International Selling on Shopify: Multi-Currency and Markets Guide
Selling internationally on Shopify has become significantly easier with Shopify Markets. Whether you're expanding from the UK to Europe, or going global, here's how to set up international selling properly.
Shopify Markets: The Foundation
Shopify Markets (available on all plans) lets you manage multiple countries and regions from a single store. For each market, you can configure:
- Local currency pricing and rounding rules
- Language translations
- Local domains or subfolders (/en-gb/, /de/, /fr/)
- Country-specific product availability
- Duties and import tax estimation
Currency Configuration
Shopify Markets auto-converts prices using current exchange rates plus a configurable rounding rule. However, auto-conversion can create odd-looking prices (£29.99 becoming €34.17). For key markets, set manual prices or rounding rules that produce clean prices in the local currency.
Language and Translations
Use Shopify's native translation app or a third-party tool like Weglot for multi-language support. Critical translation priorities:
- Product titles and descriptions
- Checkout and transactional emails
- Navigation and collection names
- Legal pages (privacy, terms, returns)
Machine translation is a starting point, but have native speakers review key pages — product descriptions and checkout especially.
Duties and Taxes
Shopify can estimate and collect duties and import taxes at checkout, which is critical for customer experience. When customers pay duties upfront (DDP — Delivered Duty Paid), they won't face unexpected charges on delivery. This dramatically reduces refused deliveries and returns.
Configure tax settings per market. EU stores need VAT registration and compliance, which Shopify handles with the correct tax rates per country.
Shipping Strategy
International shipping configuration options:
- Flat-rate shipping per zone (simple, predictable for customers)
- Carrier-calculated rates (accurate but variable)
- Free shipping thresholds per market (adjust for local purchasing power)
Domain Strategy
Three options for international stores:
- Subfolders: yourstore.com/de/ — simplest, consolidates SEO authority
- Subdomains: de.yourstore.com — separate but on the same root domain
- Country domains: yourstore.de — strongest local signal but splits domain authority
For most stores, subfolders offer the best balance of simplicity and SEO benefit. See our Plus comparison for expansion store options and our analytics guide for tracking international performance.
Shopify Plus: Expansion Stores
Plus merchants get up to 9 expansion stores under one account. These are separate storefronts sharing a backend, useful for markets that need a fundamentally different shopping experience (different product catalogue, pricing structure, or fulfilment model).
FAQ
Do I need Shopify Plus for international selling?
No. Shopify Markets is available on all plans and handles most international selling needs — multi-currency, translations, duties estimation, and market-specific pricing. Plus adds expansion stores for dedicated storefronts and more advanced customisation, but Markets is sufficient for most brands.
How do I handle returns from international customers?
Offer a local return address if volume justifies it, or use a returns management service like Global-e or Return Rabbit that handles international returns logistics. At minimum, clearly state your international returns policy with realistic timeframes.
Which markets should I prioritise first?
Check your GA4 data for existing international traffic and purchases. Start with markets where you already have organic demand. For UK-based stores, Ireland, EU countries, and the US/Canada are typically the strongest first markets due to language and purchasing power.
Planning international expansion for your Shopify store? Get in touch or book a call to discuss your international Shopify setup.