Shopify shipping is moving to Markets: what's changing and when

If you've set up shipping on Shopify in the last few years, you know the drill: shipping profiles, location groups, shipping zones, then rates inside each zone. That setup is on its way out.

Shopify is moving shipping into Markets. Its Help Center calls the new system "shipping options by market". The developer docs call it "market-driven shipping". Same thing, two names. I'll call it market-based shipping here because that's how most merchants are describing it.

This guide covers what's changing, what isn't, and when it's likely to hit your store. Everything below is from Shopify's own docs (linked throughout and listed at the end). Where Shopify hasn't said something clearly, I've said so rather than guess.

The short version

Shipping settings move from Settings > Shipping and delivery (profiles and zones) to Markets (shipping options per market).
From 1 October 2026, Shopify begins moving stores to the new system. It's gradual, not a single switch-over day.
Shopify's target is for every store to be on it by 1 July 2027. Shopify says these dates are targets and may shift. (Shopify dev docs: upgrade guide)
When your store is upgraded, your existing rates are migrated for you. Shopify says most merchants won't need to take any action. (Shopify Help Center)
Stores that use shipping apps might be upgraded later, once those apps are compatible.
Live rates at checkout from carriers and shipping apps are still a supported rate type in the new system.

What's actually changing

Where you set up shipping

Today, you set up shipping in shipping profiles under Settings > Shipping and delivery. After the upgrade, you set it up in Markets, inside each market you sell to. (Shopify Help Center)

Shopify's developer docs sum up the structural change like this:

| Today | After the upgrade | |---|---| | Delivery profile → Location group → Shipping zone → Shipping rates | Market → Shipping options → Rate variations by product and location |

Source: Shopify dev docs: feature preview

For most Australian stores that only ship domestically, that means one Australia market holding your shipping options, such as Standard and Express.

How products and locations are handled

Instead of creating a separate shipping profile for, say, bulky items, each rate gets conditions:

Product conditions: a rate applies to all products or to specific collections.
Location conditions: a rate applies to orders shipping from specific locations ("Ships from").

When your store is upgraded, Shopify turns your existing profile groupings into collections with a [Shipping] prefix, for example "[Shipping] Fragile". They're unpublished, so customers won't see them. Don't delete them, because your rates depend on them. (Shopify Help Center)

How rates combine at checkout

This is the one that affects what customers pay, so it's worth reading twice.

Today: when a cart matches more than one rate (for example, products from two profiles), the rates are added together.
After the upgrade: when a cart matches more than one rate inside the same shipping option, the customer pays the highest matching rate, not the sum. If a cart matches more than one shipping option, those options are still added together.

During the upgrade, rates that share the same shipping option name are consolidated into one option automatically. (Shopify Help Center)

One nuance: Shopify says only flat and order-amount rates can have more than one rate inside an option. Weight-based and carrier- or app-calculated options have a single rate, and are calculated per shipment and added together if an order splits. (Shopify Help Center: understanding shipping options by market)

Split shipping gets switched on

Split shipping is turned on for every upgraded store, including stores that had it off. If an order is expected to ship in more than one shipment, checkout shows the customer how many (for example "Arrives in 2 shipments"). (Shopify Help Center)

Staff need the Markets permission

Because shipping now lives in Markets, staff who manage shipping need the Markets permission. Shopify notes it isn't granted automatically and isn't included in existing staff roles. This one will catch people out. (Shopify Help Center)

What isn't changing (or not much)

Your rates. Shopify migrates your setup for you. You don't rebuild it from scratch.
Live rates at checkout. "Carrier or app calculated" is one of the rate types you can add to a market, and rates provided by shipping apps show up in your market's shipping options, where you can switch them on or off. (Shopify Help Center)
Settings > Shipping and delivery doesn't disappear. It's still where you check which system your store is on, opt in early, or switch back during the opt-out window.

The timeline

| When | What happens | Source | |---|---|---| | 26 Jun 2026 | Shopify announces that, from API version 2026-10, apps that create a carrier service (live checkout rates) no longer have it added to your shipping automatically | Shopify changelog | | 1 Jul 2026 | Feature preview opens for app developers on development stores | Shopify changelog | | 24 Aug 2026 | Shopify publishes its merchant announcement | Shopify blog | | 1 Oct 2026 | Rollout begins. Opt-in opens, and Shopify begins moving new and eligible existing stores | Shopify blog, upgrade guide | | 1 Jul 2027 | Target date for all stores to be on the new system | same |

Shopify is clear that these dates are targets and may shift. As of today (25 Sep 2026), the Help Center labels shipping options by market as early access, available only to certain stores.

How to tell which system your store is on

Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery in your Shopify admin:

If you see shipping profiles with zones and rates, you're on the current system.
If you see a Shipping options section organised by market, you've been upgraded.

