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Technical issuesHow to Get and Fix SSL Certificates (HTTPS) on ShopifySSL technology is the standard encryption for web traffic, and it's used across most websites today. You've most likely heard how SSL is crucial and that you have to add it to your website, but all the geek terminology sounds difficult to grasp.
What does SSL even mean?
Fear not! SSL deals with securing your website, and you can carry this out on Shopify in just a few steps.
Let's get started.
What Is An SSL Certificate?
SSL is an acronym for Secure Socket Layer. It is a kind of security that protects data as it travels between the internet and your computer. This Secure Socket Layer works by encrypting the data exchanged between both parties, preventing the information from being seen by anyone else, including web users on the same network.
So with this type of security, all your website content and traffic is secure.
Also, when a web user is on your website, SSL enables their activity to be encrypted as they navigate from page to page. The point of this (in terms of your Shopify store) is that customers won't be putting their financial details at risk when visiting your store.
After registering a domain name, you need to get your SSL certificate to ensure that your customers are properly protected when they come to your website.
What are the Pros of Adding an SSL Certificate to Your Shopify Website?
SSL certificates are vital in building customer trust and online security.
1. Builds Customer Trust
If customers log into a website without an SSL certificate, they are vulnerable to hackers that can steal their credit card numbers, passwords, or checkout page details.
So the SSL icon (padlock) indicates that your website is secure and that all data traveling to and from the platform is safe.
If customers see the SSL icon in their browser's address bar beside your website URL, they will be confident that their financial and personal data won't be vulnerable when purchasing or checking out with your store.
» Consider using a good social proof app to build your brand
2. Google SEO
Google has also stated that website encryption is extremely vital for ranking in their search engine. There is even a detailed published page from Google about website ranking and HTTPS.
The search engine identifies SSL encryption as a primary rank factor alongside other security practices to amplify SEO for your business. And as you probably know, Google search optimization offers your Shopify store greater visibility (which means more sales) and gives a good impression to first-time customers.
So by complying with Google Search expectations, increasing customer trust, and boosting your sales, there's no reason not to secure content across your domain by changing from HTTP to HTTPS.
» Best Shopify SEO apps
Can I Get a Free SSL Certificate From Shopify?
Yes, you can!
Shopify makes it extremely easy for vendors to encrypt their websites with SSL certificates. By giving merchants free SSL certificates for any Shopify store, the brand ensures that every customer is safeguarded from data theft.
With a couple of clicks, you can activate and move all your Shopify hosted pages to the secure HTTPS protocol.
How Do I Add SSL to my Shopify Store?
After you log in to your freshly created store, Shopify will automatically issue and store SSL certificates on all your URLs as soon as your domain is connected.
If the CDNs and host you use also ensure SSL, then your Shopify SSL certificate will be validated, and your store would be protected.
To check if your SSL certification was successful, you can browse around your website to check that every URL displays the prefix HTTPS rather than HTTP. If your URLs do not display the HTTPS prefix, then you won't find the padlock icon in the address bar.
There are various reasons why the switch to HTTPS may not have happened yet.
For example, domain misconfiguration, website refresh delays, and content errors can make your SSL encryption unsuccessful. When your Shopify free SSL certification isn't loading on your store, there'll be a warning on your platform that states "SSL pending" or "SSL unavailable."
SSL Unavailable - What Does this Mean?
The error SSL unavailable in your Shopify admin center is what it says: that the secure socket layer isn't available for use on your website.
The error doesn't imply that you are unable to use Shopify's free encryption. Rather, it means that an aspect of your domain configuration or your website content is insecure, so Shopify cannot issue you the SSL certificate.
There are various reasons why your content delivery or domain services may fail to establish a secure connection. A lot of the time, a basic configuration issue can be fixed to make your store SSL-worthy.
How Do I Fix the SSL Unavailable Error on My Shopify Store?
There are four major things you can do to get rid of this error:
Wait 48 hoursEdit your domain recordsTake out IPv6 recordsAlter or remove CAA records
SSL unavailable isn't noticeable to shoppers unless they look for the SSL icon (padlock) in the web address bar.
However, because SSL content is important for a safe and secure shopping experience, be sure to fix the problem immediately if the error appears on your Shopify webmaster tools or settings page.
1. Wait 48 Hours
After making changes to your web server or custom domain, you will have to renew your SSL certificate and re-verify them. This could last up to 48 hours because the HTTPS encryption must completely install and be distributed on your website.
The 48-hour period runs from the moment you create your website and if you make certain changes.
2. Align Your Domain Record
If you create a custom domain via Shopify, the brand automatically adds your custom domain to the Shopify admin panel and configures it for you.
However, if you created your custom domain via a third-party registrar, then you will have to add the domain yourself.
Confirm if your "A record" is directed at Shopify's IP address - 23.227.38.65. and that your CNAME entries aim at shops.myshopify.com.
Also, ensure that you don't use numerous A records for a single domain. If there are additional A records, there'll be an SSL unavailable error.
3. Take Out IPv6 Records
Though IPv6 (AAAA) records represent valid A records, they are irrelevant to Shopify's web hosting and affect HTTPS encryption. Therefore, you want to stick to IPv4 to make sure you'll have the HTTPS URL prefix for your store.
