Shopify Development9 min readAugust 23, 2026Jasmine Lovalace

Shopify Managed Markets Ends Delivered Duty Unpaid: What Canadian Merchants Must Check Before August 24, 2026

Shopify Managed Markets stops supporting delivered duty unpaid on August 24, 2026, everywhere it supports delivered duty paid. What actually changes for Canadian manufacturers, wholesalers, and DTC brands selling into the US, why duties now show up at checkout instead of the door, and what to check before the switch happens on its own.

On August 24, 2026, Shopify Managed Markets stops supporting delivered duty unpaid everywhere it already supports delivered duty paid, and every affected market switches over automatically. For a Canadian manufacturer, wholesaler, or DTC brand shipping into the US and beyond, that means customers in those markets start paying duties and import taxes at checkout instead of at the door. Nothing about the underlying duty owed changes. What changes is when it is collected, how it is shown to the buyer, and what your storefront now needs to get right before the switch happens on its own.

Quick answer: if you run Shopify Managed Markets, no setup is required to receive this change, it happens automatically on August 24, 2026. If you specifically want to keep delivered duty unpaid, you need to turn off Managed Markets before that date, which also means giving up its merchant of record protection. Either way, recalculate your landed pricing and test checkout before the deadline, not after.

01. The Quick Answer

Shopify Managed Markets, the merchant of record service formerly branded Markets Pro, is ending delivered duty unpaid support on August 24, 2026, in every country and region where it already supports delivered duty paid. Any market that currently uses or inherits delivered duty unpaid moves automatically to delivered duty paid. Customers pay duties and taxes as part of the checkout total rather than to a carrier or broker after the order arrives.

Why it matters: the merchants most exposed here are not the ones running exotic international setups. They are ordinary Canadian sellers on Managed Markets who have never had to think about duty timing before, because it was always handled the same way, and is now about to change without a notification landing in their inbox on the day.

02. At-a-Glance: Delivered Duty Unpaid vs Delivered Duty Paid

FactorDelivered Duty Unpaid (before)Delivered Duty Paid (after Aug 24, 2026)
Who pays duties, and whenThe buyer pays duties and import taxes to the carrier or a broker after the order ships, usually at the doorDuties and import taxes are calculated and collected at checkout, included in the order total
When the buyer learns the full costAfter purchase, sometimes days later, as a surprise bill on deliveryBefore purchase, as part of the checkout total they already agreed to pay
Risk of refused delivery or chargebacksHigher: buyers who did not expect a duty bill sometimes refuse the package or dispute the chargeLower: the landed price is already paid, so there is no second bill to refuse
Who is the merchant of recordShopify, through Managed Markets, unchangedShopify, through Managed Markets, unchanged
What shows up on the product page and checkoutA base price with duties disclosed as owed later, not includedA duty-inclusive landed price shown at checkout
Action required from the merchantNone: this was simply how the market was configuredNone if the new default is acceptable. Turn off Managed Markets before August 24 to keep the old behaviour

Why it matters: the duty amount itself is unchanged in every row. What moves is the timing and the visibility, and that is exactly the part that determines whether a customer is pleasantly surprised at checkout or unpleasantly surprised at the door.

03. Why This Is Urgent for Canadian Merchants Right Now

The deadline is days away, not months, and it lands while Canadian merchants are already navigating tariff volatility on cross-border shipments to the US. A store that has not looked at how its US market is configured under Managed Markets could see its checkout totals change shape this week, with no code deployment and no announcement banner to flag it beyond Shopify's own changelog.

Why it matters: the risk is not that the change breaks checkout. It is that pricing pages, ad copy, and customer service scripts that describe duties as something paid later quietly become wrong the moment the switch happens, and nobody notices until a customer asks why they were not charged what the website said.

04. Managed Markets vs Base Shopify Markets

It is worth being precise about which product this affects, since the two get confused constantly. Base Shopify Markets is the free layer on every plan that handles currency display, localized pricing, and market-specific domains. Shopify Managed Markets, the service this article covers, is the separate paid add-on, previously marketed as Markets Pro, that acts as merchant of record for cross-border orders, handles customs paperwork, and calculates duties at checkout.

