Shopify Markets: selling in more than one country
Selling abroad on Shopify is a setup question first. What Markets handles, what it does not, and the order for tax, shipping, currency and language.
The short answer
Selling into another country is a setup task before it is a marketing task. Shopify Markets gives one store the ability to present itself differently per country group: currency, prices, language, domain or subfolder, duties and taxes at checkout. That covers the storefront and the checkout. It does not cover the decisions underneath: where you must register for tax, which carrier delivers reliably, how returns from abroad work, and who maintains the translations.
Get the order right and international selling is manageable from one store.
What Markets handles, and what it does not
| Handled by Markets | Your decision, outside Shopify |
|---|---|
| Local currency display and checkout | Whether prices differ per country and by how much |
| Per-market pricing adjustments | Margin after duties, shipping and returns |
| Subfolders or domains per market | Which countries to open and when |
| Language switching, with translations | Producing and maintaining the translations |
| Duties and taxes calculated at checkout | Tax registration obligations and filings per country |
| Shipping zones and rates per market | Carrier contracts, delivery times, returns logistics |
| Local payment methods where available | Which methods your customers actually expect |
The order to set it up
- Obligations first. For each target country: tax registration thresholds, consumer law on returns and information, product rules. An adviser, not a setting. Do not open a market you cannot legally serve.
- Shipping and returns. A carrier with reliable delivery, realistic times shown to customers, and a returns route that does not cost more than the order. Decide who pays duties and show it upfront.
- Currency and pricing. Local currency at checkout. Decide whether prices are converted or set per market, rounded sensibly, with margin that survives duties and returns.
- Language and content. Translate what a buyer needs: navigation, product essentials, checkout, policies, transactional emails. Properly, with an owner for updates.
- Payment methods. Enable the local methods customers expect; a missing familiar method costs conversions quietly.
- Launch one market. Learn from real orders, returns and support questions for a quarter before opening the next.
Subfolders or domains
Subfolders on one domain keep everything in one place and concentrate search authority; they are the default for a store starting international sales. Country domains signal local presence and can perform better in local search once established, at the cost of more maintenance. Choose subfolders unless you have a specific reason and a team to maintain more.
What this means for you
Treat Markets as the tool that presents and checks out per country, and treat the legal, logistical and content decisions as your project. Do them in the order above, open one market, and learn from it. Stores that skip to step three, currency on and prices converted, discover steps one and two through refused parcels and tax letters.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate store per country?
Usually not. Markets lets one store present itself per country group with local currency, pricing, language and domain, while inventory, orders and admin stay in one place. Separate stores make sense when the assortment, the team or the legal entity differs fundamentally per country.
Does Shopify handle VAT and duties abroad?
It can calculate and collect them at checkout when configured, and it can show duties upfront so customers are not surprised at delivery. Whether you must register for tax in a country, and where, is your obligation to establish with an adviser. Shopify applies the settings; it does not decide them.
Should we translate the whole store?
Translate what a customer needs to buy with confidence: navigation, product essentials, checkout, policies, emails. A half-translated store with machine-translated product descriptions performs worse than a well-run English store with local currency and shipping. Translate properly or not yet.
Subfolders or country domains?
Subfolders on one domain, such as yourstore.com/de, are simpler to run and keep search authority in one place. Country domains signal local presence more strongly and cost more to maintain. For a store starting out, subfolders through Markets are the sensible default.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Markets (accessed 2026-09-11)