Important Changes are coming to your Shopify plan and store features

Time to read: 5 minutes

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 in your Shopify plan?

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

Shopify 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 (Grandfathered) that were previously granted access are not impacted by this change and will keep their access to the Carrier Service API (Carrier Calculated Shipping) unless the store upgrades or downgrades their Shopify plan. Grandfathered Stores: Shopify will remove your CCS if you change your Shopify plan and they will not return the feature.

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 ($20/month), or as part of an annual subscription (added for free).

How does this affect the MCF Shipping app?

MCF Shipping by ByteStand 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! – $25 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. -$35 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 MCF Shipping by ByteStand

If you are installing the MCF 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 have the option to enable CCS as a monthly add-on ($20/month), or as part of an annual subscription (free).

Current Basic Shopify stores using MCF Shipping 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 ‘Shopify’ plan or up in order to use the live calculated rates option in the app!

Current/Previous MCF Shipping merchants that delete the MCF 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 MCF 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!

Need to contact Shopify Support? 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

help_me@bytestand.com

(704) 489-3578‬.

Easiest thing to do is grab a time on our calendar that’s convenient for you via this link: Calendly you’ll also get a link to our screen sharing app where we can talk and share screens with no need to download anything.

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