FOR SHOPIFY MERCHANTS

← Shopify fee calculator

See whether in-store pickup still beats the carrier label.

Shopify Local Pickup replaces a postage label with your time and a hold. The usual pitch is “save the $5 label.” The missing pieces are the pick, the bag, the postage you stop charging, and the people who never show. The table keeps the same prepaid checkout, then compares buying the typed label, free pickup after no-shows, and a paid pickup fee.

Order, label and the hold

Label vs pickup

$—
extra kept by free pickup versus the label

Label leftover
Free pickup if they show
Free pickup after no-show
Paid pickup after no-show
Staff time and bag
Label that still ties free pickup
Monthly gap vs the label

Same checkout, three ways it leaves the shop

Path Charged Fulfillment Completed After no-show vs label

A no-show refund reverses card fees and restocks the item. Staff time and the bag stay spent. Card fees sit on whatever you charge for postage or pickup. Transparent arithmetic from your inputs — not Shopify Local Pickup policy or a published labor schedule.

What this checks

Merchants search “Shopify pickup vs shipping” because a $5.00 label looks expensive and a customer who “just comes in” looks free. Eight minutes at $18/hour is $2.40. A $0.40 bag is not a box. The $6.00 postage you stop charging is the larger hole.

On the defaults — $48 item, $6 shipping charged, $5.00 label, Basic 2.9% + $0.30, $14 cost, $1 ship pack, $39 / 100 plan, 8 minutes, $0.40 bag, 12% no-show, 40 pickup orders — the label keeps $31.74. Free pickup keeps $29.12 if they show and $25.29 after no-shows ($6.46 less, −$258.25 / month). A $3.00 paid pickup keeps $32.03 if they show and $27.85 after no-shows ($3.89 less). Even a 0% no-show cannot match the label on these rates, because you gave up $6.00 of postage. The outbound label has to cost about $11.46 before shipping matches free pickup. Already bake postage ($0 charged, $8.00 label) with a 5-minute pick and a 5% no-show and free pickup keeps $28.42 against $22.92 on the label.

It does not tell you to turn Local Pickup on or off, and it is not tax or financial advice. You driving it over is a different question — local delivery vs the carrier label. A counter tap (not an online BOPIS checkout) is on POS vs online fees. Buying one label versus another is a different question — Shopify Shipping vs your own label. A subscription is a different question — one-time vs monthly vs a prepaid pack. An add-on after they already paid is on checkout vs post-purchase upsell. The main Shopify fee calculator still compares Shopify Payments with PayPal.

Common questions

Should I offer pickup on Shopify?

Pickup replaces a postage label with staff time and a no-show risk. Card fees still sit on the ticket you charge. On the calculator defaults ($48 item, $6 shipping / $5 label, 2.9%+$0.30, 8 minutes at $18/hour, $0.40 bag, 12% no-show) the label keeps $31.74 and free pickup expects $25.29. The outbound label has to cost about $11.46 before shipping matches free pickup. That is arithmetic on your inputs, not advice to turn Local Pickup on or off.

Does a paid Shopify pickup fee cover the no-shows?

A $3 pickup fee on the defaults keeps $27.85 after the 12% no-show mix — still $3.89 less than the label. You gave up $6 of postage and only collected $3. If they show, paid pickup keeps $32.03, which beats the $31.74 label, but the refunded no-shows pull the mix back under.

When does Shopify pickup beat a carrier label?

When you already bake postage into the item. The same SKU with $0 shipping charged, an $8 label, 5 minutes, and a 5% no-show keeps $22.92 on the label and $28.42 on free pickup. Local delivery (you drive) is a different comparison.