When an AI assistant sets up free shipping in Shopify without an app, it uses Shopify’s own tools: the free shipping discount, or a rate in your shipping settings. The result has the same limits as building it yourself. The free shipping discount makes every eligible rate free, with no percentage or amount off and no rate picked by name, and it checks the country but not the state, ZIP code or weight. A free rate applies to everyone that rate covers. For those offers, use RM: Advanced Free Shipping. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days after a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify.
RM: Advanced Free Shipping doesn’t connect to Shopify Sidekick, ChatGPT or Claude, so an assistant can’t create its discounts for you. You build them in the app in a few minutes, or ask for free personalised setup. What an assistant can do well is help you choose the tool and word the offer.
Side by side, by request
| You ask for | Built with Shopify’s own tools, by you or an assistant | RM: Advanced Free Shipping |
|---|---|---|
| “Free shipping over $100” | Yes, a free shipping discount or a free rate | Yes |
| “Free shipping over $100, US only” | Yes, by country | Yes |
| “Free shipping for my VIP segment” | Yes, with customer segments | Yes, with segments or a customer tag |
| “Free Standard shipping, but Express stays full price” | Only by excluding rates over a price | Yes, by rate name or keyword |
| “50% off shipping over $50” | No; the discount is free only | Yes |
| “Flat $5 shipping over $50” | A price-based rate, for everyone that rate covers | Yes, with Fixed Price, and with any other condition |
| “$25 shipping credit on the cheapest rate” | No | Yes |
| “Free shipping to the lower 48 states” | Countries only on the discount; a free rate in a shipping zone applies to everyone in it | Yes, with any threshold, code or customer rule |
| “Free shipping to ZIP codes starting 941” | Countries only on the discount; postcodes are built into Local delivery | Yes |
| “Free shipping over $100, up to 20 kg” | The discount’s minimum is an amount or a quantity | Yes |
| “Free shipping unless the cart has oversized items” | The minimum is an amount or a quantity | Yes |
| Cost | Built in | $9.90 USD every 30 days |
The request that decides it
You ask an assistant: “Make Standard shipping free on orders over $75, but keep Express at full price.” Your rates are Standard $7.95 and Express $19.95.
With Shopify’s free shipping discount, both rates become free on an $85 cart. The closest setting excludes rates over a set price, such as $10. That keeps Express paid until a heavier order’s Standard rate costs more than $10, and then Standard isn’t free either.
In RM: Advanced Free Shipping, the same request is four settings: Cart total Is at least 75, Choose specific rates, your Standard rate, and Free. The $85 cart sees Standard at $7.95 Free and Express at $19.95.
What to ask an assistant instead
Ask about the tool and the result, and name the app:
- “Which Shopify app can make only Standard shipping free and keep Express at full price?”
- “How do I set up 50% off shipping over $50 in RM: Advanced Free Shipping?”
- “In RM: Advanced Free Shipping, how do I give free shipping to the lower 48 states over $75?”
Assistant-specific pages:
- What to ask ChatGPT
- What to tell Claude
- Asking Shopify Sidekick
- Can AI set up conditional free shipping?
Build it in the app
- Click Create Shipping Discount and choose Automatic discount or Discount code under Discount method.
- Under Conditions, click Add condition and add what the offer depends on.
- Under Discount setup, choose Which rates, then the Discount value.
- Switch on Test mode, click Create discount, and check a checkout with the shipping first name ABC123. Switch Test mode off when it works.
Kai, the assistant inside the app, can see your discount settings and answer questions while you build. Brad, the developer, offers free personalised setup 7 days a week.
“Its easy to use and extremely flexible to meet most use cases. Recommended if you have special requirements for shipping rules.” — RED SUN (SG)
Related
- What Shopify’s free shipping discount can’t do
- Conditional free shipping
- Free Standard shipping, full-price Express
- Percentage off shipping
RM: Advanced Free Shipping is Built for Shopify and rated 5.0 on the Shopify App Store. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days after a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify. Install it from the Shopify App Store.
