'd be happy to explain in more detail how shipping settings work within Shopify and what your options are.

It sounds like you are offering a variety of different products that require differing shipping options, both in terms of package type and size, and also the costs associated with shipping these items. Using shipping profiles, you'll be able to use manual rates based on product weights to offer shipping prices based on both the merchant's location and the products they have ordered. I'd recommend checking out our detailed documentation on shipping profiles as it helps explain how they work and how they can be used to optimize shipping options for your store.

Using shipping profiles, you could therefore set different shipping rates for books, ceramic vessels and for your art prints, which I presume come with greatly varied costs. You can set international shipping rates for each profile so each product can have specific rates for different countries and regions you're selling to.

The carrier-calculated shipping feature you referenced allows you to use live rates at checkout from the likes of UPS and FedEx, along with a number of third-party apps that integrate with more couriers. This feature comes as standard with our Advanced plan, but can indeed be added onto other plans for an additional cost of $20.00 USD per month (or for free if you opt to pay for your subscription on an annual basis).

These rates work by using a number of variables—your shipping origin, the customer's location, the total weight of the order and the default package on file—to offer your customer customer an accurate live rate at checkout from the courier(s) you have enabled. It can make things easier as you don't need to set up your rates manually, but you do need to ensure the data you have on file (such as the weights of the products) is accurate. However, some merchants may prefer to use manual rates as it allows them greater control over what shipping costs are charged to their customers at checkout.

There is no right or wrong way to approach this, but my general recommendation would be to make use of shipping profiles and manual shipping rates first of all and see if you can cover your bases via this method. It may be that the greater control you have using manual rates is better for your store, although it requires more setup than simply enabling the live rates on your store.

I hope this explains things, but please let me know if you do have further questions!

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[RichL1]

Hi

I am also trying to use Royal Mail Click and Drop here in the UK. I have uploaded my store csv file into my Click and Drop account but have come across an issue whereby the default weight in shopify in in grams but the Click and Drop app expects it to be in kg. Each one of my products has a weight which gets totalled at checkout but gets incorrectly passed to Royal Mail. Anyone got any good workarounds?

[Daviddbx]

Click and drop will store item data (like weight) separately from the Shopify settings. Set it in click and drop, save it and next time the correct weight should automatically pop up.

After now spending a considerable amount if time trying to use UPS marketplace ‘integration’, it sure makes me appreciate the simple genius of click and drop!

[RichL1]

Hi David

Thanks for reply. Sorry to appear a bit thick but where in Click and Drop do you set default weight units?

[Daviddbx]

When you apply postage, set the weight (top left) as you want it. Ensure the ‘overwrite product data’ button is ticked at the bottom. Next time the system see’s that product / SKU, the weight will be correct. For non-EU sales you can set it as part of the export info box that pops up too.

[RichL1]

Ok. Does that have to be done against every product or does applying it to one change it for all. I have over 2000 product lines to sort out.

[Victor]

Hi @RichL1,

Thank you for reaching out with your question. I do not have extensive experience using the Click & Drop app but it seems like @Daviddbx does and has offered some sound advice here, so I'd suggest trying the workaround they have suggested. I will also point out that within Shopify it is possible to change your weight format from grams to kilograms, which might be worth considering if that is the measurement that the Click & Drop app uses:

The standards and formats settings can be found in Settings > General within the Shopify admin.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[Diana_Kimili]

Hi Victor,

Thanks for the useful information. As I can see Shopify provides many discounted shipping rates for customers based in the USA. However such service is not available in the UK. Are there any recommendations about the shipping company/suppliers that can offer a competitive shipping prices for domestic and international shipments for a start up business?

Thanks a lot in adnvace.

Diana