4. Alter or Remove CAA Records
It is a best practice not to use CAA records because they are unnecessary and can trip Shopify's HTTPS encryption.
However, if you must use CAA records, ensure that all records have certificate authorities for letsencrypt.org, digicert.com, and globalsign.com.
The above third-party certificate authorities verify that a particular HTTPS certificate isn't revoked and it's valid.
How Do I Fix SSL Pending on My Shopify Store?
There are 3 ways you can fix the SSL pending problem:
Look at your A Name Records Fix CNAME Records Problems Wait it Out
SSL pending is quite different because it means that your SSL certificate is activated for a Shopify store, but Shopify has not verified your content and server yet, to make sure it is compliant with an encryption protocol.
1. Look at Your A Name Records
If every aspect of your DNS configuration is great, but your A Name records have issues with them, then there'll be an SSL pending rather than SSL unavailable.
This implies Shopify is waiting and ready to authorize SSL on your server the moment it picks up your domain.
To fix your A records, ensure that they point to Shopify's IP address - 23.227.38.65.
If you need help configuring these records, you can contact your domain host as well.
2. Fix CNAME Record Problems
Your CNAME record maps a domain's DNS records to another's record.
So ensure that your CNAME record points to shops.myshopify.com and not to an IP address.
3. Wait it Out
Regardless of the error you notice, you may have to wait for 48 hours after making changes for the issue to be handled because it needs time to be implemented.
Conclusion
That's all! Adding SSL certificates to your Shopify Store is a no-brainer and, most times, if everything is correctly done, takes just a couple of clicks.
DropshippingHow to Handle Return Shipping Costs When Customers Wish to Exchange ProductsThe difference between exchanges and refunds is quite obvious when looking at costs. If a customer returns a product strictly for a refund, you'll most likely lose cash on both the return shipping costs and customer acquisition. You'll also have to refund the shopper all profits made on the initial order.
On the other hand, an exchange is often far less costly, which makes handling the return shipping costs a lot easier.
Decide Where the Money Will Come From
Offer Product Exchanges
Typically, most online businesses offer a return policy that covers consumer shipping costs only if the shopper opts for exchanging the product. The exchange can then be done in a way that ensures you don't lose out on the shipping fee.
For example, when a customer is simply displeased with their order and hasn't concluded on your brand, you can exchange a returned product for store credit. This keeps your cash with you.
By convincing the client to stick around, you can boost their lifetime value, as they'll most definitely come a second time if they're satisfied.
If the exchange still isn't profitable to you due to the shipping cost, you can up-sell complementary products of the customer's initial order when they come back to use their store credit.
» Pro Tip: Use a good upsell & cross-sell app for pop up notifications to help with customer retention
Let the Client Cover It
If you're simply unable to cover the cost, you can have the clients cover the return shipping costs, though this may make them displeased with your brand. If you do this, ensure that you offer a valuable exchange such as store credit, allowing them to include extra items in their cart, or giving a discount would ensure that they stay happy. A good way of doing this is to use a popular Shopify discount app such as Order to Discount by Egnition.
Conclusion
By making product return exchange valuable, and not penalizing shoppers who aren't pleased with an order, you'll effectively handle whatever costs are related to return shipping and even profit from the situations.
General shopify discussionHow to Prevent Your Shopify Account From Being HackedEven though spam emails are an old trick, hackers still manage to con people into handing over valuable information.
Many Shopify merchants and partners have reported an increase in spam and phishing emails recently, perhaps due to the economy situation. Some sellers have fallen for the scam, clicked through the emails, and ended up giving away their login credentials. This can happen to anyone of us, no matter how vigilant.
If your store gets fraudulent orders, Shopify may identify and block them. Also, your email provider automatically detects and filters out spam emails. Nevertheless, some hackers manage to get past the firewall and place an order or land their email in your inbox.
» Pro Tip: Consider a good social proof app to solidify your brand integrity so that your e-mails and promotions don't end up in spam inboxes!
Spam Emails Can Include Different Types of Tricks and Offers
Hackers may email you on behalf of a friend, after they've hacked her/his email account, asking you to buy gift cards and send codes to the friend's email address. They can also create an email address that contain the name of the company they're pretending to represent (e.g. Shopify) and ask you to verify your bank account or credit card details.
Some merchants received emails stating that Shopify is holding their funds until they update their account details. Others received emails from fake customers, saying that a payment has failed or that their account got locked and they need help.
The motives behind spam emails always revolve around promoting a product/service or trying to steal people's information and money. There are a lot of other examples for scam emails and spammers get very creative to overcome the hindrances that we put in their way. For this reason, you shouldn't trust your email provider to protect you completely, and rather learn how to spot those emails.
» Learn how to write good e-mails for customer retention
How to Identify Whether an Email Was Sent From Shopify or From a Hacker
Open a couple of emails that you know for certain that Shopify sent, and compare the suspicious email with them.
Look for the sender's email address.
This is probably the most important step. Check to see if the email was sent from a Shopify official email address.Poor English
Many hackers are not native English speakers, therefore funny language, bad grammar, spelling mistakes, and unprofessional formatting are also good signs to help you identify that the email was sent from a hacker and not from Shopify. Compare the email design to other Shopify emails
See if the email is designed like other emails you received from Shopify. Usually, spammers will not use the same design, so the header, footer, colors, and even fonts may be different than official Shopify emails.Watch out for strange requests
A hacker's emails may contain unusual requests, like asking you to verify your bank account details, change your email password, help a friend in trouble, etc.
