Flat Rate Shipping Not Being Applied At Checkout

[4PawdCreations]

I have been trying and trying to get shipping to apply at checkout when I send a link to a customer to order an item.  No matter what I do, it will not show up at checkout.  Here is a link I’ve been using https://square.link/u/7d5WeSa3 

[rtfulk]

@4PawdCreations Welcome to the community. Here is a few things tio check.

1.Make sure you have shipping enabled.

• Go to Square dashboard/Online/Fulfillment/Shipping.
• Make sure you have atleast one active shipping rate set.
• If you don't have an active rate shipping will not show up at checkout.
• Below is how I have my shipping rate setup.

2. Check your fulfillment Settings.

• Go to your item library.
• Under fulfilment, make sure Shipping is checked
• If the item is only set for Pickup/Delivery only, shipping will not be charged.

3. Shipping Zone.

• In the Shipping Settings, make sure you at least one Shipping zone defined: example United States, Canada...etc.
• If your customers address is not in an active shipping zone, Shipping will not be displayed.

Hopefully this will get your shipping showing up, If not post back and we will look deeper.

[4PawdCreations]

I have my shipping set up by weight, perhaps that's why?  Everything else looks similar to yours.  

[rtfulk]

That may be it, Under the profile I have Type set as Order.

Then in the Add rate page I have it set as Based on Number of Items.

[4PawdCreations]

I tried to swich it to per item and it will won't show shipping options at check out with the link.

[rtfulk · Accepted solution]

I did a little more research and it appears, Square Checkout Links are meant for quick, simplified payments. By default, they don’t display full shipping options the way your Square Online Store checkout does. Even if you set items to “Shippable” and configure per-item shipping rates, a standalone checkout link often won’t surface those options. Instead, Checkout Links usually assume pickup/delivery only or treat shipping as a flat add-on, depending on how the link was built.

One thing you could do is copy the link of the item from your online store instead of a quick link. This will make the customer go through the checkout process as if they are buying it straight from your website. If you have your shipping setup there it should show and charge shipping.

One other thing I read that you could try is turn on Service Charge and name it Shipping.

You can add a service charge that acts as shipping:

1. Go to your Square Dashboard → Settings → Service Charges.

2. Create a new service charge, e.g., “Flat Shipping Fee”, with a fixed amount (say $6).

3. When you generate a checkout link, apply this service charge so it’s added at checkout.

[4PawdCreations]

Thank you SO much! You’ve be so helpful! 

[rtfulk]

You're welcome. I hope you found a solution.

[Victoria12]

That sounds incredibly frustrating! A common culprit for this is that the customer's location or zip code isn't being detected early enough in the checkout process for the Flat Rate Shipping rules to trigger. The link might be bypassing the cart page where this is often calculated.

Before digging deeper, ensure you've set a fallback rate in your shipping settings. For a more streamlined experience for your customers, many are now using direct mobile storefronts. For instance, downloading the official New MovieBox app can often simplify the checkout and shipping calculation process automatically, creating a more reliable path to purchase.

Could you double-check that the shipping zone for your flat rate is set to "all eligible countries" and that the customer is accessing the correct, complete checkout link and not a direct product link.