Connect your Shopify store to FreightExchange to show live freight rates at checkout and import paid orders to the Quote page for booking, labels and tracking. Your customers see their final delivery price and pay in Shopify.
You will work in two places: your Shopify admin and the FreightExchange portal. Every step tells you where to be.
In this article
- How it works
- Getting started
- Connect your store
- Set up your shipping
- Optional extras
- Check your setup
- Quick reference
- Troubleshooting
1. How it works
1.1 At the checkout
- Rates are calculated using the pickup address in your Shopify store, the delivery address provided by the shopper, and every item in the cart.
- Each SKU is matched to your Standard Packaging to get its cartons, sizes and weights.
- All items are quoted together as one consignment with the carriers on your account, including any Bring Your Own (BYO) carrier accounts.
- Your Workflow Rules choose which options to show: cheapest, fastest, depot collect and click and collect.
- Your Sales Rates set what the customer pays, for example a margin or free delivery.
- The delivery options appear at checkout and the customer pays in Shopify.
1.2 After ordering
| Step | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shopify | The customer checks out |
| 2 | FreightExchange | The order appears on the Quote page with all order & shipping details completed |
| 3 | FreightExchange | Check or edit the quote, confirm it and make a booking. If you use a FreightExchange network carrier, FreightExchange requests payment at this stage. |
| 4 | FreightExchange | Print Shipping Labels from the Book page. |
| 5 | FreightExchange | Book a pickup and close your manifest. |
| 6 | FreightExchange | Branded Tracking emails are sent to your customer automatically. NB: tracking numbers are not written back to the Shopify order. |
2. Getting started
2.1 In Shopify: get your store ready
- Make sure you have admin access to your Shopify store.
- Ask Shopify support to turn on Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping for your plan.
Without it, the app installs and imports orders, but rates will not show at checkout. - Go to Settings > Locations and add your store address as a location.
2.2 In FreightExchange: add the eCommerce Plugin
The Shopify integration is a paid add on. See FreightExchange pricing.
- Log in or sign up
- Click Subscriptions on the top menu bar and add the eCommerce Plugin. See How to Subscribe to FreightExchange for more details.
3. Connect your store
You start in FreightExchange and finish in Shopify.
| Step | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreightExchange | Go to Apps > Systems Integrations from the menu in the top right corner. |
| 2 | FreightExchange | Click + Add New, choose Shopify and click Connect. This opens the FreightExchange app in the Shopify App Store. |
| 3 | Shopify | Click Add App and follow the steps to install it. |
| 4 | FreightExchange | You return here. Shopify shows as connected with your store name. |
4. Set up your shipping
4.1 In FreightExchange: set your default pickup and delivery options
Go to Apps > Systems Integrations and click Configure.
| Setting | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Name and URL | Your Shopify store name and URL. |
| Pickup location type | Factory/Warehouse, Residential or Carrier Depot. |
| Pickup opening and closing time | The window when carriers can collect. |
| Pickup Tail Lift | Turn on if you cannot load heavy freight without a tail lift. Fees apply. |
| Delivery location type | Choose Residential if most orders go to homes, so residential fees are included. |
| Delivery opening and closing time | Standard is 9am to 5pm. |
| Authority to Leave or Signature Required | Set your default delivery type. |
| Delivery Tail Lift | Turn on if deliveries always need a tail lift. Additional fees are added automatically. |
4.2 In FreightExchange: set up your Standard Packaging
FreightExchange rates each order from the items in it. Add one entry per carton under Settings > Packaging.
The Packaging ID must match the Shopify SKU.
| Your product | What to set up |
|---|---|
| Ships in one carton | One Standard Packaging entry with the same ID as the SKU. Delete any packagingids metafield on that product in Shopify. |
| Ships in more than one carton | One entry per carton, for example MAIN-1 and MAIN-2. Then complete step 4.3 in Shopify. |
| Optional products and accessories | Give each its own SKU and Standard Packaging entry. Its carton is added when it is in the cart. |
| Has variants | One entry for each variant SKU, even when variants are the same size. |
See How To Set Up Your Standard Packaging. You can also add your Products. See How To Configure Your Products in FreightExchange.
4.3 In Shopify: link products that ship in more than one carton
Skip this step if every product ships in one carton.
- Go to Settings > Metafields and metaobjects and add a product metafield called packagingids.
- Open each product that ships in more than one carton.
- In packagingids, list one Packaging ID per carton, separated by commas with no spaces.
Example:MAIN-1,MAIN-2
4.4 In FreightExchange: choose which carriers show at checkout
Configure Workflow Rules under Settings > Rules with your preferred carriers and shipping rules.
Rules set which options your customers see: cheapest, fastest, depot collect and click and collect.
5. Optional extras
5.1 In FreightExchange: use your Bring Your Own (BYO) carrier accounts
To ship on your own carrier accounts, configure them under Carriers & Accounts.
- Each carrier uses API-Based Rates or a Manual Upload rate card.
- Each carrier needs its own BYO Carrier add on.
See Get Started with BYO Carrier Accounts.
5.2 In FreightExchange: set what your customers pay
Configure Sales Rates to set customer prices. You can:
- Add a margin to your freight cost
- Offer free delivery to selected postcodes
- Charge for optional products
- Set charges for regional and remote areas
Sales Rates need BYO rate management, which comes with a BYO Carrier add on. You can configure shipping rates in Shopify instead.
5.3 Ship from more than one warehouse
In FreightExchange
- Add each warehouse to your Address Book.
- Note the Address ID of each warehouse.
In Shopify
- Go to Settings > Metafields and metaobjects and add a product metafield called originAddressId.
- On each product, enter the FreightExchange Address ID of the warehouse that ships it.
- If variants ship from different warehouses, set it at variant level.
6. Check your setup
| Step | Where | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreightExchange | Go to Apps > Systems Integrations. Your store shows as connected. |
| 2 | Shopify store | Add products to a cart and enter a delivery address at checkout. FreightExchange rates show on the next screen. |
| 3 | Shopify store | Place a test order. |
| 4 | FreightExchange | The test order appears on the Quote page with all details filled in. |
7. Quick reference: where to find everything
In your Shopify admin
| Where | What you control there |
|---|---|
| Settings > Locations | Your ship from address |
| Settings > Metafields and metaobjects | The packagingids and originAddressId product metafields |
| Products | Product SKUs and metafield values |
In the FreightExchange portal
| Where | What you control there |
|---|---|
| Apps > Systems Integrations | Connect your store and set your default pickup and delivery options |
| Settings > Packaging | The cartons for each product SKU |
| Settings > Products | Your product details |
| Settings > Rules | Which carriers and options show at checkout |
| Carriers & Accounts | Your BYO carrier accounts and rate cards |
| Sales Rates | What your customers pay |
| Address Book | Your warehouses and their Address IDs |
| Quote page | Imported orders, ready to book |
8. Troubleshooting
| Problem | Where to fix it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Error when connecting, or no rates at checkout | Shopify | Ask Shopify support to confirm Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping is on. |
| Another shipping app is installed | Shopify | Turn it off. Only FreightExchange can return freight rates at checkout. |
| Rates look too high | Both | Check your tax settings, product dimensions in Settings > Packaging and any Shopify handling fees. |
| Wrong carton count | Both | In Shopify, check packagingids uses commas and no spaces. In FreightExchange, check every ID exists under Settings > Packaging. |
| Wrong pickup warehouse | Both | In Shopify, check the product's originAddressId. In FreightExchange, check it matches your Address Book. |
Need help?
See the Shipping Plugin FAQs or contact FreightExchange Support.
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