What is a Shopify Shipping Zone? Demystifying Shopify Shipping Zones: Your Guide to Smooth Deliveries
GENERAL
ADVANCED SHIPPING SETTINGS
SHIPPING PROFILE & ZONES
SHIPPING RULE/RATE SETUP
SHIPPING RULE/RATE SETUP USING CARRIER RATES INTEGRATION
SHIPPING RULES IMPORT/EXPORT FUNCTIONALITY
MERGING MULTIPLE SHIPPING RULES
PRODUCT DIMENSIONS SETUP
HISTORY/AUDIT TRAIL
COMMON ISSUES & FAQs
What is a Shopify Shipping Zone? Demystifying Shopify Shipping Zones: Your Guide to Smooth Deliveries
Ever wondered how to make sure your handcrafted candles reach both your neighbor down the street and that enthusiastic customer in Europe without breaking the bank? Enter Shopify shipping zones – your secret weapon for organized, cost-effective shipping!
Your Shipping Zone Roadmap
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover:
- What shipping zones are and why they’re crucial for your Shopify store
- How to create and set up shipping zones in your Shopify admin
- Tips for organizing your shipping zones effectively
- Step-by-step instructions for adding and modifying shipping zones
- How to sync your shipping zones with the Shop Doctors app
- Best practices for managing your shipping strategy
What's a Shipping Zone, Anyway?
Think of a shipping zone as a VIP club for countries or regions that get the same shipping treatment. It’s like creating a guest list for your products’ journey, where everyone on the list pays the same cover charge to get in.
For example, if you’re shipping from your cozy workshop in Toronto, you might set up zones like this:
- A zone for Canada with a flat rate
- A zone for the US with a slightly higher rate
- A zone for all of Europe with a unified rate
Alternatively, you could have:
- A zone for North America (Canada, US, and Mexico) with one rate
- A zone for Europe with a different rate
Remember, each country can only be in one zone at a time within a shipping profile. So you can’t have both a US-specific zone and a North America zone that includes the US in the same profile.
Creating Your Shipping Zone VIP List
Ready to set up your shipping zones? Here’s how:
- Log into your Shopify admin and navigate to Settings > Shipping and delivery.
- In the Shipping section, click on the General Shipping Profile (avoid creating Custom profiles, we have explained this in another article) to add zones to.
- Next to the group of locations or single location where you want to add a zone, click “Create zone”.
If you don’t see the “Create zone” link for the shop or warehouse location, first click the “Add rates” link.
- Give your zone a snazzy name (like “Candle Enthusiasts of Europe” or “North American Fragrance Fans”).
- Select the countries and regions you want in this zone. (Pro tip: You can select multiple countries at once for zones like the EU or North America!)
- Click “Done“.
- Add ShopDoctors Shipping Rates as a carrier to be a rates provider (required if ShopDoctors carrier was registered before defining zone)
- Click “Add rate”
- Select “Use carrier or app to calculate rates” option for “Rate type” on “Add rate” form
- Select “ShopDoctors Shipping Rates” option and enable “Automatically show new shipping services to customers when they become available” option. Leave rest as is. Click the “Done” button.
Tweaking Your Guest List
Need to modify your zones? No problem!
- Go back to Settings > Shipping and delivery.
- Click on the General Shipping Profile you want to edit.
- Find the zone you want to change and click the “…” button next to it.
- Select “Edit zone” from the drop-down menu.
- Make your changes, click “Done“, and then “Save“.
Remember, each country can only be in one zone at a time within a group of locations. If you need to move a country to a new zone, you’ll need to remove it from its current zone first.
The Final Touch: Sync with Our App
Here’s the key: Once you’ve set up or modified your shipping zones, don’t forget to sync these changes with our app. This ensures that all your carefully crafted shipping rules are in perfect harmony across your Shopify store and our app.
By keeping your shipping zones up-to-date and synced, you’re ensuring smooth sailing (or should we say, smooth shipping?) for all your products, no matter where they’re headed – be it across town or across continents.
Happy zoning, and may all your shipments be swift and profitable!