7 ways to protect your Shopify merchant account
1. Never click through any link or button in a spam email.
It may seem tempting to click if the spammer wrote a convincing message. Sometimes an email can contain a message, alert, or some other kind of important information about your Shopify account, and you're not sure if the email is genuine or spam. Still, you should never go through any link click within a suspicious email, since they're trying to steal your data, credentials, etc.
Simply open a new tab on your browser, or even open a new browser, log into your partner/merchant Shopify account, and if there's an important message or alert you'll see it there.
2. Report spam emails.
Every email provider has an option to report emails as spam. When many people report the same email address, the provider will automatically mark all emails sent from that address as spam.
3. Report spammers to Shopify.
Simply forward the email to [email protected].
4. Change your passwords.
If you clicked a spam message, change the password of your email and Shopify accounts immediately.
5. Use a unique password for your Shopify account.
Don't use the same password for multiple websites/accounts, especially for accounts that contain sensitive or valuable information. This way, even if one of your accounts is hacked, the others are protected.
6. Be extra careful.
Verify that orders are legit before shipping them, especially if an order looks suspicious in any way.
7. Set up multi-factor or two-factor authentication for your Shopify account.
This is probably the most effective measure one can take to prevent their account from being hacked.
Enabling multi-factor authentication in your Shopify account (or any other account for that matter), will protect you even if a hacker steals your password or hacks your email account.
Two-factor (aka two-step) authentication means that you'll need to use two different methods to prove that you're the owner of your account, in order to log in.
For example, you can use your email and your phone number as two separate steps to log into your Shopify account. In that case you'll need to enter your login credentials (email address + password). Then, Shopify will send a verification code to your mobile phone, that you'll have to enter. Only if you can complete these two steps you'll be able to log in to your Shopify account.
The idea behind this authentication method is that it's much harder and unlikely for a hacker to steal your Shopify credentials and your mobile phone too. And so, if someone steals your credentials and tries to hack your Shopify account, they will not be able to enter the verification code that is sent to your phone.
Moreover, if you get a text message from Shopify with a verification code, you'll know that someone is trying to hack your account and you can immediately log in by yourself to change your email and password. Or, if Shopify identifies that someone is trying to log into your account but can't complete the two steps, they can block access and notify you about it.
When setting up two-factor authentication for your Shopify account, you'll be instructed to use two completely separate authentication methods so that a hacker can't potentially get hold of both them at the same time.
DropshippingWhich Address Is Best to Use for Your Dropshipping Shopify Store?When setting up your Shopify store, one of the things you have to decide is which address to use on your page. This is important because:
It is needed for your merchant and payment accounts.It is required for your contact page.It is needed for returns.It helps to foster customer trust.
This means that you need to choose the right address for your store, as a huge portion of your business success depends on it especially if you are dropshipping.
So, let's review the different addresses you can use.
» Pro Tip: Use a top dropshipping app to help with address changes
Your Home Address
It isn't advised to use your home address. As your business grows and expands, you may have to deal with spam, hate mails, pranks, and even threats from disgruntled customers being forwarded directly to your doorstep.
It is also unsafe to be in a position where an unrestricted number of individuals on the internet can show up or send messages to your doorstep at will.
A Mailbox Address
For online business owners who do not need, and cannot afford, a physical office space, there are 2 options:
A rented mailbox/mailing address is simple and basic but would suit your needs perfectly.Suite boxes are a more sophisticated option because they appear nicer in the address label.
These places can hold your mail or receive your returns for as long as a year and even provide an employee who signs for your mails and packages when they are delivered.
The Supplier's Address
In situations where you use just one supplier, you could use the manufacturer's address.
However, there are a couple of disadvantages. For instance, the customer would see a product delivered from one location, and then the return address is to say China. This could affect their trust in your business.
This would only work if the address on the store is the same as your supplier's address, and the product was sent to them directly from the supplier.
» Consider downloading a shipping app to help keep track of orders
Conclusion
In truth, the best address to use is dependent on your specific situation:
Want to separate business and your personal life? Use a mail or suite box address.Don't mind the mixture of personal and business life? Use your home address.Don't want to handle the hassle and cost of returns? Use the supplier's address.
It really depends on you.
Shopify paymentBusiness vs. Personal PayPal Accounts for Your Shopify Store—Which One's Right for You?Paypal is one of the best payment gateways for online transactions as it has always been an easy and secure method for international payments. You can create a personal as well as a business account depending on your needs, and the best part is that both accounts are free from any kind of registration or maintenance fees. You can even upgrade from a personal account to a business one in just a few easy steps.
We'll compare the PayPal Personal and Business accounts, examine their features, check their pros and cons, and help you decide which one is best for your Shopify store.
» For PayPal alternatives, check out this list of the best buy now pay later apps
PayPal Business Accounts
As its name says, PayPal business Accounts are used for businesses to send and receive payments. They're specifically designed for businesses and offer a number of features that can help streamline your online sales. One major benefit of a PayPal business account is that it allows you to accept credit and debit cards in addition to PayPal payments. This can help increase sales as some customers may prefer to use their credit or debit card instead of PayPal.
