Shipping service provider no longer appears when entering the tracking number

[Dry-Ager]

After entering the tracking number when executing the order in the backend, the shipping service provider matching the number always appeared automatically in the "Shipping carrier" field. For a few days now, we have always had to select the service provider manually from a drop-down list. Is this the case due to a Shopify update or can anyone confirm this behavior?

 Thanks in advance.

[Dry-Ager]

No idea regarding this?

[Maya9]

Are you still experiencing this issue? It just started for me a few days ago.

[Imogen]

Hey there, @Maya9! Thanks for following up on this older thread regarding tracking numbers and the options available to add as a carrier. My name is Imogen. It's good to meet you!

If you're experiencing this issue, then it would be wise to reach out to our Authenticated Support Team so we can take a look at the order related to this issue. This will allow us to collect some information from you and look into causes and troubleshooting steps to help explain it's occurrence, and how to resolve it if required. 

[Maya9]

Thank you. I will reach out to support.

[Imogen]

Sounds like a plan, @Maya9! 

[Maya9]

Well Imogen,

Thank you for your suggestion but 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 (I'm talking a few days) but has clearly happened in the past to others (such as OP in January). Either it is an excuse to wash their hands of an issue they do not want to deal with or, since the support agent stated that the issue only occurs when the label is purchased directly through the carrier but not if it is purchased directly through Shopify, I suspect Shopify might be disabling the feature randomly to try to force merchants into purchasing labels through them... which, if true, is NOT cool.

It makes things less convenient and more time consuming and certainly doesn't compel me to purchase labels through Shopify because there is a multitude of reasons why I'm using my current shipping platform instead of shopify and it is not only price related.

You may want to pass this onto your superiors. 

[Maya9]

Update: Shopify must have resolved the issue on their end as it is working again. 

[kccorine]

The issue seems to persist, and for me, it also started a few days ago. Given that one of the features I liked during evaluation was to be able to have tracking numbers generate the carrier entry automatically, was one of the reasons we chose Shopify, is extremely concerning.

So when will this be corrected?

[kccorine]

This issue has not been resolved.

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 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?