Advanced Sorting

This guide explains how to use Advanced delivery sorting in Shopify Delivery Checkout.

It is written for merchants, not developers. Use this page if you want to answer questions like:

  • "Show these carrier methods first"
  • "Keep these methods in one fixed order"
  • "Sort the rest by closest, cheapest, or name"
  • "Understand exactly when sorting rules still apply"

Where to find it

In the Shipit app:

Settings > Delivery customization > Advanced delivery sorting

Core idea

Advanced sorting now uses one primary concept:

  • Ordered shipping methods

You place the shipping methods you care about into the order you want. Then you choose how strictly that ordered list should be applied.

Sorting rules are always important. They are not an optional extra. They decides what happens to:

  • methods that are not listed
  • methods that share the same preference level
  • the internal order of listed methods in preferred-first mode

Ordered shipping methods

This is the list of shipping methods you want Shipit to recognize and prioritize.

Shipit matches those method names against the checkout option title.

Example ordered list:

  1. Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti
  2. Postipaketti
  3. PostNord MyPack Collect DPD

That list does not by itself tell Shipit everything about sorting. You must also choose how the list is applied.

Two ordering behaviors

1. Prefer listed methods first

Use this when you want listed methods to be preferred before other methods, but you still want normal sorting rules to decide the order inside that preference level.

What it means:

  • listed methods are preferred first
  • methods not listed come after that according to your sorting rules
  • if multiple checkout options match the same listed method, they still use your sorting rules for their internal order

Example:

  • ordered method: Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti
  • sort by: Distance
  • direction: Ascending

Result:

  • all Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti options are preferred first
  • within the Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti group, the closest pickup point appears before the farthest one

This mode is best when you want:

  • carrier obligations at the top
  • but still want "closest first", "cheapest first", or "A-Z" inside those carrier groups

2. Keep listed methods in exact order

Use this when you want the ordered shipping methods to behave like fixed top-level buckets.

What it means:

  • listed methods stay in the exact order you defined
  • methods not listed use your sorting rules after the listed methods
  • if multiple checkout options match the same listed method, Shipit still uses your sorting rules inside that exact bucket
  • exact mode keeps the method buckets fixed at the top level, but still sorts within those buckets by your configured keys

Example:

  • ordered method: Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti
  • sort by: Distance
  • direction: Ascending

Result:

  • all Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti options stay ahead of unlisted methods
  • the individual Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti pickup points are still rearranged by distance inside that exact bucket
  • distance sorting still applies inside that exact listed method, but it does not move the whole XXS bucket below another listed bucket

This mode is best when you want:

  • one strict business order between methods
  • sorting inside each listed method without letting those buckets move out of the exact top-level order

Sorting rules

Sorting rules are the second half of advanced sorting. They decide how checkout options are ordered when the ordered method list does not fully decide the result.

Sort by

Choose the main key used for sorting:

  • Distance
  • Price
  • Name

Direction

Choose how the selected sort runs:

  • Ascending
    • closest first
    • cheapest first
    • A-Z
  • Descending
    • farthest first
    • most expensive first
    • Z-A

Additional tie-breakers

Additional tie-breakers are used when two options are equal on the selected sort.

Example:

  • sort by: Price
  • additional tie-breakers: name,distance

If two options have the same price, Shipit compares name next. If the names are still effectively equal, it compares distance.

Exactly how sorting rules apply

This is the most important part to understand.

In prefer-listed-first mode

Sorting rules apply:

  • inside listed methods
  • between methods that share the same preference level
  • to methods that are not listed

So if you want:

  • Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti first
  • and within XXS, closest pickup point first

then this is the correct mode.

In exact-order mode

Sorting rules apply:

  • inside one exact listed method bucket
  • to methods that are not listed after the listed buckets
  • whenever Shipit needs to decide the order inside a bucket without changing the top-level exact method order

So if you want:

  • Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti first
  • and within XXS, closest pickup point first

then exact mode is also valid now, because exact mode keeps the XXS bucket first while still sorting the XXS options by distance inside that bucket.

Cheapest and free-shipping priority

Two optional settings can change the very top of the list:

  • Always pin cheapest option first
  • Always put free shipping first

These are available only in Prefer listed methods first mode.

They are disabled in exact mode because exact mode is meant to keep the listed methods in the declared order, and those overrides would conflict with that promise.

Use this shortcut:

  • if you want "carrier first, then closest/cheapest within that carrier", use Prefer listed methods first
  • if you want "these methods in one fixed order, but still sort inside each method by distance, price, or name", use Keep listed methods in exact order

Common examples

Example 1: Show Matkahuolto XXS first, closest pickup point first

Use:

  • ordered methods:
    1. Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti
  • behavior: Prefer listed methods first
  • sort by: Distance
  • direction: Ascending

Why:

  • XXS goes before other methods
  • XXS pickup points are still sorted from closest to farthest

Example 2: Show one fixed carrier order no matter what

Use:

  • ordered methods:
    1. Postipaketti
    2. Matkahuolto XXS-Paketti
    3. PostNord MyPack Collect DPD
  • behavior: Keep listed methods in exact order
  • sort by: Distance
  • direction: Ascending

Why:

  • the listed methods appear in that strict top-level order
  • within each listed method, the options still use your sorting rules
  • unlisted methods are sorted afterwards by your sorting rules

Example 3: Let most methods sort naturally, but keep one carrier at

the top

Use:

  • ordered methods:
    1. Postipaketti
  • behavior: Prefer listed methods first
  • sort by: Distance
  • direction: Ascending

Why:

  • Postipaketti stays ahead of the rest
  • everything else still behaves like a normal closest-first list

Troubleshooting

"Why did my pickup points not sort by distance?"

Check whether you selected:

  • Keep listed methods in exact order

In exact mode, Shipit now keeps the listed method buckets fixed at the top level, but still applies your sorting rules inside each listed method. If the order still looks wrong, check:

  • sort by
  • direction
  • additional tie-breakers

"Why are methods not listed still moving around?"

That is your sorting rules configuration.

Check:

  • sort by
  • direction
  • additional tie-breakers

Those settings still control methods that are not explicitly listed.

"Why are cheapest first and free shipping first disabled?"

Because exact mode promises that listed methods stay in the declared order. Cheapest-first and free-shipping-first would conflict with that behavior, so they are only available in prefer-listed-first mode.

Last Updated:
Contributors: Brian Faust