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Shopify International Orders: Checkout to Customs Checklist

Updated , first published · 4 min read

For a first international order on Shopify, five things need to be in place: a market for the country (currency, language, prices), a shipping zone with a rate for it, a decision on who pays duties and import taxes, HS codes and countries of origin on your products for the customs declaration, and a plan for returns from abroad. Most of the work is in Markets, Settings > Shipping and delivery and Settings > Taxes and duties, and it is easier to set up before the order than while it waits to ship.

Before the first order

  • A market for the country or region. Markets let you set currency, catalog and prices, languages, domain and duties for a group of countries; customers who match no market get your backup region, which is your home country by default. A market is not required to ship abroad; without one, shoppers from that country get your backup region’s settings. Domains and subfolders per market are covered in international domains, and local prices in multi-currency.
  • A shipping zone with rates. In Settings > Shipping and delivery, add the country to a shipping zone in your general shipping profile, or in a custom profile for products that ship differently, with a rate customers will see at checkout. Shipping zones are groups of countries or regions with the same rates, and each location in a profile can have its own zones and rates. Shopify notes that shipping profiles are gradually moving to shipping options by market, so your admin may show the newer layout.
  • Weights on every product. International rates and customs declarations both need them.
  • A shipping policy that names the countries, delivery times and who pays duties.

Duties and taxes

When a parcel crosses a border, customs can charge duties and import taxes. You choose whether the customer pays them on delivery or you collect an estimate at checkout. Collecting at checkout is set up under Settings > Taxes and duties and needs HS codes on your products. Shopify’s Fall ’26 Edition (October 28, 2026) also lists Shopify Managed Markets, which offers “international pricing that includes guaranteed duties and taxes with flat shipping rates”. The options, the fees and the tax side (VAT, GST, sales tax) are covered in international taxes and duties.

Whichever you choose, say it on the product page or in the shipping policy, so the charge at the door, if there is one, is not a surprise.

Ship it

Shopify’s page on customs documentation, read on October 23, 2026, lists what every item in an international shipment needs before Shopify will create a label: an HS code of at least 6 digits, a country or region of origin, a description, quantity, value and weight.

  1. Add HS codes and countries of origin on each product page, with the bulk editor or by CSV, so every label reuses them. During label purchase, Edit customs information fixes missing values, and Save shipping info to product details keeps them for next time.
  2. Buy the label. Shopify’s international shipping page says merchants in the US, Canada and Australia can buy international labels in the admin, which also fill in the customs forms. Elsewhere, use your carrier or a shipping app.
  3. Check the paperwork. Some carriers submit customs data electronically, so only the label prints; others need a printed customs form or a commercial invoice, which states the value and the delivery terms. The description on the declaration usually comes from the HS code’s standard wording, not your product title.
  4. Mind the edge cases. US military addresses (APO, FPO, DPO) count as international and need customs details, and regulated consumer products shipped into the US may need CPSC eFiling data.

Returns from abroad

Decide your answer before someone asks: does the customer pay return shipping, do you accept returns from every country, and do you refund duties? Return labels bought in the Shopify admin cover domestic returns within the US or within Canada only, so international returns need a carrier label or a shipping app. For lower-value items, a refund without a return can cost less than the return shipping and customs on the way back. Write the rule into your return policy, and set different return rules per market if the law where you sell requires it. The rest of the shipping setup is in the shipping and returns hub, and other operations guides are in the running a store hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Markets to ship abroad? You can ship abroad with only a shipping zone and rate for the country. A market adds local currency, prices, language and duty settings, which makes the store easier to buy from for that country’s shoppers.

Who pays import duties? The customer pays on delivery unless you collect an estimate at checkout, in which case they pay it with the order. If you show duties as included in the price, you pay them.

What customs documents do I need? Each item needs an HS code, country of origin, description, quantity, value and weight for the customs declaration. Depending on the carrier and destination, the declaration is sent electronically or you print a customs form or a commercial invoice.