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.

🚚 Enable third-party carrier-calculated shipping

Before you can use live rates at checkout, turn on Shopify's Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping Rates. Shopify includes it on Shopify's Grow plan and higher plans. This is a Shopify plan, separate from your TUNL plan. On Shopify's Grow plan you may need to ask Shopify support to switch it on. If you're on Shopify's Basic plan, it isn't available: upgrade your Shopify plan, or use this guide to load TUNL rates manually.

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.

If a product has no HS code, we use your fallback HS code from TUNL. If you haven't set one, that product gets a duties-on-delivery rate, even where you charge duties at checkout.

🛍️ Install the TUNL Shopify app

You can install the new TUNL Shopify app by following this link: https://apps.shopify.com/tunl-1

⚙️ Set up your rates in TUNL

1. Log in to TUNL: https://app.tunl.to/
2. Go to Settings → Integrations → Store Integration and choose your Shopify store.
3. Work through the steps on the page:
4. • Services: choose the carrier services to show, and what they're called
   • Duties & taxes: choose who pays duties and taxes, and set exceptions for some countries if you need them
   • Checkout fallbacks and insurance: set a fallback weight (required) and a fallback HS code
   • Discounts and handling fees (optional): free shipping, discounts and fees
4. Save each page. A bar at the top shows your changes are waiting to publish.
5. Check the checkout preview on the right, then click Publish to store.

Nothing reaches your checkout until you publish. For every setting in detail, see How to customise your shipping options at checkout.

✅ Enable the TUNL live rates on your Shopify store

1. Log in to your Shopify admin: https://admin.shopify.com/
2. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery
3. Click on your Shipping profile
4. Click Create Zone
5. Add an international zone and select the countries you wish to display rates for
6. Click Done
7. On your new Zone, click Add rate
8. Select Use carrier or app to calculate rates
9. Select TUNL Shipping (Rates provided by app)
10. Leave the Handling fee field blank. Set up discounts and handling fees in TUNL instead.
11. Click Done

💸 Offer discounted or free shipping

If your international margins allow, you can mark up your product prices for international customers and reduce the shipping price they see at checkout. It can make your store more competitive and improve conversion.

Set it up as a discount in TUNL: Store Integration → Add discount. For free shipping over a threshold, use a 100% discount with a minimum order value. How discounts work

🧾 What your customer sees at checkout

Each TUNL rate shows a name, a price, the delivery time and a short description. Your Shopify theme decides how it looks.

• Duties charged at checkout: the name ends in [Duties & Taxes Included], e.g. Shipping: R 246.43 · Duties & Taxes: R 416.66.
• Duties paid on delivery: the name ends in [Duties & Taxes on delivery], e.g. Shipping: R 246.43 · Duties & Taxes: R 416.66 estimated, billed on delivery. Not guaranteed.

Discounts, handling fees and insurance can show in the description too, depending on your settings. We add the duties tags for you. Don't type them into your service names.

📋 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:

1. When Customers Pay for Shipping and Duties/Taxes at Checkout
2. • 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.
2. When Customers Pay for Shipping Only (Excluding Duties/Taxes)
3. • 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:

1. Default Location in Shopify Matches your TUNL “From Address”
2. • 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.
2. Products and Variants in the Correct Shipping Profile
3. • Confirm that your products and variants are included in the shipping profile where the TUNL live rates are applied.
3. Inventory Availability
4. • Verify that your products have inventory in stock for the shipping profile and location specified.
4. Product Weights
5. • Check that all your products and variants have a weight set. Shipping rates cannot be calculated without this information.
5. HS Codes for Products
6. • 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.
6. Your changes are published
7. • Saved changes don't reach your checkout until you click Publish to store. If you can't publish, the bar at the top tells you why: usually a missing fallback weight.
7. [Duties & Taxes Included] shows twice
8. • Remove the tag from the service's display name in TUNL. We add it for you.
8. The preview shows duties, but the checkout doesn't
9. • The product has no HS code and you haven't set a fallback HS code. Add one, then test at checkout.
9. No rates for some countries
10. • Check the country is in exactly one shipping zone that has the TUNL rate.

If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to our support team via Whatsapp here or email support@tunl.to.

🚫 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 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

🦸‍♀️ Have more questions? We're here to help!

If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to our support team via Whatsapp here or email support@tunl.to.

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Keywords: Shopify | Live Rates | Rates | Shopify Checkout | Shopify Integration | Discount | Free shipping | Handling fee | Publish

Updated on: 30/10/2026