Shipping zones and rates: how it fits together
Updated 23 July 2026
Shipping zones make dates and rates location-aware: a London postcode can see next-day options while the Highlands sees a 3-day service at a different price — from one set of rules.
Zones and zone-based rates are available on the Precise plan and above.
The three building blocks
- Zones — where you deliver. A zone is a set of countries, states/provinces, or postcode/ZIP patterns ("all of GB", "EH + G postcodes", "ZIP 90000–96199").
- Shipping profiles — the services available in a zone. Each profile has its own transit time, delivery/shipping days, price, and conditions. A zone can hold several profiles (Standard, Express, Saturday…).
- Rates — what each profile charges at checkout: a base price, optional tiers by cart subtotal/weight/quantity, free-over thresholds, and per-date surcharges.
The shopper's address picks the zone(s); the cart and date pick the valid profiles; each valid profile becomes a shipping option at checkout, with dates to match.
Choose what Flare handles
When you turn zones on, "What should Flare handle in these zones?" sets the mode:
| Mode | What it means |
|---|---|
| Rates and dates (Flare-managed) | Flare creates and prices the shipping options at checkout. Your Shopify-managed rates in those zones aren't touched — Flare shows its own alongside or instead. |
| Match my existing rates | You keep your current Shopify rates; Flare matches them by name and supplies the correct dates for each. Nothing about your pricing changes. |
| Dates only | Flare adds no rates at all — it only powers date availability per zone. |
You can also bring an existing Shopify rate into Flare so it becomes fully Flare-managed without rebuilding it.
How rates reach your checkout
In Flare-managed mode, Flare registers a carrier service called "Flare shipping" with Shopify. At checkout Shopify asks Flare for rates live, using the shopper's actual address and cart. This needs carrier-calculated shipping on your Shopify plan — see requirements. If your plan isn't eligible, Flare falls back to managing static Shopify rates for the same zones (dates still fully work; prices just can't flex by date or live carrier pricing).
Drafts and going live
Zone configuration saves as a draft first — build and preview everything, then flip to live when ready. Going live attaches Flare's shipping to your Shopify delivery settings; Flare shows you exactly what already exists in Shopify (read-only cards) so there are no surprises, and asks for confirmation before anything that would replace an existing Shopify rate.