Backup shipping rates

If your shipping rates are calculated by a third-party service, such as a shipping carrier or shipping app, then occasionally the third party service can experience downtime or can't display shipping rates fast enough. When all app or carrier-calculated rates for a shipment fail and no other eligible shipping rate is available, your backup shipping rates are displayed instead.

This lets your customers check out and complete their purchase, instead of abandoning checkout due to unavailable shipping rates.

Backup shipping rates apply to your whole store by default wherever you have app or carrier-calculated rates and you don't need to set up backup rates.

Considerations for backup shipping rates

Review the following considerations for using backup shipping rates:

• Backup shipping rates are available only when you have at least one app or carrier-calculated rate, because they exist to cover those rates when they fail.
• Backup shipping rates are used only when all app or carrier-calculated rates for a shipment fail and no other eligible shipping rate is available. If any other shipping rate applies to the shipment, then that rate is displayed instead of a backup shipping rate.
• To reduce reliance on automatic backup shipping rates, add flat shipping rates that cover the destinations and shipment conditions where you use app or carrier-calculated rates. Flat rates are always displayed when they're eligible, even when app or carrier-calculated rates are working.

Shopify-powered backup shipping rates

To ensure your backup rates are accurate and complete, the Shopify-powered backup shipping rates include Shopify-supported carriers as well as country-specific backup rates.

Shopify-supported carrier backup shipping rates

The rates that are displayed as backup shipping rates depend on the shipping destination. In shipping zones where Shopify-supported carriers are available, those carrier rates are displayed as backup shipping rates at checkout. You can calculate and preview shipping rates by using the shipping calculator. You can purchase the corresponding label through Shopify.

Backup rates work for the following Shopify-supported carriers by default and display the most economical service available in a given context at checkout.

Learn more about how to purchase a shipping label.

Country-specific backup shipping rates

In shipping zones where shipping label rates aren't available, country-specific rates are displayed as your backup shipping rates.

The following criteria can determine which backup rates are displayed at your checkout:

• Your fulfillment location's address and priority
• Your customer's shipping address
• The default currency of your store
• The item weight
• The total order value

Country-specific backup rates are based on historical data with the goal to provide accurate rates at checkout.

Legacy custom backup shipping rates

If your store uses custom backup rates with order value or item weight conditions, then you can continue using these backup rates.

You can update your existing custom backup rates, or switch to Shopify default backup rates at any time.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping section, click the shipping profile that contains the backup rate that you want to update.

3. In the relevant shipping zone section, click for the app or carrier-calculated rate that has a backup rate.

4. Click Edit backup rate.

5. Choose which rate to display to customers when there's an issue with third-party rates:

   • Use Shopify default backup rates: These rates are either shipping label rates or country-specific rates, depending on the shipping zone.
   • Define custom backup rates by order value: Update your conditions based on order value.
   • Define custom backup rates by item weight: Update your conditions based on item weight.

6. Click Done.

7. Click Save.