In addition, a PayPal business account allows you to access more detailed sales reports and integrate PayPal express checkout with Shopify. Most functions and tools provided by PayPal for business owners are only available when using a business account. You can track your sales and make better business decisions. As they're geared towards businesses and professional usage, PayPal business accounts offer more advanced fraud protection and a higher level of customer service.
PayPal Personal Accounts
On the other hand, Personal PayPal accounts are meant for personal use. They're more suited for individuals rather than businesses and, as such, offer fewer features and less flexibility compared to business accounts. For example, with a PayPal personal account, you can't accept credit or debit card payments. Additionally, personal accounts have lower monthly processing limits, making them unsuitable for larger businesses.
However, personal accounts have significantly lower transaction fees and allow for more flexibility when it comes to using your money.
Can I Use a Personal PayPal Account for Shopify?
The short answer is yes.
The slightly longer answer is that maybe you shouldn't.
The official Shopify policy is that you need a business account to use PayPal as a checkout option on your store. However, some people have reported managing to register their personal accounts despite this restriction. Still, we don't advise this approach as you'd be in violation of Shopify's terms of service, and you'd risk losing access to the Shopify platform with your account.
Although you can use a personal PayPal account for business, it's more suitable for receiving or sending money to family and friends. It is also ideal for online shopping and payment for shared expenses. You can opt for this one if your business doesn't sell a lot of products or if you're going for one-time transactions. Additionally, keep in mind that your customers will only be able to make purchases via PayPal, as personal PayPal accounts don't accept credit or debit card payments.
Comparing a Business PayPal Account to a Personal PayPal Account
Here, we'll cover fees, features, and transaction limits of personal and professional PayPal accounts.
Paypal Business Vs. Personal Fees
The main difference here is that PayPal business accounts are subject to higher transaction fees. These fees vary based on the type of transaction and the country. In addition, if you sell things and receive payments through your PayPal account, both a business one and a personal one will charge you a fee (check the table below).
Every international payment comes with a 1.5% surcharge, and there are special fees for crypto trading, donations, etc., for both types of accounts.
Here's the overview of the most common fees for both personal and business PayPal accounts:
Type of FeeDomestic (US) online payment fee(International) online payment fee with an international card or account(Domestic) in-store payment fee(International) in-store payment feePersonal PayPal AccountNo fee (except for currency conversions)4% currency exchange fee + 1.5 % international transaction fee + fixed fee for certain currenciesNo Fee No FeeBusiness PayPal Account3.49% of transaction amount + fixed fee* 4% currency conversion fee + 1.5 % international transaction fee + fixed fee*2.7% 4.2%
*the fee depends on the currency
Additional Features Offered by a PayPal Business Account
The best part about the PayPal business account is that it covers all the features of a Paypal personal account, yet also gives you the following options to make your transactions easier and more secure:
Allows you to print the labels and track paymentsOffers live customer supportProtects your privacy by allowing you to register under your company name instead of your own nameGives customers the option to pay via debit or credit card, whether they have a PayPal account or not
If you are running a successful online business or working as a freelancer offering your services around the world, then a PayPal business account is perfect for you.
How to Upgrade to PayPal Business Account
If you've been using a personal PayPal account and want to switch to a business one, you can do so very easily. Just follow the steps outlined below.
Go to My PayPal Account Settings (the gear icon in the top right)Click on the "Upgrade to a Business account" link at the bottom of the left-side panel.Pick a business type: Individual/Sole Proprietorship, Sole Proprietor, Partnership, Corporation, Private Corporation, Public Corporation, Nonprofit, or Government entity.
If you pick anything other than Individual/Sole Proprietorship or Sole Proprietor, you will have to create a new business account; you won't be able to upgrade.Select "Upgrade your account" if prompted.
Fill out the required form, and you're done.
KeepShoppers Takeaway
With a Shopify store or any kind of business, you really can't go wrong with a PayPal Business Account. While a personal one might do the trick, you'll probably want the extra features and legal protections afforded by a business one. It allows you to accept payments from customers as a business, gives you certain tax benefits, and doesn't restrict the payment method to PayPal transfers only.
If you'd like to keep the flexibility of a personal PayPal account and still run a business, you can always create a new business account that you'll use for your business. That way, you'll get the best of both worlds.
Technical issuesHow to Reserve Products for Customers on Shopify Using Draft OrdersWhen it comes to managing your online store or e-commerce shop, Shopify draft orders are an often overlooked and underutilized feature.
Draft orders not only display important order information like product taxes, tags, and applicable discounts, but they are also great for sending invoices, taking pre-orders, and, most importantly, holding or reserving high-demand products.
How?
Here we will explain what a draft order is, how and for what purpose it can be used, how to create a draft order, and how a Shopify merchant can reserve items on behalf of their customers.
» Pro tip: Use one of the best store design apps to make your Shopify store stand out
What Are Shopify Draft Orders and Reserve Items?
Shopify draft orders are invoices that merchants create on behalf of a customer from the Shopify admin panel or the Shopify app in order to reserve the item(s) that have inventory tracking enabled. A draft order is converted to a regular order when the merchant accepts it and payment has cleared.
