Articles on: Order editing

Let customers change their shipping method

Customers can upgrade to faster delivery, or drop to a cheaper one, after they buy. Turn it on under Features → Address and shipping edits. Costs and taxes can update automatically. Shipping rules let you hide options you cannot honour, so nobody picks next-day to somewhere you cannot reach.

What this does

Delivery needs change after checkout. Someone needs it sooner, or wants to pay less. Without this, they email you and someone edits the order by hand.

Turn it on

Go to Features → Address and shipping edits.
Find Shipping and taxes.
Turn on Let customers choose a different shipping method.
Select Save.

Keep the money right

Four settings decide what follows a change:

Update the shipping cost when the address changes — Recalculates shipping when someone moves the parcel
Update the shipping cost when items change — Recalculates when items are added, removed or updated
Update taxes after an order is edited — Tax follows the new address or items
Let customers choose a shipping method for each shipment — For orders shipping from more than one place

Turn on both cost updates. Without them, a customer can move a parcel across the country and still pay the old rate.

Split shipping needs a cost update turned on first. Orders split when items ship from different locations or shipping profiles.

Hide options you cannot honour

Shipping rules are the most useful thing on this page. They remove delivery options, rather than warning about them.

Create a rule

Under Shipping rules, select Add rule.
Give it a Rule name. Only you see it.
Add Conditions. Every one must be true for the rule to run.

Conditions cover order total, order tags, product tags, customer tags, country, city and shipping method.

Choose what happens When conditions match:

Hide all shipping methods — No delivery options at all
Hide specific methods — Your named methods are removed
Allow only selected methods — Only your named methods remain
Block shipping changes (with message) — Your own message instead of the options

Set a Priority, and choose Where the rule applies.
Select Add rule.

Type method names exactly as they appear at checkout. A near-miss matches nothing.

Where rules apply

Order status page — Any Shopify plan
Checkout page — Shopify Plus

Checkout rules also need the Shipping rules block on your checkout page. See Add Account Editor to the checkout page.

What your customers see

The shipping method on their order has an option to change it. They pick from the same list they saw at checkout, minus anything a rule removed.

A price difference is settled straight away. Faster delivery means paying more. Cheaper means a refund.

Customers are not told a rule hid something. They just see a shorter list.

Good to know

Rules remove options, they do not warn. A hidden method is gone. Nothing explains why, unless you chose the message action.

Priority decides which rule wins. Two rules can match the same order. The higher priority one runs. Check the order of your list when a rule seems ignored.

Start with one rule. A condition that is too broad hides options from customers you never meant to catch, and none of them will tell you. Add one, watch it for a day, then add the next.

Costs do not update on their own. Both cost settings are off until you turn them on. That is deliberate — charging more after payment should be your choice.

Troubleshooting

No option to change shipping — Why: The setting is off, or the app block is missing — Fix: Check Features, then the banner
Cost stays the same after a move — Why: Cost updates are off — Fix: Turn on Update the shipping cost when the address changes
Tax looks wrong after an edit — Why: Tax updates are off — Fix: Turn on Update taxes after an order is edited
A rule does nothing — Why: Method names do not match checkout exactly — Fix: Copy them from checkout, character for character
Too many options hidden — Why: A condition is too broad — Fix: Narrow it, or turn the rule off and re-test
Two rules conflict — Why: Both match the order — Fix: Set priorities so the right one wins
Split shipping is greyed out — Why: It needs a cost update on first — Fix: Turn on a shipping cost update
Checkout rules do nothing — Why: Not on Plus, or the block is missing — Fix: Use the order status page instead

FAQ

What happens if a customer picks a more expensive option?

They pay the difference before the change goes through. A cheaper option produces a refund, following your refund settings.

Can I stop customers downgrading their delivery?

Yes. Use Allow only selected methods and list the ones you are happy with.

Do shipping rules work at checkout?

Only on Shopify Plus, and only with the Shipping rules block on your checkout page. On other plans they work on the order status page.

Why is my rule being ignored?

Two common causes. The method name does not match checkout exactly, or another rule with a higher priority matched first.

What is split shipping for?

Orders that ship from more than one location or shipping profile. Customers pick a method for each shipment rather than one for everything.

Updated on: 21/08/2026

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