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    Alpaca support > Carrier Service

    Carrier Service

    Updated on March 17, 2021

    Carrier Service is a Shopify API which allows third-party apps (such as Alpaca) to display shipping rates in the checkout. Alpaca requires access to Carrier Service to display pickup and delivery rates in checkout.

    How to get Carrier Service

    There are a few ways to be eligible for Carrier Service:

    1. Switch to an annually-paid Shopify plan. We recommend this because you’ll also save some money on your average monthly cost.
    2. Add it to any monthly Shopify plan for $20/mo.
    3. Switch to Shopify Advanced plan or higher.

    You will need to contact Shopify Support directly to add Carrier Service. It is not automatically added when you switch to an eligible plan, and we can’t add it on your behalf.

    Contact Shopify support to add Carrier Service to your store

    You can contact Shopify support by chat or by email.

    Features that don’t work without Carrier Service

    Alpaca can still function without access to Carrier Service if you use Shopify’s native pickup and local delivery offering. However, some of Alpaca’s core functionality will not be supported:

    • Limiting which delivery options are shown in the checkout based on the customer’s previous selection (e.g. hide pickup options if they already chose delivery)
    • Hiding pickup and delivery options based on whether the cart is eligible for pickup / delivery
    • Hiding pickup and delivery options based on whether items are in stock at the selected location
    • And more…
    More support articles

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    Configure your own Google Maps API key

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    Disable ordering until orders are marked as packed

    Don't let customers schedule a pickup or delivery until the order is marked as packed

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    Manually change an order's delivery method and/or scheduled date and time

    Updated on March 22, 2021

    Disable rescheduling

    Don't let your customers reschedule their pickup/delivery date and time

    Updated on March 17, 2021

    Prevent mixed carts

    Prompt customers to remove items which aren't eligible for their selected delivery method.

    Updated on March 16, 2021

    Removing the shipping option from delivery methods

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    Require customers to schedule a pickup/delivery before checkout

    Ensure your customers pick a time before completing their checkout

    Updated on March 5, 2021

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    Why shipping rates and delivery methods may not appear on your website

    Updated on March 5, 2021

    Optimized local delivery routes

    Generate optimized delivery routes for your Shopify orders

    Updated on March 5, 2021

    Restrict pickup/delivery dates for specific products

    Great for handling pre-orders and seasonal products

    Updated on March 4, 2021

    Hiding line item attributes

    How to hide _alpaca_id attributes from appearing

    Updated on December 9, 2020

    Liquid variables in notifications

    How to add dynamic content to your notifications

    Updated on October 13, 2020

    Delivery rates by zip / postal code

    How to restrict local delivery rates to specific zip or postal codes

    Updated on August 25, 2020

    How to add or edit pickup schedules

    Set when you offer pickup and other options regarding curbside pickup

    Updated on June 2, 2020

    How to add or edit local delivery rates

    Manage the prices and options for local delivery

    Updated on June 2, 2020

    Change the look-and-feel of the pickup call-to-action

    How to modify the fonts and colors of the pickup CTA

    Updated on June 2, 2020

    Add a pickup call-to-action to your theme

    How to display a pickup CTA on your storefront

    Updated on June 2, 2020

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