Setting up your locations

This page was printed on Apr 20, 2021. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/locations/setting-up-your-locations.

The maximum number of locations that you can have depends on your plan:

  • Shopify Lite - 3
  • Basic Shopify - 4
  • Shopify - 5
  • Advanced Shopify - 8
  • Shopify Plus - 20 (Contact Plus Support if you need more than 20 locations.)

Apps that stock inventory or fulfill orders for you're considered to be locations but don't count towards those limits. When you add such an app to your store, or when you first enable locations, the app is automatically added as a location.

Create and modify locations

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Locations.
  2. Click Add location.
  3. Enter a unique name and an address for the location.
  4. If you want the inventory at this location to be available for online purchases, then check Fulfill online orders from this location.
  5. If this is a brick-and-mortar location that you regularly sell from in person, then click This location is a retail store.
  6. Click Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the + button.
  3. Enter a unique name and an address for the location.
  4. If you want the inventory at this location to be available for online purchases, then check Fulfill online orders from this location.
  5. If this is a brick-and-mortar location that you regularly sell from in person, then click This location is a retail store.
  6. Tap Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the + button.
  3. Enter a unique name and an address for the location.
  4. If you want the inventory at this location to be available for online purchases, then check Fulfill online orders from this location.
  5. If this is a brick-and-mortar location that you regularly sell from in person, then click This location is a retail store.
  6. Tap Save.

After you create a location, it’s added to the bottom of your fulfillment priority list.

Set locations for fulfilling orders

If you have more than one active location, then you need to specify how to fulfill online orders. There are several ways to set up your locations for fulfilling orders:

  • If you want all items for online orders to fulfill from a single location, then you need to make that your default location and prevent other locations from fulfilling online orders
  • If you want items for online orders to fulfill from a primary location, and fulfill from other locations if the product's not in stock at the primary location, then you can set the priority of locations for fulfilling orders. Make sure each location that you want to fulfill from has Fulfill online orders from this location selected.
  • If you want to customize which location fulfills orders based on location and products, then you can activate multi-origin shipping to use shipping profiles.
  • If you're using a dropshipping app or fulfillment service, then you don't need to make any changes to your locations or the default location. The default address of your store is set as your default location. You default address isn't used by the dropshipping app or fulfillment service, and isn't shown to your customers.

In-store purchases that are completed using Shopify POS use available inventory from the location where the sale is made. If the orders are placed to be shipped to the customer's address, then they use inventory based on how online orders are set up rather than the store's location.

Set locations for order fulfillment priority

When orders are placed through any online sales channel, they're assigned to a location where they should be fulfilled from based on the priority list and available inventory. If any location can fulfill the entire order, then the inventory's drawn from that location. If no location can fulfill the entire order, then the location with the highest priority oversells the product. Overselling happens when you sell more of a product than the quantity that you have in stock for that product at that location.

For example, suppose you have two locations: Location A in top priority and Location B as second priority. Location A has 1 shirt and Location B has 2 shirts. If you receive an order for 2 shirts, then Location B fulfills it. If you receive an order for 3 shirts, then Location A oversells the shirt and finishes with an inventory of -2.

You can switch the location you're fulfilling from on the Orders page.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Fulfillment priority section, click Edit fulfillment priority.
  3. Drag the locations into your preferred sequence.
  4. Click Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Fulfillment priority section, tap Edit fulfillment priority.
  3. Drag the locations into your preferred sequence.
  4. Tap Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Fulfillment priority section, tap Edit fulfillment priority.
  3. Drag the locations into your preferred sequence.
  4. Tap Save.

Change the default location

If you don't activate multi-origin shipping, then your shipping rates are calculated based on the location that's set as Default.

You can set any of your active locations to be the default location. Apps and deactivated locations can't be set as the default location.

If you change the Default location to a location where a carrier isn't supported, then the rates for that carrier are hidden at the checkout. For example, if you set a default location in the United States, then Canada Post rates aren't displayed at the checkout.

Rates for buying shipping labels from the Shopify admin are calculated based on the fulfillment location, not your store's default location.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Locations.

  2. In the Default location section, click Change default location.

  3. Select a location, and then click Save.

  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.

  2. In the Default location section, click Change default location.

  3. Select a location, and then click Save.

  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.

  2. In the Default location section, click Change default location.

  3. Select a location, and then click Save.

Prevent a location from fulfilling online orders

Some businesses have locations that hold inventory for in-person sales only, or locations that are only for storage. Preventing a location from fulfilling online orders helps to prevent orders from sales channels such as the Online Store, Amazon, and Facebook Shop don't use inventory from these locations.

Preventing a location from fulfilling online orders removes any inventory assigned to the location from a product's online quantity. The online quantity of a product's shown on the Inventory page, and is the number that's displayed to customers if you show your inventory levels on your online store.

Preventing a location from fulfilling online orders also prevents Shopify POS ship-to-customer orders from using this inventory from these locations.

The location is inventory can still be used to fulfill draft orders and orders from other sales channels. Check with your sales channels to see whether they follow your store's inventory policies when they create orders.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Locations section, click the location you would like to stop from fulfilling online orders.
  3. In the Details section, uncheck Fulfill online orders from this location.
  4. Click Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Locations section, tap the location that you would like to stop from fulfilling online orders.
  3. In the Details section, uncheck Fulfill online orders from this location.
  4. Click Save.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. In the Locations section, tap the location that you would like to stop from fulfilling online orders.
  3. In the Details section, uncheck Fulfill online orders from this location.
  4. Click Save.

Deactivate and reactivate locations

You can deactivate a location temporarily or permanently if you don't want to sell, fulfill, or stock inventory at that location.

When you deactivate a location, it’s no longer shown on filters and menus, you can no longer manage or transfer inventory in the location, and you can't use it as your default location. You always need to have at least one active location.

Deactivated locations don’t count towards your locations limit.

You can’t deactivate a location that's a private or third-party app. Instead, remove the app.

You can’t deactivate the location that's currently set as your Default. You first need to change the default location to another location.

Before you deactivate a location, you need to complete all orders and transfers that are assigned to it, and reassign them to another location. If you don’t, then you’ll be prompted to fulfill the orders and have the inventory quantities reassigned.

If the location's on the POS Pro subscription plan, then you need to change the location to the POS Lite plan before you can deactivate it.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Locations.
  2. Click the location.
  3. Click Deactivate location. If any inventory, orders, or transfers are assigned to the location, select a location to move the items to.
  4. Click Deactivate location.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the location that you want to deactivate.
  3. Tap Deactivate location.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the location that you want to deactivate.
  3. Tap Deactivate location.

If you want to reactivate the location, go through the same steps but click Reactivate location.

Delete locations

If you no longer want to sell from, fulfill from, or stock inventory at a location, you can delete it permanently.

Historical data is saved for reporting purposes.

Before you can delete a location, you need to deactivate it.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Locations.
  2. Click a deactivated location.
  3. Click Delete location.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the deactivated location that you want to delete.
  3. Tap Delete location.
  1. From the Shopify app, go to Store > Settings > Locations.
  2. Tap the deactivated location that you want to delete.
  3. Tap Delete location.

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