It works like this:
Once a merchant creates a draft order, they can send a Shopify invoice to the customer requesting to accept order payment.By default, this Shopify invoice typically contains a link to a direct checkout page, making it easy for customers to pay for the draft order.When the payment method is accepted for the draft order, a regular order will be created on the "Orders" page awaiting order fulfillment.
» Consider download a Shopify shipping app to keep track of orders
Why You Should Value Draft Orders
Well, let's say a customer is browsing your online store and they’ve added a few items to their Shopify shopping cart. After a while, they’ve decided they are satisfied with their purchasing decisions and choose to head to the shopping cart to complete their checkout.
The problem?
Shopify holds items for nobody. It’s first-come, first-served. And, unfortunately for the customer, one of the items has already sold out. Their thirst for material happiness has been shattered, and they decide to bounce, leaving a bad taste in their mouth and a full shopping cart that's begging to be fulfilled.
This, unfortunately, happens way too often in Shopify stores.
It’s a common scenario that's neither good for customer experience nor your business’s reputation. That’s where draft orders come in: they reserve a product on behalf of a customer, ensuring that you never lose a customer ever again. A possible solution for this is to use an app which automatically hides products if they are out of stock.
When Can a Shopify Merchant Use Shopify Draft Orders?
In addition to placing products on reserve or hold and displaying important order information, Shopify draft orders are handy for various reasons.
Here's what they can do:
Accept Shopify payments for orders that are made over the phone or in-person, rather than onlineCreate a wholesale order or apply unique discountsInvoice customers for custom items or additional costs that are not included in the merchant's inventoryTake pre-orders on items that may not be available just yetSend invoices to customers who need to pay for an order using a secured checkout linkStore a Shopify order as a draft and save it for later use or reference.
How to Do a Test Order on Shopify
Sending through a Shopify test order can really help to fine-tune and asses a store's checkout process and settings for order processing, taxes, inventory management, shipping, and email notifications.
This can help Shopify merchants make any tweaks to their store’s checkout process necessary to boost conversion rate optimization and, ultimately, a business’s return on investment. If you’d like to send a Shopify draft to test your customer’s ordering experience, you can place a Shopify test order using a payment provider you’ve integrated into your website. Once the order is placed and you’re happy with the transaction process, all you have to do is immediately refund the order.
To do this, follow these steps:
Ensure the payment provider you’d like to use to test an order is set up correctly on your site.Next, simply make a purchase as any customer would and complete checkout.Log into your third-party payment provider account and ensure the order triggered the funds to be processed. And lastly, as soon as possible, cancel and refund the order to avoid paying any transaction fees.
» Pro tip: Offering customers buy now pay later options is a good way to increase conversion rates
How to Create a Shopify Draft Order
A merchant can create a draft order on behalf of a customer on the Shopify admin panel. Here's how:
Step 1: Navigate to the Orders Page
From the Shopify admin, click on the "Orders" page.
Step 2: Create a New Order or Duplicate an Existing Order/Draft
To create a brand new draft, from the right-hand side of the orders page, simply select the "Create order" button.
To duplicate an existing order or draft from the orders page, click on the relevant order number and, from the "More actions" drop-down menu, click "Duplicate".
Note: Copied draft orders will not duplicate any discounts or shipping rates applied to the original Shopify order. If they are still applicable to the new order, they will have to be applied once more.
Step 3: Fill in or Customize the Order's Details
From the newly created draft's page, details like the product itself, size of the product, product price, and quantities can all be added and edited.
Other details like adding a customer's details, applying required discounts, including taxes where necessary, and adding tags or notes to the order can all be customized here.
Step 4: Reserve the Products
To nominate a product as Shopify reserve inventory, at the top of the order details, select the "reserve items" text. From here, you can select how long you'd like to reserve the item by modifying both the time and the date.
Once this is completed, click the "save" button:
Step 5: Nominate the Customer
To hold the order under a certain customer's name, either search an existing customer or enter a new customer’s details. This can be done by searching for them by name or selecting the “Create a new customer” option from the "Find or create a customer" search bar located on the right-hand side of the order detail panel.
Step 6: Email, Print, Accept Payment or Save
You will then be able to do any of the following options:
Email the invoice to the customer by clicking "send invoice"
Print the invoice by clicking "print invoice" from the order printer appAccept payment for the order from the customerSave the order as a draft
If the order is saved as a draft, you will be able to update and edit it at a later stage on the "Drafts" page.
How to Create an Invoice in Shopify
If you’re unsure exactly how to create a Shopify invoice, don't worry. It’s actually a fairly easy process. Simply follow these steps:
From your Shopify store admin, click on “Orders” and underneath “Draft”.Next, within the Drafts panel click “Create draft order”.From there, add the relevant products, customer details, and any tags, taxes, shipping information, etc.Once all order details are entered, click the “Send invoice” button.A Send invoice panel will now pop up, within this panel enter any further order details including the customer’s email, plus an invoice name or custom message.Once that is completed, click “Review invoice”.Shopify will then give an example of what the invoice is going to look like when the customer receives it.If the details are correct and you are happy with how it looks, click “Send notification”.From there, it’s all up to the customer. They will soon receive the invoice and can quickly and easily enter their details and pay the amount due without any further intervention from you.
