A Shopify store owner discovered that when customers enter invalid or misspelled city names during checkout, the system automatically defaults to free shipping. This is undesirable behavior that needs correction.
Proposed Solutions:
Set a fallback flat-rate option: Configure a default flat-rate shipping charge in Shopify Admin → Settings → Shipping & Delivery that applies when other conditions aren’t met. Ensure free shipping is restricted to verified locations only.
Use third-party apps: Install shipping management apps like Advanced Shipping Rules, Parcelify, or ShipperHQ to gain more control over shipping logic.
Custom development (Shopify Plus only): Have a developer modify checkout files to prevent free shipping from triggering on invalid addresses.
The issue stems from Shopify’s inability to validate addresses in certain countries, causing it to default to free shipping when city matching fails.
Hey everyone!
I’ve noticed something on my Shopify store that if a customer enters an invalid city (spelling mistake or enters city + country) during checkout, the checkout page automatically sets shipping to ‘Free’. I definitely don’t want that to happen, so is there a way that I can set up shipping so that if an address isn’t recognized, it charges a flat fee instead? I’m not in a country that offers address validation, so I’m keen to hear any smart answers!
@theregos Shopify is likely defaulting to “Free Shipping” when it can’t match a valid city. To prevent this, here are some methods: