# Shipping setup

Shipping Setup is a powerful configuration feature that gives you full control over how shipping rates are applied to recurring subscription orders. Unlike Shipping Profiles which let you create custom rates for specific products, Shipping Setup controls the logic and behavior of shipping rate application across all your subscription renewals.

{% hint style="warning" %}
This feature is available for **Advanced plan and above**.

If you downgrade from Advanced to a lower plan, your shipping profiles will still exist in the system but you won't be able to edit or create new profiles until you upgrade again.
{% endhint %}

### Why use Shipping setup

Before Shipping Setup, shipping rates for recurring orders relied primarily on Shopify's default logic:

* The **initial order** would have a shipping rate selected at checkout
* All **recurring orders** would automatically use the **lowest available shipping rate**

This created several challenges for merchants:

* Merchants had to manually manage and ensure shipping rates remained consistent across renewals
* Shipping rates could change unexpectedly between the initial order and recurring orders, causing customers to see different shipping charges than expected
* No automatic updates for subscription changes (When customers edited, added, removed or swapped products from their subscription)

**Shipping Setup** solves all these issues by giving you complete control over when and how shipping rates are applied and updated.

### How Shipping setup works

#### Recurring Shipping Options

You have two main strategies for managing recurring order shipping rates:

**Option 1: Always Use Lowest Shipping Rate (Shopify Default)**

* Each renewal period, the system automatically applies the **lowest available shipping rate**
* Recalculates shipping based on current Shopify shipping settings
* Ensures customers always get the most cost-effective shipping option

**Option 2: Keep Initial Shipping Rate**

* Locks in the shipping rate from the **initial checkout**
* Applies this same rate to all recurring orders
* Maintains rate consistency unless major subscription changes occur

<figure><img src="/files/zk8BMc2fnR9RZVdPgcmx" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### When to Update Shipping Rate Automatically

{% hint style="info" %}
These options are **only available** when you select `Always use lowest shipping rate` as your recurring shipping option.
{% endhint %}

**Option 1: Update Shipping Rate When Subscription Items Change**

| What triggers an update                                                     | What DON'T trigger an update            |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| ✓ Customer **edits** a product in their subscription                        | ✗ Customer edits discount codes         |
| ✓ Customer **adds** a new product to their subscription                     | ✗ Customer changes pricing (if allowed) |
| ✓ Customer **removes** a product from their subscription                    |                                         |
| ✓ Customer **swaps** one product for another                                |                                         |
| ✓ Customer **changes delivery frequency** (e.g., from monthly to quarterly) |                                         |

**Option 2: Update Shipping Rate When Address Changes**

**What triggers an update:**

✓ Customer updates their shipping address to a different zone

✓ Address change affects applicable shipping rates

✓ New address qualifies for different shipping methods

<figure><img src="/files/bPJVgJo8RUTwBUp1XZlb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Step-by-Step Setup Guide

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Navigate to Shipping Setup**

go to **Settings** → **Shipping** → **Shipping Setup**
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose Your Recurring Shipping Option**&#x20;

`Always use lowest shipping rate`:&#x20;

* Select this option if you want recurring orders to always use the most cost-effective rate
* This reveals additional auto-update settings <mark style="color:blue;">(continue to step 3)</mark>

`Keep initial shipping rate:`

* Select this option to maintain the shipping rate from initial checkout
* <mark style="color:blue;">Skip to step 4</mark>
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Configure Auto-Update Settings**

**Enable/Disable:** `Update shipping rate when subscription items change`

☑ Check this box to recalculate shipping when products are edited, added, removed, swapped, or frequency changes

**Enable/Disable:** `Update shipping rate when address changes`

☑ Check this box to recalculate shipping when customers update their delivery address
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Save Your Settings**

* Click **Save** to apply your shipping setup configuration
* The system will now apply this logic to all future recurring orders
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

**Check out this interactive demo to see the steps in actions**

{% embed url="<https://app.arcade.software/share/pIvS1fKc4VbNAScWehgD>" %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.avada.io/joy-subscriptions/settings/shipping/shipping-setup.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.