Documentation Introduction Build your first rate

Getting started with your first rate

In this guide we will show you how to set up a simple shipping rate, how to test it, and how it should look at checkout.

Please keep in mind, this is a real shipping rate that will show to your customers. Be careful if you are testing on a live shop.

Basic setup

First, we need to go through some basic setup.

1. Go ahead and install Parcelify if you haven’t already
2. Open our app. You can find it in your Shopify admin dashboard, under Apps, listed as Shipping Rates by Parcelify
3. Add a Location. This is where your products ship from
4. Select your newly added Location and click [Add Shipping Zone]
5. Give this zone a recognizable name, then click [Add Countries] to tell us where you ship to.
6. Click [Save] in the top-right

Now let’s build your rate!

Free shipping over $50

This example will follow one of the most common uses for Parcelify: providing a free shipping rate when the order total exceeds a certain amount. The fact this setup is popular comes as no surprise: choosing to offer free shipping to customers who order more products can drastically increase average cart value without necessarily increasing shipping costs.

Let’s build a rate that offers free shipping for orders over $50.

1. After setup you should be on your shipping Zones page. Go ahead and click [Add shipping rates]
2. At the top of the page you will see the current Location and Zone this rate will be created in
3. Give the rate a helpful name and description. This is what your customers will actually see at checkout, along with the shipping price
4. Since we want to restrict the value of this order to a minimum of $50, go ahead and click Add value restrictions
5. Two new text fields will appear. Enter 50 into the minimum value field, then enter an arbitrarily high number into the maximum value field (999999, for example)
6. Prices let you design how the shipping cost for a rate should be calculated. Every new rate starts with a flat, free price by default so we’ll simply use that
7. Click [Save] at the top of the rate. You’re all set!

Testing at checkout

After adding or editing a rate we recommend always performing a test checkout to make sure everything is working to your satisfaction. You’ll get peace of mind knowing your rate is showing as expected, and you’ll catch any issues (like a misspelling or a misplaced decimal) well before it can affect your customers.

Exactly what kind of test you do should be based on how you’ve built your shipping rate. In this example you would perform two tests:

Test one: orders under $50

1. Head to your shop and add an item that less than your free shipping amount
2. Checkout this cart with an address that matches the zone you set up earlier
3. See that the shipping rate does not show

Test two: orders over $50

1. Go back to the cart or catalogue page and proceed to add items until the cart total exceeds your free shipping amount
2. Checkout this cart with an address that matches the zone you set up earlier
3. See your shipping rate at checkout. Awesome!

That’s all there is to it. From here you can continue customizing this rate, check out our tutorials, head back to our home page, or continue reading to see how to set up a promotional rate when a specific product is in the cart: