Local Pick up without revealing pickup address

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Core Issue:
Shopify merchants want to offer local pickup without displaying their personal home address before customers complete checkout. The current system requires a full address to be visible during the shipping selection process, creating privacy and security concerns for home-based businesses.

Main Concerns:

  • Customers can see pickup addresses before payment, which is problematic for home-based sellers
  • Free/low-cost pickup options are being exploited by customers seeking free shipping
  • Standard shipping notifications incorrectly state orders are “shipped” rather than “ready for pickup”
  • No ability to customize pickup location per order (some sellers use multiple meeting spots like police stations or fire houses)

Proposed Workarounds:

  • Flat rate shipping: Create a $0 shipping option labeled “Pick up - [City name]” (official Shopify suggestion, but widely criticized as inadequate)
  • Custom notification editing: Modify Shopify’s shipping confirmation template using Liquid code to detect local pickup and change messaging
  • Discount code detection: Use code snippets to identify pickup orders and display appropriate instructions

Status:
This remains an unresolved, ongoing issue spanning multiple years (2021-2022+ based on timestamps). Users express frustration that this basic privacy feature hasn’t been implemented despite repeated requests. Technical users have shared code workarounds, but no native Shopify solution exists.

Summarized with AI on October 25. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
5

Hi Rose,

your suggestion is not really helpful - I used to do this and you wouldn’t believe the number of people who try to sneak in ‘free shipping’ - which then requires follow-up and chasing up the cost of shipping. I also tried adding a complicated discount code for free pick-up, and still had people telling me they “accidentally” entered that code. I think it would be good to have the option of not revealing the address until after payment. I really can’t see why that is not possible.

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