Using TUNL live rates at checkout on Shopify

The TUNL Live Rates at Checkout feature increases conversions by providing end customers with multiple shipping options. These are real-time, pre-negotiated rates that take into account changes in TUNL partner carrier rates due to fuel surcharges, outlying area charges and any additional handling fees.


Note: At this stage, the TUNL Live Rates app does not import orders from Shopify. It only displays the TUNL rates at checkout. Once you receive an order where the customer has selected a TUNL rate, login to app.tunl.to to book this shipment. We will be working on importing orders from Shopify soon.

Enable third-party carrier-calculated shipping

Before you can use live rates at checkout, you will need to enable the Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping Rates feature on Shopify. This feature is only available to customers on the "Shopify" plan, on annual billing, or a higher plan. On the "Shopify" plan you will need to contact Shopify support to enable this feature. If you are on the "Shopify Basic" plan, unfortunately this feature is not available and you need to either upgrade your plan or use the Toolify solution to load TUNL rates.

If you are using other rates integrations like DHL or BobGo (uAfrica) this will likely already be enabled.


Here’s a quick guide on how to request Shopify’s support to enable this feature:
Visit https://help.shopify.com/en
Use the support bot to say: “Hi, please enable third-party carrier calculated rates for my store.”
It will respond with a generic message
Reply with: “I would like to speak to a support advisor.”
You’ll be placed in a queue (usually takes less than 5 minutes).
Once connected with a support advisor, ask them to “enable third-party carrier calculated rates.”

Adding product weights to Shopify for international shipping

For the live rates at checkout to work accurately, product weights must be added in Shopify according to actual or volumetric weight for international shipping. TUNL live rates at checkout does not use the Shopify package dimensions or package weight to calculate rates (only the total product/item weight in the order) so it is important to add the volumetric weight to the product weight in Shopify if you are unable to pack the product into a box with a volumetric weight less than the actual product weight, otherwise your customers may under pay you for shipping at checkout.

You can follow this guide to bulk edit product weights in Shopify.

Adding HS Codes to your products in Shopify

To include duties and taxes in the live rates calculation for your customers at checkout, you must add Harmonized System codes (HS codes) to all your products and variants in Shopify.

You can follow this guide to add HS Codes in Shopify.

Install the TUNL Live Rates Shopify app

You can email your Shopify collaborators code to support@tunl.to to have us install the app for you from our Shopify Partners account. You can find it in Settings > Users and permissions > Scroll down to the Collaborators section.



Alternatively, you can install the TUNL Lives Rates app, by following this video and/or the instructions below:

Installing the TUNL Live Rates app

Go to Settings > Apps and sales channels > Develop Apps > Create an app (You may need to allow custom app development on your store first)
Enter the App name as: "TUNL Live Rates", select "TUNL Pty Ltd (support@tunl.to)" as the App developer and click "Create app"
Click "Configure Admin API Scopes"
Add scopes for write_shipping, read_shipping, write_inventory, read_inventory, write_products, read_products
Click Save
Click Install app
Click install on the confirmation dialog
Copy the Admin API access token

Connect your Shopify store to your TUNL account

Login to the TUNL Dashboard: https://app.tunl.to/
Click on the "Sales Channels" menu item
Enter your Shopify Store URL (e.g. store-name.myshopify.com). You can find this in your Shopify admin under Settings > Domains
Enter the Shopify API Access-Token, you just copied from step 8, starting with: shpat_*
Click Connect to link your Shopify store to TUNL

Configure Shipping Rates

Select Carriers and Rates:
Once connected, choose which shipping carriers and rates you want to display to customers at checkout
Customise Duty and Tax Options.
Choose whether to:
Show shipping rates with duties and taxes included (recommended for the best delivery experience)
Show shipping rates without duties and taxes
Show both options

Enable the TUNL live rates on your Shopify store

Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery
Click on your Shipping profile
Click create Zone
Add an international zone and select the countries you wish to display rates for
Click Done
On your new Zone, click "Add rate"
Select "Use carrier or app to calculate rates"
Select "TUNL Shipping (Rates provided by app)"
Add any additional handling fees to rates (if required)
Click Done

By following these steps, your Shopify store will be successfully connected to TUNL, enabling real-time shipping rates and an enhanced checkout experience for your customers.

Important Information: Booking Shipments with Duties and Taxes

To ensure a seamless delivery experience and prevent customers from being double charged for duties and taxes, follow these guidelines when booking shipments:

When Customers Pay for Shipping and Duties/Taxes at Checkout
Book the shipment as DDP (Delivered Duty Paid):
This ensures that all duties and taxes are pre-paid and covered, aligning with what the customer has already paid at checkout.
DDP avoids unexpected fees for your customers during delivery, creating a positive shipping experience.
When Customers Pay for Shipping Only (Excluding Duties/Taxes)
You have two options for covering duties and taxes:
Option 1: Cover the duties and taxes on behalf of the customer and book the shipment as DDP.
This ensures no further charges for the customer, enhancing their delivery experience.
Option 2: Pass the duties and taxes to the customer and book the shipment as DAP (Delivered At Place).
In this case, duties and taxes will be billed directly to the customer upon delivery by the carrier.
You can verify whether your customer paid for duties and taxes at checkout by reviewing the Shopify order page:

Troubleshooting the TUNL live rates on your Shopify store

If TUNL live rates are not appearing at checkout, verify the following:

Default Location in Shopify Matches your TUNL “From Address”
Ensure the default location set in your Shopify store matches the “From address” configured in the TUNL platform.
The address must be a valid, complete South African street address.
Products and Variants in the Correct Shipping Profile
Confirm that your products and variants are included in the shipping profile where the TUNL live rates are applied.
Inventory Availability
Verify that your products have inventory in stock for the shipping profile and location specified.
Product Weights
Check that all your products and variants have a weight set. Shipping rates cannot be calculated without this information.
HS Codes for Products
Ensure that each product and variant has a Harmonized System (HS) code assigned. These codes are essential for displaying shipping rates that include duties and taxes at checkout.

If you have verified all the above and are still encountering issues, contact TUNL support at support@tunl.to for further assistance.

Disabling the TUNL live rates on your Shopify store

If, for whatever reason, you need to disable the TUNL live rates you can do so within Shopify by going to to Settings > Shipping and delivery and deleting the TUNL Shipping rate from your zone.

Understanding Shopify shipping in more detail

If you are having trouble with your Shopify rates, we highly recommend reading and understanding how shipping and shipping rates work within Shopify here: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shipping/setting-up-and-managing-your-shipping

Keywords: Shopify | Live Rates | Rates | Shopify Checkout | Shopify Integration

Updated on: 27/11/2024