How can I correctly assign boxes to products for accurate shipping?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Merchants are requesting the ability to assign specific box sizes to individual products for accurate shipping cost calculations at checkout. Currently, Shopify only allows one default package size across all products, causing significant issues for stores with varying product dimensions.

Core Problem:

  • Stores with products of different sizes face inaccurate shipping calculations
  • Merchants often lose money when customers order multiple items requiring separate boxes
  • Some report losses of $20-70+ per order due to undercharged shipping

Shopify’s Response:

  • Official support acknowledges the limitation and states it’s “on their radar”
  • Recommends third-party apps like Boxify, Parcelify, or Bespoke Shipping ($15-20/month)
  • No native solution has been implemented despite years of requests

Workarounds Discussed:

  • Manually calculating dimensional weight and adjusting product weights
  • Creating oversized “fake” boxes (reported as ineffective)
  • Using paid apps like Bespoke Shipping or Boxify (multiple users confirm these work)
  • Assigning boxes to shipping profiles (suggested but unconfirmed)

Community Sentiment:

  • Widespread frustration over this missing basic e-commerce feature
  • Many consider switching platforms
  • Criticism that Shopify profits from app subscriptions rather than building native functionality

The discussion remains unresolved with no official timeline for a built-in solution.

Summarized with AI on October 31. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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I am helping the family set up a store website outside of Etsy. They arrived at trying Shopify. Etsy has the feature to calculate shipping based on size and weight. Sometimes the pricing may be off a bit, but the family ships ceramic items that range from a few ounces to 7 pounds. Shipping an 18" ceramic Christmas tree and having to eat a 20+ dollar shipping fee plus website transaction fees make it hard to justify in their eyes and they are starting to think of sticking with Etsy for this reason, especially when Shopify’s official position is “Pay a 3rd party app another $20 or more based on how many items you sell.” Will it ever be possible to assign boxes to products? Seemings that this problem and want from customers has been “on their radar” for 3 years I was wondering how far into development this may be.

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