If, for whatever reason, you’d like to create an invoice manually, simply go to Shopify’s free invoice generator, enter the applicable details, and click “Submit”.
How to Change Order of Products on Shopify
Aside from sending a test order or two through, be aware that there is another great way to ensure your customer’s onsite and checkout experiences are completely flawless.
How?
By ordering your products that appear on your category pages in an intuitive way. By default, products are sorted alphabetically, although, often there are much better ways to order your products. For instance, sorting by best-selling is often a great way to showcase your, well, best-selling products that convert frequently.
Here’s a full list of the sorting options that Shopify gives you access to:
Ascending alphabetically A-ZDescending alphabetically Z-ABest-sellingManual orderHighest to lowest priceLowest to highest priceNewest to oldest dateOldest to newest date
You can change the way your products are showcased on a category page by following these steps:
From your Shopify admin page, click “Products” and then “Collections”.From there, select the collection of products you’d like to reorder.Now, from the Products section, click the drop-down list located next to the “Sort” button.Next, choose whichever order you’d prefer the products appear in.If, by chance, you’d like to manually order them, then simply drag and drop the products in whichever order suits your preferences.Once you’re happy, simply click “Save”.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Shopify order drafts are an easy way to create a purchase order, wholesale order, or reserve and hold certain products within your inventory for any of your new or existing customers.
By following these above tips and steps, without failure, you'll now be able to keep even your most FOMO susceptible customers, the type that simply can’t miss out on your best products, super satisfied every single time.
DropshippingUsing Your PO Box as Your Shopify Store AddressMany Shopify store owners still use their PO Box as an official Shopify business address which is understandable, especially for people who dropship and don't need a physical space to store goods.
However, consumers don't know or care about this as they'll only spend on a brand they trust. In e-commerce, your store's address can be a deciding factor to that trust.
Consumers need a location for numerous reasons. For instance, before they buy a product from you the first time, they want to know the timeframe to receive it. Or they want to know just because of curiosity to ensure you're close by. This is their habit with all non-major online stores to ensure they aren't scammed.
» Pro tip: Using one of the best social proof apps can help establish your brand integrity and credibility
Can I use a PO Box Address as My Shopify Store Address?
If you’re struggling to decide what address to use for a Shopify store, understand that, in theory, a PO Box address is perfectly suitable for a Shopify store address. And in some ways using a PO Box address makes a lot of sense. For one, using a PO Box hides your home address and helps to protect your personal information. And secondly, using a PO Box isn’t a bad option for customer returns, particularly if you aren’t regularly home during the day.
But, does Shopify ship to PO Boxes?
Yes; in fact, Shopify is perfectly happy to ship to PO Boxes. So your customers have no cause for concern in this regard. Although, using a PO Box as your Shopify store address may have other unintended consequences.
If you would like to use Shopify's PO Box shipping, simply do this in your locations settings. You can find this under settings > locations. If you intend for this to be your main address for fulfillment and shipping labels, then you should also change it to your default location so that you don't have to toggle it on each time you fulfill an order.
If you're a dropshipper, you may want to consider downloading a good dropshipping app which can help streamline this process.
What Happens When the Prospect Sees a PO Box Address?
If a prospect sees that you use a PO Box address for your business, it can easily raise a red flag and push them to shop elsewhere.
It isn't that there's anything wrong with a PO Box address but most consumers would naturally believe that such an address is fake and a sign of a scam due to the body of evidence that suggests this. They question why there's no physical address available if it's a real business, and rather than reach out to you to clarify why they'll go to the next web store on Google's results page.
How to Hide Your Address on Shopify
You can opt for a mail forwarding company service instead, as they'll give you a physical address that you can use for your business. Such services offer both a PO Box and physical address, so all you need to do is use the address provided as your brand's address on your Shopify website.
» Side note: You should consider using an app to hideout of stock inventory as well
Should I Use My Home Address on Shopify?
The simplest answer, probably not. It’s never a good idea to have your personal information out there for everyone to see. As we’ve already covered here, the use of a PO Box works but an even better solution is employing the services of a mail forwarding service.
So how do you change your Shopify business address?
It’s not hard to do at all, just follow these steps:
From your Shopify admin, navigate to “Settings”.Then, click on the “Store address” section.Next, enter the business name your use for accounting purposes, business phone number, the street, PO Box, or mail forwarding address, and select the ZIP/Postal code and country.And lastly, click the “Save” button to finalize all changes.
Conclusion
Shopify has no problem with you using a PO Box address, but should you? There are much better options to foster trust in consumers, such as mail forwarding services that can give you a physical location for your business.
Shopify accounting and taxesHow Sales Taxes Work When Dropshipping With AliExpressDue to recent law changes, AliExpress has started charging merchants sales taxes on purchased goods. Depending on where you live in the world, these taxes will vary dramatically.
To help you out, here is the location-specific lowdown on sales taxes when dropshipping with AliExpress.
» Pro tip: Use a Shopify app to help with accounting & taxes
Dropshipping Tax Requirements for AliExpress
Does AliExpress Charge Sales Tax?
