Cart - Add a shipping rates calculator to your cart

Store Design

Topic summary

Tutorial Overview:
This advanced tutorial explains how to add a shipping rates calculator to Shopify cart pages, allowing customers to estimate shipping costs before checkout. The implementation differs between sectioned (newer) and non-sectioned (pre-October 2016) themes.

Key Features & Limitations:

  • Works with carrier-calculated and manual rates
  • Uses customer’s default address if logged in
  • Only functions on cart page (not cart drawer/popup)
  • Does not calculate taxes
  • Currently incompatible with Shopify Plus multi-currency stores
  • Rates are approximations based on country/province/zip code only

Implementation Issues Reported:

  • Most common problem: Calculator displays but “Calculate Shipping” button doesn’t work—shows “Calculating…” then returns to default state without results
  • JavaScript conflicts: Many users report the code breaks other theme functionality (predictive search, quantity updates, menu navigation)
  • Theme compatibility: Particularly problematic with Simple, Debut, and Supply themes
  • Multi-currency: Calculator displays wrong currency symbol without conversions

Workarounds & Solutions:

  • Some users successfully placed JavaScript in theme.liquid before </body> tag instead of vendor.js/theme.js
  • Third-party apps like “Shipping Rates Calculator” by Code Black or “In-Cart Shipping Rates” offer paid alternatives ($6.99/month)
  • Community debate exists about whether showing shipping costs pre-checkout reduces abandoned carts or prevents email capture

Current Status:
Many users remain unable to implement the free solution successfully. The tutorial appears outdated for newer themes like Dawn 4.0, with ongoing requests for updated documentation or native Shopify integration.

Summarized with AI on November 6. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
43

I think I’ve followed all the instructions and it shows nicely on the cart in my debut theme. But when I actually test the Estimate Shipping Button, the results are not good:

class=“success” <% } else { %> class=“error” <% } %>> <% if (success) { %> <% if (rates.length > 1) { %> There are <%- rates.length %> shipping rates available for <%- address %>, starting at <%= rates[0].price %>. <% } else if (rates.length == 1) { %> There is one shipping rate available for <%- address %>. <% } else { %> We do not ship to this destination. <% } %> <% } else { %> <%- errorFeedback %> <% } %>

<% for (var i=0; i<rates.length; i++)=“” {=“” %=“”>- <%- rates[i].name %> at <%= rates[i].price %><% } %></rates.length;>

Where did I go wrong?