This article discusses an essential technology provided by Shopify: third-party carrier-calculated shipping rates, also known as Carrier Service.
Carrier Service plays an important role when using our Shopify app, Packrooster Shipping, as it allows you to display shipping methods set up and configured directly in Packrooster at your Shopify store's checkout. With the help of Carrier Service, you can also provide dynamic pickup points from the carrier to your customers, allowing them to select their preferred pickup point for their shipment.
"How can I get carrier service?"
A great question! Starting from January 1, 2023, Carrier Service can be installed on Shopify, Advanced, and Shopify Plus plans. If your store is on a Shopify plan, you can access Carrier Service by switching your Shopify plan to annual billing or by requesting the Carrier Service from Shopify for an additional monthly fee. You'll also need to contact Shopify support to activate Carrier Service, which can be done via email or chat. For Advanced and Shopify Plus plans, Carrier Service is automatically included.
"What if I am on Shopify Basic plan and can not get carrier service?"
No worries! Even on the Shopify Basic plan, you can still create your shipping methods in Shopify and connect them to carriers in Packrooster. For example, if you have a shipping method like "DHL Express" in Shopify and connect it to the "DHL Express - Worldwide" shipping method in Packrooster, Packrooster will automatically use this shipping method when processing the order. You can, of course, modify the shipping method before fulfillment.
So, without Carrier Service, there are a couple of things you can't do: you can't display dynamic pickup points at the checkout, and you can only use order price and weight as filters in your shipping methods, as those are provided by Shopify. Nevertheless, Packrooster Shipping will still significantly streamline your order processing, making it more efficient.
Our friendly customer service is here to help if you have questions regarding carrier service or anything else with our Shopify apps! You can find our contact information over here.