Yes, AliExpress will charge sales taxes if you are importing goods into certain locales, states, or countries. For instance, if you are importing goods from AliExpress to the United States and live in certain states, you will be required to pay sales taxes. If you are charged a sales tax when purchasing items and living in an area that you believe shouldn’t be subject to these charges, contact AliExpress’ customer support directly and ask for an exemption.
Why Is AliExpress Charging Tax?
AliExpress may charge applicable location taxes due to laws and regulations that apply to certain locales. It is advised to check your local laws before ordering any products from AliExpress sellers because the AliExpress platform has been known to automatically add taxes to purchases that may not be applicable to you.
Do You Have to Pay GST on Dropshipping?
GST (goods and services tax) only applies to some countries. For instance, if you live in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, or some parts of Europe, purchases you make on AliExpress or other dropshipping marketplaces may be subject to GST.
» Best apps for dropshipping
Custom Tax From AliExpress to the USA
Due to the recent tariffs placed on products imported from China, your order (usually at a value of over $200 USD) may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, and fees levied by the United States. These charges will typically be due once the package reaches the country. However, custom taxes are only charged where applicable. Additional charges for customs clearance must also be borne by the recipient.
AliExpress Sales Tax Exemption
Some locations are exempt from sales taxes, GST, custom taxes, and the like. If you believe you are exempt from any of these taxes that are sometimes included in the purchases you make from AliExpress, contact their customer support directly. AliExpress is known to remove these charges from buyers that aren’t in locations that are subject to certain location-based taxes.
Country/City Sales Tax
Depending on where you live and what locale you are running your dropshipping business from, every country, and even different cities, have varying levels of tax.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the different types of taxes you’ll likely come across in different parts of the world.
USA
All goods imported from China are now subject to a nationwide value-added tax (VAT). Most goods imported for dropshipping purposes will likely be subject to a 17% tax.
Merchants within the US will be responsible for VAT on all purchases made on AliExpress. This needs to be done through the VAT clearance procedure, aligning with local custom authority requirements.
Canada
Canada requires all goods under a $20 CAD value that are sold within the country to be subject to a 13% goods and services tax (GST) or a provincial sales tax (PST).
Europe
Depending on the country of residence, sales taxes also apply to certain countries within Europe. This is of particular importance to merchants that operate within a country that forms part of the European Union.
New Zealand
Those merchants that are selling Chinese products within New Zealand will have to pay a 15% goods and services tax (GST) for goods valued at $1,000 NZD or less. At this time, AliExpress is required by law to collect this tax and remit it to local New Zealand tax authorities.
Australia
Similar to New Zealand, Chinese taxes that are sold within Australia will be subject to a 10% GST. Again, AliExpress is required by law to collect these taxes at the time of purchase.
Law of American States Regarding Sales Tax
The law of American states regarding sales taxes and other location-based taxes vary depending on which state you live in or do business from. As it stands, here are the American states that AliExpress must withhold sales taxes from and the dates these laws were rolled out:
Alabama, Oklahoma, Kansas: 1 Dec 2019Arizona, Minnesota, Utah, California, North Dakota, Colorado, Maryland, Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Massachusetts: 1 Oct 2019Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia: 1 July 2019Columbia, Nebraska: 1 April 2019Connecticut, Iowa: 1 January 2019Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan: 1 Jan 2020Maine: 1 Nov 2019New Jersey, South Carolina: 1 November 2018New York, Idaho: 1 June 2019Ohio: 1 Sept 2019Rhode Island: 27 June 2019South Dakota: 1 March 2019Washington: 1 October 2018
Are You Required by Law to Collect States Tax?
All the sales taxes and other applicable taxes held by Aliexpress are administered under local law. If you think you are exempt from these taxes, contact AliExpress.
Relevant Local Tax Authorities
Depending on where you are located, your relevant local tax authorities can be contacted through different means. For the US, your local tax authorities can be found through the IRS’s website.
What This Means for You
Depending on where online merchants live and where they are selling their goods, they may be subject to sales taxes. To be sure you are paying an adequate amount of sales tax, it’s best to get in contact with local authorities as laws and regulations around imported goods are subject to change. As a side note, in order to be charged a sales tax you must make a sale in the first place. This list of best sales increase apps is sure to help any e-commerce merchant especially if you're using popular platforms such as AliExpress and Shopify.
Shopify marketingHow Facebook Ad Budget Limits WorkOver the years, Facebook has implemented various types of limits on the Facebook Ads platform, from limiting how much can be spent on a single ad to limiting how many campaigns a Facebook account can create or manage. These limits can create a lot of confusion and frustration, but can also be very helpful and potentially protect you, your customers, and Facebook from running into any trouble.
Below, we’ll dive into some of the limits imposed by Facebook, how they work, why they exist, and how you can use them to create great marketing & ad campaigns for your e-commerce store.
» For more info on SEO optimization check out our list of best apps here
Historical Spending Limits
Historically, Facebook would set a daily spending limit on new Facebook Ad accounts. The limit would start at approximately $25 per day and increase incrementally to $50, $100, $250, and so on until the limit was completely removed.
This spending limit was implemented by Facebook in order to prevent potential fraud or exploits by new account holders. By setting a limit on daily spending, Facebook would be able to monitor activity and verify that a new account is following the required ad policies and content guidelines. Facebook would also be able to verify the payment method used by the account and ensure that the credit card used was not stolen or fraudulent. This has become all the more important with the rise of buy now pay later methods in online business.