If early access is available for your store, you'll see a Get early access option on the same page. (Shopify Help Center)

Where apps fit in

This is the bit I spend most of my time on, because I build a shipping app.

Shopify's developer guide splits apps into groups. Apps that read, create or modify your shipping profiles (the merchant's own profiles and zones) have to be updated. Apps that only look after their own rates don't need to change. (Shopify dev docs: upgrade guide)

Two things protect you here:

Shopify says it won't automatically move stores onto the new system until their apps are confirmed compatible. The Help Center puts it as: stores that use shipping apps might be upgraded later, after those apps become compatible.
If an installed app isn't compatible, a banner on your Shipping and delivery settings page tells you.

The catch: if you opt in early yourself while an app you rely on isn't ready, Shopify warns its rates might not show at checkout, which can stop customers completing their order.

I've written a separate post on this: Will my Shopify shipping app still work after the move to Markets?

Heads-up: some instructions will go out of date

A lot of help articles, YouTube videos, app setup guides and even error messages tell you to go to "Settings > Shipping and delivery" and edit a zone or profile. Once your store is upgraded, that's not where your rates live any more. You'll find them in Markets > [your market] > Shipping.

If something you're following doesn't match what's on your screen, check which system your store is on first. It'll save you twenty minutes of clicking around.

If something goes wrong after the upgrade

Shopify's Help Center lists a few options (source):

Switch back to shipping profiles during your opt-out window, from Settings > Shipping and delivery. Switching back restores your old setup and permanently removes any shipping changes you made after the upgrade. Once the window closes, you can't switch back. Shopify doesn't state how long the window is, so check the date shown in your admin.
Edit your rates in Markets to fix them in the new system.
Contact Shopify Support.

What I'd do now

Check which system your store is on.
Screenshot your current shipping profiles, zones and rates so you have a record of "before".
Check your staff have the Markets permission.
Make a list of every app that touches shipping, and check each one's compatibility.
When you're upgraded, run test checkouts before you do anything else.

I've put the full version of that list, written for Australian stores, in the checklist post linked below.

FAQ

When will my Shopify store move to shipping options by market? From 1 October 2026, Shopify begins moving stores to the new system, with a target of every store on it by 1 July 2027. It's gradual, so there's no single date for everyone, and Shopify says the dates may shift. Stores that use shipping apps may be upgraded later, once those apps are compatible.

Do I have to rebuild my shipping rates? No. Shopify says your existing setup is migrated for you and most merchants don't need to take any action. You should still check the result and run test checkouts.

Where do I edit shipping after the upgrade? In Markets. Open the market (for example Australia), then Shipping. Settings > Shipping and delivery is still there for things like checking which system you're on, early access and switching back.

Will customers pay different shipping amounts? Possibly, if a cart used to match several rates that were added together. After the upgrade, only the highest matching rate inside a shipping option is charged. Weight-based and carrier- or app-calculated rates are still calculated per shipment.

Can I go back to shipping profiles? During an opt-out window after your store is upgraded, yes. Switching back removes any shipping changes you made after the upgrade. Shopify doesn't publish a fixed length for the window.

Will my live-rate shipping app keep working? Carrier- or app-calculated rates are a supported rate type in the new system. Check that your app is marked compatible and that its rates are switched on in your market. More detail in our app compatibility post.

Sources

Shopify Help Center, "Upgrading from shipping profiles to shipping options by market": https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-options/whats-changing-with-shipping
Shopify Help Center, "Understanding shipping options by market": https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-options/understanding-shipping-options-by-market
Shopify Help Center, "Shipping options by market": https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-options
Shopify, "Shopify's new fulfillment: How to prepare for what's coming in 2027" (24 Aug 2026): https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/shopify-fulfillment-2027
Shopify dev docs, "Upgrade your app for market-driven shipping": https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/orders-fulfillment/market-driven-shipping/upgrade-your-app
Shopify dev docs, "Feature preview for market-driven shipping": https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/orders-fulfillment/market-driven-shipping/feature-preview
Shopify changelog, "Market-driven shipping now available in feature preview" (1 Jul 2026): https://shopify.dev/changelog/market-driven-shipping-now-available-in-feature-preview
Shopify changelog, "Carrier services will no longer be automatically added to the default shipping profile" (26 Jun 2026): https://shopify.dev/changelog/carrier-services-will-no-longer-be-automatically-added-to-the-default-shipping-profile

Dave Granfield is the founder of Pack to the Future, a Shopify shipping app for Australian merchants, based on the Gold Coast. Pack provides live carrier-calculated rates at checkout, so it keeps working across markets. We'll be testing Pack on Shopify's new Markets shipping before stores migrate, and managing shipping settings from within Markets is on our roadmap. Got a question about your own setup? Get in touch and I'll do my best to help.