Hi, Can someone guide me on how locations and custom fulfillment center works in shopify basic plan. Please guide me on the following. Any leads would be appreciated.
We have a use-case:
There are 10 Locations(Addresses). Each location is meant to fulfill a bunch of its own products.
Now there is custom fulfillment center which can be selected per product. An email ID can be assigned to each CFC but the address is by default the store location(which we want to assign to one of the 10 locations per product but this option is no where to be seen).
Basically, We need to have an address and an email ID(that will receive order notifications) to be able to set per product.
Please comment your thoughts or any leads. Thanks in advance!
Locations = manage inventory + address, but no separate email notifications.
Custom Fulfillment = lets you send order emails per product, but always uses the store’s main address.
Shopify doesn’t natively support both a unique address and email per product.
Workarounds: set up multiple Custom Fulfillment services (different emails) or use an app/workflow to route orders to the right location.
The difference between Shopify Locations and Custom Fulfillment Centers (CFCs) can be confusing, especially on the Basic plan. Let me break it down for you:
1. Shopify Locations
Each Location in Shopify has its own address and inventory tracking.
Locations can be warehouses, retail stores, or dropshippers.
When you assign inventory to a location, Shopify knows where stock lives and routes orders accordingly.
Orders will split automatically if products come from multiple locations.
You can have multiple locations on the Basic plan, but they are mostly about inventory + fulfillment operations, not per-product email notifications.
2. Custom Fulfillment Centers (CFCs)
A Custom Fulfillment Center is basically a manual dropshipping integration you assign certain products to a “custom fulfillment service.”
Each CFC is tied to an email address only, not a physical address.
When an order contains a product linked to a CFC, Shopify sends an order notification email to that email address.
The physical address is still shown as your main store address, because Shopify doesn’t allow per-product address customization for CFCs.
3. Your Use Case (10 locations, each fulfilling its own products)
If you want both an address and email tied to each product, Shopify’s current setup won’t do this natively:
Locations give you addresses but no per-location order notification email.
CFCs give you emails but not addresses.
4. Possible Workarounds
Option A: Use Locations as intended (addresses + inventory), and then add Staff Accounts or automation to send order notifications to the right email address per location. (Apps like OrderlyPrint, Mechanic, or Flow can route notifications).
Option B: If addresses are not critical but email routing is, stick with CFCs per product.
Option C: Use a hybrid approach: assign inventory to the correct Location (for addresses + stock tracking) and set up an automation app to send order notification emails to the correct location email.
Meanwile, kindly Note: Shopify doesn’t support assigning both a unique address and email per product out of the box on the Basic plan. You’ll need to use Locations for addresses/inventory and supplement with notifications routing via apps or custom automation for emails.
Shopify doesn’t natively support both a unique address and email per product.