This guide explains the configuration settings available for Shipping Zones in Swap. Understanding these settings is important for managing your global shipping operations and ensuring a smooth customer experience.
Details
The Details section allows you to set the name for the zone. This is an internal name used only in your Swap Dashboard. It will not be visible to customers.
Countries
In the Countries section, you select which countries belong to the zone. Countries that are already assigned to another zone will be disabled in the dropdown to prevent conflicts.
Buffers
The Buffers section allows you to adjust the total amount charged to customers for duties and taxes. You can apply a positive or negative buffer as a percentage.
Decrease buffer: Reduces the amount of duties and taxes charged. This can be used to partially or fully subsidize these costs for your customers, creating a smoother checkout experience.
Increase buffer: Increases the amount of duties and taxes charged. This can help cover additional costs that may not be included at checkout.
Custom Fees
The Custom Fees section allows you to create additional fees that are charged at checkout. You can create as many custom fees as needed for a zone.
All existing custom fees are displayed in a list, where they can be edited or deleted. Clicking on a fee or selecting Add New Custom Fee opens the custom fee form.
Each custom fee requires:
A Name: Shown on the order details page.
An Amount: Either a fixed amount (in the store’s base currency) or a percentage of the order subtotal.
Important:
If VAT-inclusive pricing is enabled, the subtotal used to calculate percentage-based fees will be based on pre-VAT product prices, not the VAT-inclusive subtotal shown in Shopify.
For more information, see: Custom Fees.
Rule Settings
The Rule Settings section controls whether tax strategies (such as VAT or duties) are considered when evaluating subtotal-based shipping rules.
Example
Store Setup:
Free shipping rule for orders over $100.
VAT-inclusive pricing enabled.
VAT rate: 21%.
Customer Checkout:
Displayed subtotal (incl. VAT): $103.
Pre-tax subtotal (excl. VAT): $85.
Effect of the Rule Setting:
Setting | Subtotal Used | Free Shipping Applied? |
Enabled | Displayed subtotal ($103) | Yes |
Disabled | Pre-tax subtotal ($85) | No |
Why This Matters
If disabled, Swap evaluates shipping rules based on pre-tax subtotals, which can result in customers not qualifying for free shipping even though their displayed total exceeds the threshold. Enabling this setting aligns rule evaluation with what the customer sees during checkout.
Rules
The Rules section allows you to create rules that control which shipping options are offered to the customer. A zone can have multiple rules. The rule with the highest priority that passes will determine the available shipping options.
Creating Rules
Click Add New Rule or select an existing rule to edit. Each rule has two main parts: Conditions and Shipping Rates.
Conditions
Conditions define when the rule is applied. You can add conditions based on:
Cart Subtotal
Cart Weight
You can add multiple conditions. The logic works as follows:
Conditions on the same variable (e.g. multiple subtotal conditions) are joined with OR.
Conditions on different variables (subtotal + weight) are joined with AND.
For the rule to apply, at least one condition for each variable must pass.
Each condition consists of:
Comparison Operator: Greater than or equal to, greater than, less than or equal to, less than, between.
Value: The numeric threshold.
Unit: Currency or weight, depending on the condition.
Example:
Subtotal ≥ 100 GBP
Weight < 10 kg
This rule applies if both conditions are met.
Shipping Rates
If a rule’s conditions are met, the customer will see the shipping rates listed in this section.
Display Name: The name shown to customers at checkout.
Each rule can contain multiple shipping rates.
Shipping Rate Settings
Each shipping rate has additional settings:
Hide Breakdown
Hides the tax and fee breakdown normally shown at checkout.
Use this to simplify the checkout display.
Remove “(Includes Taxes & Duties)” Suffix
Removes the default text Swap adds to indicate that duties and taxes are included.
Use if you prefer to show only your custom shipping name.
Marks the shipping option as protected by Swap Protect.
When selected, the shipment is automatically insured.
Changes the shipping rate code prefix from SW-G- to SW-G-PRT-.
Note:
Shopify and your warehouse management system use this rate code to identify selected shipping rates for fulfilment.
If your store uses local currencies in Shopify, shipping rates will be automatically converted to the customer’s currency before display.
Rule Priority
When multiple rules have conditions that pass, Swap uses rule priority to decide which rule applies. The rule at the top of the list has the highest priority.
You can reorder rules using the drag-and-drop icon.
Form Validation
The Save button will remain grey if the form is incomplete or invalid. Hovering over the button will display instructions on what needs to be corrected. Once all required fields are correctly filled out, the button turns green and allows you to save the zone. After saving, you will be redirected back to the main shipping page.