Shopify has removed the built-in commercial invoice generation feature, creating challenges for merchants shipping internationally. These invoices are essential for customs clearance, and their absence forces sellers to seek third-party solutions.
Current workarounds:
Use shipping platforms like Shippo that include commercial invoice generation
Install dedicated Shopify apps such as Sufio or Customs Buddy
Key concerns raised:
Merchants may abandon Shopify’s shipping services entirely, costing the platform revenue
The change adds complexity and forces reliance on additional paid apps
Sufio: Offers professional invoices with custom workflows
Customs Buddy: Specialized commercial invoice app with a free plan, operating since 2021
The issue remains unresolved by Shopify, with no indication if the native feature will return. Merchants must currently rely on third-party apps to maintain international shipping compliance.
Summarized with AI on October 27.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
I ship to international customers and most of the time, the shipment will require a simple commercial invoice so it is reviewed and released in customs clearance. Shopify no longer has an option to generate a simple commercial invoice. Will this be reinstated into the platform? This is quite frustrating and I think the only way to do this is to use an app like Shippo to do the shipping since they do generate a commercial invoice. I can see this being bad for Shopify since they will loose out on any shipping fees generated since we will be using Shippo for the fact that in has an option to generate a commercial invoice. Anyone else struggling with this? I feel like Shopify keeps complicating things and forcing us to use apps instead of simplifying the user experience for their clients.
I understand your frustration caused by the inability to generate commercial invoices directly in your Shopify admin. A possible solution for you is Sufio: Professional Invoices. Sufio not only understands the requirements of commercial invoices but also allows you to set up a custom workflow, which will ensure that Sufio only creates documents for orders that need them. This can help you reduce costs associated with additional apps and subscriptions.
I see why this change can frustrate you. On the surface, a commercial invoice looks like a simple task.
And a universal tool like Shopify should include this functionality in the standard package.
In reality, small nuances make this way more complicated:
Support for licensed goods;
EORI, IOSS, MID, REX numbers;
Returns;
Multiple apps on the app store can solve this problem to some extent: Shippo, Sufio, etc.
Some apps will try to sell you a complete solution, including shipment, or integrate you with 3PL.
But if you just need a valid commercial invoice and want to stay in complete control of your fulfillment process, then you should use our app, Customs Buddy.
