How to Activate Carrier Calculated Shipping Rates on Your Shopify Store

Activating third-party Carrier Calculated Shipping (CCS) API on your Shopify store is essential for displaying real-time rates from carriers or third-party shipping apps.

By activating the CCS API, you can eliminate the shipping rate errors. Displaying the accurate shipping rates will enhance the customer experience and reduce cart abandonment.

Apart from this, CCS API will also help you tailor your shipping rates and combine shipping rates if needed using a third-party shipping app.

In this article, you will learn how to activate and check if the Carrier Calculated Shipping API is activated on your Shopify store.

Prerequisites for Carrier Calculated Shipping (CCS) API

Here are the prerequisite for activating CCS API:

• Shopify plans: 

CCS API is only available in Shopify (yearly plan),Advanced and Plus plan for free. 

You can opt for CCS API on Shopify monthly plan for an extra $20/month. CCS API is not available on the Basic or Starter plans.

• Carrier Accounts: 

You must have a carrier account if you use carriers like UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL or other carriers to display shipping rates.

• Shipping Apps:

If you want to display shipping rates using a shipping rate app like the Shipeasy or other app, install it from the Shopify app store.

How to Activate Carrier Calculated Shipping API

Here is how to activate CCS API:

Visit the Shopify Help Center and log in to your Shopify Store owner account.

Use the virtual help center assistant and ask for live agent support.

Select the store for which you want to activate Carrier Calculated Shipping API.

Ask the Shopify live agent to activate the CCS API on the selected store.

Alternatively, you can also send an email to Shopify help center at support@shopify.com with your store details to activate CCS API.

How to Check if Carrier Calculated Shipping API is Activated

Here is how to check if CCS API is activated:

Go to Shopify “Settings” and go to the “Shipping and delivery” option.

Click on “General” and click “Add rate” under a shipping zone.

Under Rate type, select “Use carrier or app to calculate rates”. If your third-party shipping app is visible, CCS API is activated. 

Otherwise, you’ll get an error message saying “There are no carriers or apps available for this zone”.

Integrations with Compatible Third Party Shopify Shipping Apps

Here are some best third-party shipping rates app to take your shipping operations to the next level by integrating.

• Shipping Rates — Shipeasy:

Shipeasy is an advanced shipping rate calculator app that uses 30+ parameters to calculate accurate shipping rates based on different shipping rules.

• Ship Shippify - Shipping Rates:

Shippify lets you create advanced shipping rules by setting custom rates and utilizing product tags.

• Parcelify:

Develop shipping rates to retain customers, boost sales, and safeguard your margins.

• ShipStation:

Shipstation helps you streamline your shipping with multi-channel order syncing, discounted multi-carrier labels, and automation, saving you time and money regardless of your business size.

• Endicia: 

Endicia helps you handle and ship all your orders from a single platform and helps you save shipping cost with its discounted carrier services.

Wrapping Up

Activating the Carrier Calculated Shipping (CCS) API ensures accurate and real-time shipping rates, helping you in reducing shipping rate errors and cart abandonment.

By integrating third-party apps like Shipeasy or other apps, you can streamline the shipping, tailor rates, and enhance your customer satisfaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between CCS API and manual shipping rate calculations?

CCS API automates shipping rate calculations, providing accurate rates in real-time, while manual calculations are prone to errors and require more time.

2. Do I need to be a developer to set up the CCS API?

No, Shopify's CCS API can be activated through the Shopify Help Center or by contacting Shopify support, without requiring extensive development knowledge.

3. Can I use CCS API with multiple third-party shipping apps?

Yes, CCS API allows you to integrate with multiple shipping apps, providing flexibility and options for your shipping operations.

4. Will CCS API work with my existing shipping carriers?

CCS API supports a wide range of shipping carriers, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, and more. Check with Shopify support to confirm compatibility with your specific carriers.

5. How long does it take to activate the CCS API on my Shopify store?

Activation typically takes a few minutes to an hour, depending on Shopify's support response time. Once activated, you can start using CCS API immediately.