This article explains why Shopify users may encounter shipping discrepancies for orders containing multiple items. It provides alternative solutions and workarounds to address this current limitation.

Shopify, by default, doesn't calculate additional shipping fees for multiple items of the same product type in an order. This means only the shipping cost for the first item is displayed at checkout, even if you're charged for shipping each item separately by Gelato.

For example, if a customer orders two 8x12" posters, Gelato charges you $5.47 for shipping ($5.12 for the first poster and $0.35 for the additional poster). However, Shopify only charges the customer $5.12 for shipping.

Here are some ways to ensure accurate shipping costs are reflected in your Shopify store:

With live rates, shipping prices and delivery times are calculated in real time during checkout. This allows customers to choose their preferred shipping method, including express options.

This feature is available on the Advanced Shopify and Shopify Plus plans or can be added to any plan for a monthly fee. You will also need a Gelato+ subscription. Learn more about this feature in our article How do I automatically apply Gelato live shipping. prices to my Shopify store?

You can assign arbitrary weight values to your products in Shopify and configure shipping rates based on geographical location and order weight. For instance, you sell posters in two sizes:

To align with Gelato's flat shipping rates, you could assign an arbitrary weight of 50g to the 30x40cm poster and 500g to the 70x100cm poster. Then, in your Shopify shipping settings, you would set the shipping cost to €5.10 for EU orders weighing between 50g and 499g. For orders weighing between 0.5kg and 1kg, the shipping cost would be €5.55. While not perfect, this method can help approximate accurate shipping costs.

For more details on setting up shipping rates, refer to Shopify's documentation or contact Shopify support.

Consider incorporating the flat-rate shipping cost into your retail prices and offer free shipping to your customers. This simplifies pricing and provides transparency for customers.

For example, if Gelato charges €6.55 to produce a poster and the suggested retail price is €9.17, you could sell the poster for €14.99 to cover both production and shipping costs to Europe.

To see which geographical areas different countries belong to, check out our article: What countries are included in each geographical area used for flat shipping price?. You can also learn more about offering free shipping in our article free shipping.

Consider using third-party Shopify apps like Shipping Rates ‑ Shipeasy or Advanced Shipping Rules to set up custom shipping rules for additional items in your Shopify store. These apps provide more flexibility and control over your shipping configurations, allowing you to match Gelato's flat shipping rates more accurately.