Shipping Rules: Hide, Rename, and Reorder Delivery Options at Checkout

Shipping Rules let you control which delivery options appear at checkout and how they're displayed. You can hide options you don't want customers to see, rename them to be clearer, or reorder them to highlight your preferred methods.

Looking to customize payment methods? See Payment Rules to hide, rename, or reorder payment options at checkout.

What you can do with Shipping Rules

Action What it does Example
Hide Removes a shipping option from checkout Hide "Express" for orders under $50
Rename Changes the label customers see Show "Standard" as "Economy (5-7 days)"
Reorder Changes the position in the list Put "Free Shipping" at the top

Creating a Shipping Rule

  1. Open DC Order Limits in your Shopify admin
  2. Go to Checkout Rules → Shipping Rules
  3. Click Create Rule
  4. Choose your action (Hide, Rename, or Reorder)
  5. Select which shipping method(s) to target
  6. Add conditions if needed
  7. Save the rule

Changes apply at checkout immediately after saving.

Need ideas? See common use cases for examples of what other merchants set up.

Targeting shipping methods

You can target shipping methods in several ways:

Target mode What it means
By name Target a specific rate like "Express" or "Standard"
All paid options Target every shipping method that costs money
All free options Target free shipping rates only
Cost above $X Target rates over a certain price
Cost below $X Target rates under a certain price

Finding your shipping method names

Use the exact rate names from your Shopify shipping settings:

  1. Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Shipping and delivery
  2. Click Manage next to your shipping profile
  3. Note the exact names of your rates (e.g., "Standard", "Express", "Free Shipping")

Tip: Rate names are case-sensitive. "standard" won't match "Standard".

Adding conditions

Conditions let you control when a rule applies. You can combine multiple conditions — when you do, all conditions must be met for the rule to take effect.

Cart value

Apply rules based on how much is in the customer's cart.

Condition When to use it
Minimum cart value Rule only applies when the cart is at or above this amount
Maximum cart value Rule only applies when the cart is at or below this amount

Example: Hide "Express" when the cart is under $50 by setting a maximum cart value of $50.

Customer eligibility

Apply rules based on who the customer is.

Condition When to use it
Customer tags Only apply the rule if the customer has (or doesn't have) specific tags
Customer is logged in Only apply the rule for customers with an account who are signed in
Guest customers Only apply the rule for customers checking out as guests

Example: Show a "VIP Free Shipping" option only to customers tagged "VIP" in your Shopify admin.

Products in cart

Apply rules based on what products are in the cart.

Condition When to use it
Product tags Only apply the rule if the cart contains products with specific tags
Product types Only apply the rule for certain product types
Specific products Only apply the rule when specific products are in the cart
Collections Only apply the rule when products from certain collections are in the cart

Example: Hide "Standard Shipping" when the cart contains products tagged "fragile" — forcing customers to choose a faster, more careful shipping option.

Shipping address

Apply rules based on where the order is being shipped.

Condition When to use it
Shipping country Only apply the rule for orders shipping to specific countries
Shipping state/province Only apply the rule for orders shipping to specific states or provinces
Shipping zip/postal code Only apply the rule for orders shipping to specific zip or postal codes

Example: Hide "Express Shipping" for orders shipping to Alaska or Hawaii, where express delivery isn't available.

Active dates

Schedule when a rule should be active. This is useful for promotions, seasonal changes, or temporary shipping adjustments.

Condition When to use it
Start date The rule won't apply until this date and time
End date The rule stops applying after this date and time

Example: During a holiday sale, you want to hide paid shipping options and only show free shipping. Set the start date to the beginning of your sale and the end date to when the sale ends — the rule automatically activates and deactivates without you having to remember.

Tip: You can use just a start date (rule activates on that date and stays active), just an end date (rule is active now but stops on that date), or both (rule is only active during that window).

Common use cases

Hide paid shipping when free shipping is available

Once a customer qualifies for free shipping, hide the paid options so they're not distracted by rates they don't need to pay.

  • Action: Hide
  • Target: All paid options
  • Condition: Only when free shipping is available

Hide Express for small orders

Prevent customers from overpaying on shipping for low-value orders.

  • Action: Hide
  • Target: "Express"
  • Condition: Maximum cart value: $50

Rename shipping methods for clarity

Make delivery times clearer for customers.

  • Action: Rename
  • Target: "Standard"
  • New name: "Economy Shipping (5-7 business days)"

Holiday free shipping promotion

Automatically show only free shipping during your holiday sale.

  • Action: Hide
  • Target: All paid options
  • Condition: Start date: Dec 20, End date: Dec 26

Things to know

  • At least one option must remain: Shopify requires at least one shipping method at checkout. You can't hide all options.
  • Carrier name prefixes: Carrier-calculated rates (like UPS or FedEx) may include the carrier name automatically. This is controlled by Shopify and can't be removed.
  • Works on all Shopify plans: Shipping Rules work on every Shopify plan — no Plus required.
  • Rules are evaluated in order: If multiple rules could apply, the first matching rule takes effect.
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