Although some very new accounts may still experience these daily spending limits, Facebook’s Help Center and policies no longer make reference to them, leading some people to believe that the spending limits have been removed completely and that new users may be confusing these spending limits with other limits currently imposed by Facebook.
» Note: as an e-commerce merchant it's important to have the best buy now pay later app available for your store
Why Is Facebook Ads Limiting My Daily Budget to $50?
As mentioned above, when first running ads with a new Facebook ads account, you’re likely to run into daily ad spending caps. Many times, users will find there is a Facebook ads $50 limit that is enforced upon their account. Why? Well, for new accounts, Facebook sets a daily $50 cap limit for security measures. This is simply to ensure that an account’s payment method is legitimate and that nothing untoward is occurring.
When this daily $50 cap is reached all current ads are paused. Once this occurs, Facebook then sends a notification informing you that the daily spending limit has been reached and won’t resume any further ads until the following day.
Even with that knowledge, many people are still wondering how to increase their daily spending limit on Facebook.
Is It Possible to Change and Increase It and, If Yes, How?
At this stage, for newly created Facebook ad accounts, there is no way to increase daily ad spend limits. And, as frustrating as a pause on an ad campaign can be, know that this isn’t permanent. As Facebook reviews your ad account, daily ad spend limits will incrementally increase and ultimately be completely lifted. This means that, over time, you will be able to manually set daily ad spend limits and dictate exactly how much money you’d like to allocate towards an ad campaign.
Once the Facebook ads $50 limit has been lifted, manually increasing your daily ad spend limit is fairly simple. To do so, you’ll need to alter a few settings. Here’s how:
Head to “Payment settings” found within the ad account settings.Within the “Account spending limit”, click the 3-dot icon.Click the “Change” button.Next, enter the amount you’d like to set your spending limit at.And lastly, click “Done” to confirm.
If you don’t see your ads appear straight away don’t panic, the changes you’ve just made may take up to 15 minutes to update.
Facebook Ads Billing Thresholds
The billing threshold is a type of limit that determines when Facebook will charge you for the ads which have been run using a Facebook Ads account. Once an account reaches the billing threshold, Facebook will pause all active ads until payment has been made. Once payment is made, the active ads will continue to run immediately.
New Facebook ad account typically have an automatic billing threshold which is set by Facebook. Similar to the historic daily spending limits, the billing threshold will be increased incrementally as successful payments are made and the account is noted as trustworthy by Facebook.
This limit is another anti-fraud measure implemented by Facebook and is a way for you to build up a payment history and build trust with Facebook.
Facebook Ad Account Spending Limits
Unlike the historical daily spending limits and billing thresholds, the Facebook Ad Account Spending Limit is a limit that is controlled by the Admin or user of the Facebook account. This limit can be set to any amount. Once spending reaches the set limit, all active ads will be paused and you will not be able to spend further until the limit is increased or removed.
By default, new accounts do not have a spending limit set, but this lifetime spending limit can be changed and set at any time and is effective immediately. The limit will begin to track all expenditure from the moment that the limit is set, but will not track any ad spend prior to the time that the limit is set.
The Facebook Ad Account Spending Limit is a helpful tool to manage your ad spend across all campaigns and ad sets to ensure that you do not go over your budget. If you have a monthly ad spend budget, you can reset the limit at the start of each month to ensure that you stay within your monthly budget.
» Best apps to help with accounting & taxes
Facebook Ads Daily Budget Limits
Facebook allows for daily budgets to be set on ad sets, ensuring that your monthly budget is spread evenly throughout the month. These budget limits can be manually set when an ad set is created.
This budget is not a hard limit, meaning that there is some flexibility in the limit. For example, you may set your daily budget to $100, but notice that your daily expenditure ranges from $75 to $125. This is because Facebook tries to show your ads on the days and times where they will perform best, meaning that there will be some daily fluctuations in expenditure, but your monthly average will still be $100 per day.
Facebook Campaign Spending Limits
A campaign spending limit is an adjustable limit that can help you to control how much is spent by a single ad campaign. This limit will ensure that ads within a campaign stop running when the limit is reached to prevent over-spending and it can be adjusted or removed at any time. With multiple ads and ad sets within a campaign, it can be tricky to manually track expenditure across the entire campaign, making Campaign Spending Limits a great cost-controlling tool that can be used to your advantage.
Facebook Campaign, Ad Set, and Ad Limits
Facebook has recently implemented limits to the number of campaigns, ad sets, and ads that can be created or managed using a single ad account. Once an ad account reaches these given limits, no further campaigns, ad sets, or ads will be allowed to be created using the ad account. These limits are lifetime limits that apply to active and inactive campaigns, ad sets, and ads.
Once the limit is reached for campaigns, ad sets, or ads, some items will have to be deleted rather than deactivated in order for the account to be able to create campaigns, ad sets, and ads again.
These limits have been implemented in order to assist Facebook with the machine learning process. Facebook has noted that when an account creates too many ads, these ads very rarely exit the learning phase, meaning that the ads never become fully optimized. By limiting the number of ads an account can create, these ads will be able to perform better.