Shopify back up rates

Occasionally the connection between Shopify, Australia Post, or third-party shipping apps like Addition can time out. When this happens, customers may not see live shipping rates at checkout.

To prevent abandoned carts, Shopify introduced Backup Shipping Rates (January 2023) as a safeguard.

How Backup Shipping Rates Work

• If a shipping app doesn’t respond within 10 seconds, Shopify will display a backup shipping rate so the customer can continue checkout.

  Backup rates are tied to your delivery profiles and shipping zones. They can be:

  • A default Shopify-powered rate, or
  • A custom backup rate you set up yourself.
• When a backup rate is used to complete an order, you’ll see a banner on the Shopify order page letting you know.

Managing Backup Rates

You manage backup rates directly within Shopify (not Addition):

1. Go to Shopify Settings > Shipping & Delivery.
2. Open the General profile (or a custom profile where Addition is active).
3. Next to the Addition app, click the three dots and select Edit backup rate.
4. From here you can customise rates based on weight or cart total.

Important to Know

• Backup rates only appear to customers when live rates fail to load.
• They’re meant as a fallback, not a replacement for live carrier quotes.
• If you have questions about how backup rates are applied, please reach out to Shopify Support.

For more information, see Shopify’s official guide: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-rates/backup-rates#customize-backup-shipping-rates