Shipping in a marketplace can feel complex because multiple sellers, carriers, and pricing models are involved.
Shipturtle is designed to handle this complexity while giving merchants full control over who ships, how shipping is charged, and who pays for it.
This guide will help you:
- Understand all shipping options in Shipturtle
- Decide which setup is best for your marketplace
- Avoid common configuration mistakes
- Navigate to the right setup guides
Big Picture: How Shipping Works in Shipturtle
Every marketplace shipping setup is built using three decisions:
- How are shipping rates shown to customers at checkout?
- Who generates the shipping label?
- Who pays for shipping costs?
Once you answer these, the configuration becomes straightforward.
1. How Are Shipping Rates Shown to Customers?
This is the most important concept to understand.
Shipturtle supports three distinct ways to calculate shipping charges at checkout.
Option A: Shopify Shipping Profiles
(Simple, same for all sellers)
What it is
Shopify’s native shipping setup where you define flat or zone-based shipping rates.
How it works
- One shipping rate applies to the entire cart
- Does not split shipping per seller
- Best when all sellers follow the same shipping logic
Example
- ₹100 flat shipping across the marketplace
- Free shipping above ₹999
When to use
- Small marketplaces
- Same shipping cost for all sellers
- You don’t need vendor-wise shipping logic
Shopify Setup
https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shipping/setting-up-and-managing-your-shipping
Option B: Shipturtle Shipping Profiles
(Vendor-wise, rule-based shipping)
What it is
Shipturtle’s advanced shipping profiles that allow vendor-specific shipping rules.
Key Difference from Shopify Profiles
Shipturtle shipping profiles:
- Are vendor-wise
- Can be zone-wise
- Can be rule-based (weight / order value)
- Split shipping per seller automatically
Example
- Vendor A: ₹50 shipping for India
- Vendor B: ₹100 shipping for India
- Customer buys from both → sees combined shipping
When to use
- Multi-vendor marketplaces
- Different sellers have different shipping costs
- You want predictable, rule-based pricing
Setup Guide: https://www.shipturtle.com/kb/shipping/shipping-profile
⚠️ Important: You must have Shopify Live Rate Calculator enabled (available on higher Shopify plans or on request).
Option C: Shipturtle 3rd-Party Live Rates Calculator
(Exact carrier pricing- For the carriers who provides Rate API)
What it is
Shows real-time carrier rates at checkout.
Key Difference from Shipping Profiles
- Rates are fetched live from carriers
- Customers see exact options like:
- UPS Ground – $5
- USPS Air – $15
Example
Customer sees:
- Economy Shipping – $5
- Express Shipping – $15
When to use
- You want transparent, carrier-accurate pricing
- International shipping
- Heavy or variable packages
Setup Guide: https://www.shipturtle.com/kb/shipping/configure-live-shipping-rates-at-checkout
⚠️ Requires:
- Carrier/Aggregator add-on
- Shopify Live Rate Calculator enabled
- Carrier must have Rate API
2. Who Integrates the Carrier / Aggregator Account?
Shipturtle supports 200+ carriers and aggregators.
Supported list
https://www.shipturtle.com/kb/shipping/supported-aggregators-carriers
You can choose who connects the carrier account.
Option A: Merchant Integrates the Carrier
How it works
- Merchant adds carrier API keys in Shipturtle
- Merchant generates shipping labels
- Merchant pays the carrier bill
Vendors
- Vendors can be allowed to use merchant’s carrier
- Or merchant generates labels on their behalf
Best for
- C2C / P2P marketplaces
- Small or non-technical sellers
- Full merchant control
In C2C marketplaces:
Merchants generate labels → sellers only download labels from the seller portal or email.
Option B: Vendors Integrate Their Own Carriers
How it works
- Vendors add their own carrier accounts
- Vendors generate labels
- Vendors pay shipping charges directly
Best for
- Professional sellers
- B2B / D2C marketplaces
- Vendors already have negotiated rates
Option C: Hybrid (Recommended for Most Marketplaces)
How it works
- Some vendors use merchant’s carrier
- Some vendors use their own carriers
Best for
- Mixed seller maturity
- Scalable marketplaces
3. What If You Don’t Want Any Carrier Add-On?
You can still run shipping manually.
Manual Shipping Flow
- Merchant or vendor generates label outside Shipturtle
- Tracking number is updated in Shipturtle
- Order is fulfilled on Shopify
Order status updates
Without automation, statuses must be updated manually:
- Ready to Ship
- In Transit
- Delivered
- Cancelled
Smart Tracking Add-On (Recommended)
Smart Tracking automatically:
- Fetches carrier tracking updates
- Moves orders to correct status
Guide: https://www.shipturtle.com/kb/shipping/smart-tracking
Local Courier / Hyperlocal Delivery
- Local courier APIs require customization
- Cost and timeline must be discussed separately
- Without customization:
- Update tracking manually from dashboard
4. Who Pays for Shipping?
This is controlled using Commission on Shipping.
How it works
- 100% → Merchant keeps shipping charge
- 0% → Vendor keeps shipping charge
- Any split is possible
⚠️ This works only if shipping is charged to the customer, using:
- Shopify shipping
- Shipturtle shipping profiles
- Live rates
If shipping is free, commission on shipping does not apply.
5. Local Pickup
How it works
- Vendors enable local pickup from default warehouse
- Customer sees pickup option at checkout
- Pickup details are emailed to customer
Email templates can be edited under
Settings → Integrations → Email Templates
⚠️ Important
Even for local pickup, Shopify Live Rate Calculator must be enabled.
6. Shipping by Marketplace Type (Simplified)
B2C / D2C / B2B
- Merchant or vendor can configure carriers
- Shipping profiles or live rates
- Labels generated by whoever is allowed
C2C / P2P
- Merchant configures carriers
- Merchant generates labels
- Sellers only download labels
Local Pickup Marketplaces
- No carrier required
- Live rate calculator still required
- Pickup only
Hyperlocal
- Manual tracking or custom courier integration
FAQs
Can I use Shopify profiles and Shipturtle profiles together?
No Shopify profiles are global. Shipturtle profiles add vendor-level intelligence.
Can I mix shipping profiles and live rates?
Yes. Some sellers can use shipping profiles, others live rates. You can also enable hybrid setting.
Do vendors need the Shopify Live Rate Calculator?
No. The merchant’s Shopify plan must support it.
What happens if a vendor fulfills from their own Shopify store?
Shipturtle auto-fetches fulfillment and tracking details and pushes them to the merchant store.
Smart Tracking is recommended for automatic status updates.
Is local pickup completely free?
No, It is an add-on andt Shopify Live Rate Calculator must still be enabled.
Final Recommendation (If You’re Unsure)
- Start with Shipturtle Shipping Profiles
- Use Merchant-controlled carriers
- Enable Smart Tracking
- Move to live rates only when needed
If you’re stuck, reach us at team@shipturtle.com or open a ticket on the support page.