Why it matters: only markets actually running under Managed Markets are affected by this specific switch. A merchant using base Shopify Markets alone was already generally selling delivered duty unpaid by default, and this August 24 change does not alter that setup on its own.

05. What Actually Changes on August 24, 2026

Any market on Managed Markets that currently uses or inherits delivered duty unpaid moves to delivered duty paid wherever Managed Markets supports it. Buyers in those markets pay duties and import taxes at checkout, folded into the order total, instead of paying a carrier or customs broker separately once the package arrives. The transition is automatic. If the new default works for you, there is nothing to configure.

Why it matters: automatic is not the same as invisible. The checkout total your customer sees is about to include a line item it did not include before, and every piece of content describing the old flow needs to catch up to that.

06. What to Check Before the Deadline

A short, practical list, in the order it is worth working through it.

  • Confirm which of your markets actually run through Managed Markets. Shopify Managed Markets and base Shopify Markets are not the same product. Check Settings, then Markets, and confirm which countries you sell into are configured under Managed Markets specifically, since only those markets are affected by this switch.
  • Decide whether delivered duty paid is right for your brand and margin. For most cross-border sellers, showing one landed price at checkout reduces the friction of a surprise bill at the door. Weigh that against how a higher sticker total at checkout compares to a US competitor's domestic price before deciding to opt out.
  • Recalculate your landed pricing now that duty shows up at checkout. A duty-inclusive total changes what the buyer sees as the price of the product, even though the underlying cost has not changed. Review your pricing strategy for affected markets rather than letting the new total speak for itself.
  • Test checkout with a real address in each affected market. Place a test order into your US market, or any other market running on Managed Markets, and confirm the duty-inclusive total displays correctly and matches what you expect before customers see it live.
  • Update shipping policy pages and customer-facing FAQ content. Any page that currently tells customers to expect a separate duty bill at delivery needs updating once that market moves to delivered duty paid, or you will generate support tickets about a charge that no longer happens.
  • If you want to keep delivered duty unpaid, turn off Managed Markets before August 24. This is the only way to preserve the old behaviour, and it means giving up the merchant of record protection, automated customs paperwork, and local payment methods that Managed Markets provides, not just the duty timing.

Why it matters: the goal is to know exactly what your checkout will show before a customer does, rather than finding out from a support ticket the same week Managed Markets makes the switch for you.

07. Should You Opt Out and Keep DDU

For most Canadian merchants, the honest answer is no. Delivered duty paid removes the single most common cause of refused deliveries and disputed charges in cross-border ecommerce: a customer who did not expect, and does not want to pay, a bill from a carrier weeks after checking out. Opting out means keeping that risk, and it also means giving up Managed Markets' merchant of record protection and automated customs paperwork entirely, not just the duty timing.

The one case worth a second look is a brand whose duty-inclusive checkout total now reads noticeably higher than a comparable US competitor's domestic price. That is a pricing and positioning question, not strictly a platform setting, and it is worth working through the numbers before deciding to opt out on price alone.

Why it matters: the decision to opt out should be made on pricing strategy, not on a reflex to avoid change. Most merchants who look closely at the trade-off keep delivered duty paid.

08. How This Connects to Tariffs and International Expansion

This is a checkout mechanics change, not a new cost or a new tariff. The duties collected at checkout under delivered duty paid are the same duties that were always owed, including whatever a Canadian shipment currently faces under the trade policy covered in our cross-border ecommerce and tariffs guide. If you are still deciding whether to build out a US market in the first place, our Shopify Markets explainer covers the setup decisions this change now sits on top of, and it is worth an update pass now that delivered duty paid is the default rather than an optional add-on layer.

Why it matters: merchants who already have a US market running under Managed Markets do not need a new project here, they need a checklist pass on pricing and content before a deadline that arrives this week.

