Updating variant shipping rates based on variant title

Shopify Plus

Topic summary

A user is seeking help to replicate functionality from a third-party app that automatically adjusts shipping rates based on variant titles. Currently, when a variant title contains “express,” the app assigns express shipping; otherwise, it defaults to standard shipping.

Current Challenge:

  • Shopify Flow lacks a native “Variant Changed” trigger
  • The user believes this functionality should be built into Shopify by default

Proposed Solution:

  • Use Flow’s “Product Variant Added” trigger (or a partner app connector if available)
  • Leverage the Send Admin API Request action to modify shipping profiles
  • Implement the deliveryProfileUpdate mutation (GraphQL Admin API 2024-10) to change product associations within shipping profiles
  • Focus on the variantsToAssociate and variantsToDisassociate fields to update which variants belong to specific shipping profiles

Note: This action was recently launched at Summer Editions. The solution requires updating the entire shipping profile’s product list rather than individual variant settings.

Summarized with AI on November 8. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi all!

I kinda need some help. At the moment i am using an APP that gets triggered every time i update a variant and checks if in the variant title is present the word “express” and it dynamically changes the shipping rate accordingly. If it is present sets the variant to “express” shipping otherwise it sets it to the “standard” one.

Besides the fact that i feel that something like this should be already in Shopify by default, do you guys know how to make it happen with Flow?

Thanks!

Riccardo

2

Hi @COEFFORT ,

Flow doesn’t yet offer a trigger for a generic Variant Changed event, but assuming one is available from a Partner app’s connector or you can use something like the Product Variant Added trigger, the actions to make those changes are available.

It should be possible to change the shipping profile using the Send Admin API Request action that was launched today at Summer Editions. You’ll need to use the deliveryProfileUpdate mutation to change the list of products in the specified shipping profile. Keep in mind, this allows for updating the whole profile. You’ll want to focus on the variantsToAssociate and variantsToDissociate fields.

Hope that helps!