Whether your MCF business is ready to grow in 2023 or you are just starting your e-commerce business. You need to be prepared for the upcoming Shopify plan changes. All of us at ByteStand want to help you stay prepared, informed, and growing. This article will help you decide which Shopify plan may be best for your online store.

What is changing?

Starting January 1, 2023, stores on the Shopify Starter and Basic plans will no longer be able to request access to the Carrier Service API (Carrier Calculated Shipping).

This removes the option to request access by:

• Transitioning to annual billing
• Paying an additional monthly fee

Stores on the Shopify Advanced and Plus plans will continue to have access to the Carrier Service API (Carrier Calculated Shipping). Stores on the ‘Shopify’ plan can continue to request access by contacting Shopify support. Stores on the Shopify Starter or Basic plans that were previously granted access are not impacted by this change and will keep their access to the Carrier Service API (Carrier Calculated Shipping).

Just to clarify the paragraph above…Merchants on the Shopify Plan ($79/month) will still have the option to enable CCS as a monthly add-on, or as part of an annual subscription. Merchants on Shopify Plus and Advanced will still have CCS included in their plans.

Carrier Calculated Shipping will no longer be available as an add-on for Starter and Basic plans at $20/month, nor will it be available as part of annual subscriptions for these plans. This is only for merchants who currently do not already have this enable on their Starter or Basic plans. For example, CCS will not be removed from merchants on now-ineligible plans who already have it enabled as an add-on.

How does this affect the FBA Shipping app?

FBA Shipping fulfills Shopify orders via Amazon’s MCF program as well as provides shipping rates and transit times at checkout.

We have two plans that assist Shopify merchants with their shipping rates:

1. Manual plan – Use your own fixed shipping rates and cost! – $35 a month per marketplace.

-Merchants must create their own fixed shipping rate titles and associated fixed shipping costs inside of Shopifys shipping profiles. This option does NOT require that the shop enables Shopifys ‘Carrier Service API’

2. Live plan – Use live and real time calculated Amazon shipping rates. -$45 a month per marketplace

-Merchants can pull real time shipping speeds, costs, and time frames from Amazon Seller Central and showcase these on their Shopify check out. This takes all of the guess work out of your shipping costs and saves you time and money. This option DOES require that the shop enables Shopifys ‘Carrier Service API’ (Carrier Calculated Shipping)

Who does this affect?

New Shopify merchants and merchants new to the FBA Shipping app by ByteStand

If you are installing the FBA Shipping app on or after January 1st, 2023 you may or may not have access to the ‘Live Amazon shipping rates’ option in the app.

• Shopify Starter and Basic ($1/month) , plans will no longer be able to request access to Shopifys ’Carrier Service API’ (Carrier Calculated Shipping) a la carte! Which means stores on these plans will NOT be able to use the ‘Live Amazon shipping rate’ option in the app. Stores on the above plans can only use the ‘manual rate’ option inside of the app. Or upgrade their Shopify plan completely.
• Shopify ($79/month) plan will not automatically come with Shopifys ‘Carrier Service API’ (Carrier Calculated Shipping) This Shopify plan will be able to have the option to enable CCS as a monthly add-on, or as part of an annual subscription.

Current FBA Shipping merchants who wish to switch to the ‘Live Amazon shipping rate’ option

Merchants that have been on the manual rate option in the app but wish to switch to the ‘Live Amazon shipping rate’ option in the app after January 1st, 2023….will need to be on Shopify’s Advanced plan or up in order to use the live calculated rates option in the app!

Current/Previous FBA Shipping merchants that delete the FBA Shipping app and reinstall the app after January 1st 2023.

This is a gray area but we are assuming that if the Shopify store did not previously have Shopify’s ‘Carrier Service API’ (Carrier Calculated Shipping) enabled on their Shopify account in the past, Shopify will not enable the ‘Carrier Service API’ option on your Shopify plan after January 1st 2023…unless you are on the ‘Shopify’ plan or higher.

Current FBA Shipping merchants that already have Shopify’s ‘Carrier Service API’ enabled on your account.

Per Shopify’s communication, if your Shopify store (no matter the Shopify plan) has Shopify’s ‘Carrier Service API’ (or Carrier Calculated Shipping) enabled on or before January 1st, 2023 you will be grandfathered in and keep your ‘Carrier Service API’ capability. UNLESS you upgrade or downgrade your Shopify plan. They will take CCS away from you and not give it back! 

 Please check with Shopify support before upgraded or downgrading your Shopify plan

See all Shopify Pricing plans here: Click here!

We are available Monday-Friday 9AM to 6PM Eastern US time (minus Holidays) to assist you! On Chat in the app or on our website at ByteStand.com, email at help_me@bytestand.com, or phone at ‪(704) 489-3578‬.