Guide

Shipping from Denmark to Norway, Sweden and Germany with Shopify

Your nearest export markets are Sweden, Norway and Germany. This guide covers the Shopify setup, the carriers that work in each country, and what to check before you open.

Updated

Sweden, Norway and Germany are the natural next markets for a Danish store. The products and the warehouse stay the same. What changes is the checkout: the currency, the language, the carriers and the pickup points your customers expect. This guide takes you through the setup in Shopify and shows which carriers work in each country.

Set up the countries in Shopify

Shopify Markets

Shopify Markets is where you add a country and decide how you sell to it. Open Settings, Markets, and add Sweden, Norway and Germany as markets. For each market you can set the currency, the languages and the domain or subfolder. Keep the markets inactive until the shipping setup below is done.

Shipping zones per country

Shipping rates are set under Settings, Shipping and delivery. Your shipping profile has zones, and each zone holds the countries that share the same rates. Create one zone per country, so that Sweden, Norway and Germany each get their own rates and their own carriers. One zone for "Europe" is easier, but then every country shows the same methods.

Shopify's own rates can only be based on price or weight, and they cannot show a pickup point. To show live pickup points and carrier-specific rules, you need the Carrier Calculated Rates feature. Shopify includes it on Advanced and Plus and sells it as an add-on on Grow through Shopify support. Basic cannot get it. Read the full steps in the guide on Carrier Calculated Rates.

Which carriers work in each country

Pakkeshopper connects to the carriers below. The list shows what each carrier offers in the country. The free Starter plan covers one carrier. Pro and up cover all carriers and label printing.

Sweden

  • PostNord: pickup points, parcel lockers and home delivery. Labels are printed directly, with your PostNord customer number. Tracking and return labels are supported.
  • Bring: pickup points and home delivery. Labels are printed directly. Tracking and return labels are supported.
  • Budbee: pickup points, Budbee box lockers and home delivery. Labels through vShip.
  • Instabox: parcel lockers only. Labels through vShip.

Norway

  • Bring, shown as Posten: pickup points and home delivery. Labels are printed directly. Tracking and return labels are supported.
  • Helthjem: pickup points and home delivery. Labels through vShip.
  • Budbee: pickup points, Budbee box lockers and home delivery. Labels through vShip.

Germany

  • DHL: pickup points and home delivery. The German pickup points come from a local copy that is refreshed every night, so the checkout is fast. Labels through vShip. Tracking is supported.
  • Hermes: pickup points and home delivery. Labels through vShip.
  • DPD: pickup points and home delivery. Labels are printed directly, and tracking is supported. DPD runs on PostNord's network, so a PostNord method is shown as DPD to German shoppers.

Finland

Finland is often the fourth market. Posti offers pickup points and home delivery, with direct labels and tracking. Budbee covers Finland too.

Labels for the carriers marked "through vShip" need a vShip account. The methods and the pickup points in the checkout work without it.

Show the right carrier per country

With one zone per country, Shopify already sends only that country's rates. In Pakkeshopper you add the second layer: a rule on destination country on each shipping method. A PostNord method with the rule "Sweden" never shows in Germany, and a DHL method with the rule "Germany" never shows in Norway. Combine the country rule with weight and order value, for example free shipping in Sweden over a higher amount than in Denmark. See the shipping rules page for all rule types.

Local brand names in the checkout

Customers trust the carrier they know. Pakkeshopper shows Bring as Posten to shoppers in Norway and as Posti in Finland, with the local logo. The order data still says Bring, so your warehouse system and your label flow do not change.

Norway is outside the EU

Sweden, Germany and Finland are in the EU, so a parcel moves without customs. Norway is not. Customs and VAT rules apply to parcels from Denmark to Norway, and they change over time. This guide gives no thresholds or rates. Check the current rules with the Norwegian authorities and your carrier before you open the market. In Shopify, look at the duties and import taxes settings under Markets, so the customer sees the costs in the checkout and not at the door.

Labels and tracking per carrier

Print labels from an order or in bulk from the orders list. See the label printing page. Pakkeshopper marks the order as fulfilled with the tracking number in the same step, and Shopify sends its shipping confirmation e-mail.

  • Direct labels: PostNord (needs your PostNord customer number), Bring (also as Posten), Posti and DPD.
  • Labels through vShip: DHL, Hermes, Budbee, Instabox and Helthjem. Map each shipping method to a vShip shipping profile.
  • Return labels: PostNord and Bring. Turn them on, and a return label prints after each shipping label.
  • Tracking: PostNord, Bring, DHL, DPD and Posti. The tracking dashboard shows delivery rate, transit time and the parcels that need attention, per carrier. Shopify Flow can trigger on a transit issue, an uncollected parcel or a returned parcel.

Print Agent prints the labels automatically on your label printer.

The order confirmation and the dashboard

The Shopify order confirmation page shows the carrier logo, a delivery status bar and the chosen pickup point with address and opening hours. It is available in 9 languages, so a Swedish or German customer reads it in their own language. Pakkeshopper's dashboard is in Danish, English, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish.

Launch checklist per country

Go through the list for each country before you activate the market.

Sweden

  1. Add Sweden as a market with SEK and Swedish.
  2. Create a Sweden zone in your shipping profile.
  3. Add a PostNord or Bring method with pickup points, and a Budbee or Instabox method if you want lockers.
  4. Add a destination rule for Sweden on each method.
  5. Place a test order to a Swedish address and check the pickup points.

Norway

  1. Add Norway as a market with NOK and Norwegian.
  2. Check the customs and VAT rules and Shopify's duties settings.
  3. Add a Bring method; it shows as Posten in the checkout.
  4. Add Helthjem or Budbee if you want more options.
  5. Place a test order and check the confirmation page in Norwegian.

Germany

  1. Add Germany as a market with EUR and German.
  2. Create a Germany zone.
  3. Add a DHL method with pickup points, and Hermes or DPD as an alternative.
  4. Set up vShip if you want DHL or Hermes labels from Pakkeshopper.
  5. Place a test order and check that the German pickup points show.

Shopify caches shipping rates for up to 24 hours. Change the house number or the cart contents between tests to get fresh rates.

Frequently asked questions

Which carriers offer pickup points in Sweden from a Danish Shopify store?
PostNord, Bring and Budbee offer pickup points in Sweden, and PostNord and Budbee also offer parcel lockers. Instabox offers parcel lockers only.
Why does my Bring method show as Posten in Norway?
Bring is shown as Posten to shoppers in Norway, with the local logo. The order data still says Bring, so your warehouse system sees the same carrier.
Can I print labels for German carriers from Pakkeshopper?
DHL and Hermes labels are printed through the vShip integration, so the store needs a vShip account. DPD labels are printed directly by Pakkeshopper.
Do I need to do anything special for Norway?
Norway is outside the EU, so customs and VAT rules apply to your parcels. Check the current rules and Shopify's duties and import taxes settings before you open the market.

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