Why are the shipping rates different at checkout compared to recurring orders?
Differences in shipping rates often occur when carts contain both subscription and one-time products.
Shopify checkout shipping rates
In Shopify, shipping rates at checkout are based on the total weight and price of all items in the cart. Shopify applies the lowest available shipping rate for each product based on your store's shipping profiles. When multiple profiles are involved, the combined rate may differ from what would apply to the subscription product on its own. This can cause the checkout rate to be higher or lower than the recurring rate.
Retained shipping in Recharge
Recurring orders in Recharge retain the shipping rate applied during the initial checkout, but only for the subscription products. This can create differences because of the following reasons:
- Initial checkout: The rate is calculated using the total weight and price of all items in the cart (including one-time products).
- Recurring orders: The rate is assessed based solely on the subscription product’s weight or price.
Example:
At checkout, a one-time product (OTP) combined with a subscription product might result in a total shipping cost of $8.00—$5.00 for the OTP and $3.00 for the subscription product. While the cart displays $8.00, only the $3.00 shipping rate is retained for the recurring subscription orders.
This can cause additional confusion if the subscription product alone doesn’t meet a specific shipping profile threshold. For example, the subscription product might require a $10 shipping cost based on its price, but the initial rate was calculated using the combined OTP and subscription price, so the shipping is showing the lower $3.00 rate.
Dynamic shipping in Recharge
When dynamic shipping rates are enabled in Recharge, the system always uses the most applicable rate. However, this only applies after a charge is processed.
If shipping rates change between the initial order and the recurring order (e.g., if you update a shipping profile in Shopify), the new rate will only apply to future charges. If you want queued orders updated, contact Recharge support.