09. How AtlanticWorks Helps

AtlanticWorks is a certified Shopify partner working with manufacturers, wholesalers, and DTC brands shipping across the Canada-US border and beyond. We audit which of your markets run under Managed Markets, recalculate landed pricing once duties show up at checkout, update shipping policy and FAQ content to match, and test the full checkout flow on a real address before the deadline hits. If you are not sure whether your storefront is about to show customers a different total this week, the free assessment is the fastest way to find out.

10. Key Takeaways

  • On August 24, 2026, Shopify Managed Markets stops supporting delivered duty unpaid everywhere it supports delivered duty paid, and affected markets switch automatically with no action required if the new default is acceptable.
  • Delivered duty paid means the buyer's checkout total already includes duties and import taxes, instead of a separate bill collected at the door after the order ships.
  • This only affects markets running on Shopify Managed Markets, the paid merchant of record service formerly branded Markets Pro. Merchants using only the free Shopify Markets layer are not affected by this specific switch.
  • The change does not create a new cost. The duties were always owed under delivered duty unpaid too, this only changes when and how they are collected.
  • Merchants who want to keep delivered duty unpaid must turn off Managed Markets before August 24, 2026, which also means losing its merchant of record protection and automated customs handling.
  • The practical work before the deadline is recalculating landed pricing, testing checkout on a real address, and updating any shipping policy content that still describes duties as owed on delivery.

11. Frequently Asked Questions

What is happening to Shopify Managed Markets on August 24, 2026?

On August 24, 2026, Shopify Managed Markets stops supporting delivered duty unpaid in every country and region where it supports delivered duty paid. Any market that currently uses or inherits delivered duty unpaid moves automatically to delivered duty paid wherever Managed Markets supports it. The change is automatic and needs no action if you are comfortable with the new default.

What is the difference between DDU and DDP?

Delivered duty unpaid means the buyer pays duties and import taxes separately, usually to the carrier or a customs broker at the door, after the order has already shipped. Delivered duty paid means those same duties and taxes are calculated and collected at checkout, so the price the buyer pays online is the full landed cost with nothing owed on delivery.

Do I need to do anything if I already use Shopify Managed Markets?

Not unless you want to keep the old delivered duty unpaid behaviour. If you are fine with duties being collected at checkout instead of at the door, the transition happens on its own on August 24, 2026 and requires no setup. If you specifically want customers to keep paying duties on delivery, you need to turn off Shopify Managed Markets before that date, which also means losing the merchant of record protection and automated customs handling that come with it.

Does this affect merchants who only use base Shopify Markets, not Managed Markets?

No, this specific change is scoped to Shopify Managed Markets, the paid merchant of record service formerly called Markets Pro. A merchant using only the free Shopify Markets layer for currency and pricing localization was already generally selling delivered duty unpaid by default and is not affected by this particular switch, though the underlying delivered duty paid, delivered duty unpaid distinction still applies to how their shipments are billed.

Will duty-inclusive pricing at checkout hurt my conversion rate?

The evidence points the other way for most merchants. A checkout total that already includes duties tends to reduce refused deliveries, chargebacks, and support tickets caused by a surprise bill at the door, which is the more common conversion killer in cross-border ecommerce. The number to watch is not the checkout conversion rate alone, it is the landed price itself, since a higher sticker total at checkout can change how competitive your price looks next to a domestic US alternative.

How does this connect to the tariffs Canadian merchants are already dealing with in 2026?

This is a checkout mechanics change, not a new tariff or a new cost. The duties being collected at checkout under delivered duty paid are the same duties that were always owed under delivered duty unpaid, just collected earlier and shown as one number instead of a surprise at delivery. The tariff rates and trade policy themselves are a separate question, covered in AtlanticWorks' guide to cross-border ecommerce and tariffs.

Shopify's Managed Markets rules, supported countries, and duty handling can change. Confirm current behaviour for each of your markets under Settings, then Markets, in your own Shopify admin, and verify the August 24, 2026 date against Shopify's own changelog before making pricing or content changes.

Not sure how the August 24 switch affects your checkout?

AtlanticWorks runs a free assessment of your Shopify Managed Markets setup, checks which markets are affected, and confirms your checkout shows the right duty-inclusive total before the deadline changes it for you.

Start the Assessment