Video summary

The OFFICIAL Shopify Tutorial For Beginners (Part 2)

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas / lessons (Part 2: making a Shopify store operational)

After building a store and publishing it, you still must configure the “operational essentials” so you can:

  • take payments,
  • calculate shipping and taxes correctly,
  • fulfill orders.

This episode focuses on four pillars:

  1. Payments & checkout setup
  2. Shipping setup
  3. Fulfillment workflow + notifications + returns
  4. Taxes setup + verification

Methodology / instruction lists

1) Payments & checkout fundamentals (make money receivable)

A. Secure your Shopify account first

  • Ensure two-step authentication is enabled:
    • In Shopify admin: Profile → Security
    • Click Turn on 2-step
    • Enter your password and choose an authentication method (e.g., authenticator app, Duo, SMS, security key, Shopify mobile prompts)
    • Follow prompts and save recovery codes securely (notes app not recommended)

B. Activate Shopify Payments

  • Gather identity documents (examples mentioned): driver’s license / ID card / passport
  • In Shopify admin:
    • Settings (lower left) → Payments
    • Finish setup step-by-step:
      • Choose business type
        • If just starting or no business number: choose individual
        • If registered (LLC/corporation/partnership): choose business
        • Sidekick guidance mentioned: if you have a business registration number, choose business
      • Enter required personal or business details (legal name matching ID, DOB, tax identifiers, etc.)
      • Upload verification document
      • Hit Save and wait for verification review (hours to a few days in some cases)

C. Ensure payout/bank details are supported

  • Confirm your bank/account type for deposits based on region:
    • US: transfers
    • Canada: EFT
    • Europe: Swift
    • Australia: Beex (Beex mentioned for Australia only)
  • If unsure about eligibility of Shopify Payments in your country:
    • Ask Sidekick to check eligibility / supported gateways

D. Add extra payment methods (optional)

  • In Payments settings:
    • Find Additional payment methods
    • Click Add payment methods
    • Enable alternatives such as PayPal and other processors
  • Multiple payment options can be active simultaneously without disrupting Shopify Payments

E. Set payment defaults

  • Payment capture method:
    • In Payments settings → Payment capture method
    • Choose Automatically at checkout (money captured immediately on order placement)
    • Manual capture is possible later, but automatic is recommended to start

F. Enable wallet payments

  • Ensure these appear/toggle on:
    • Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
  • Route mentioned:
    • Manage Shopify Payments → Manage payment methods → toggle desired wallets/methods

G. Customer contact / order notifications

  • In checkout settings:
    • Customer contact method: choose email/SMS preferences
    • Enable order tracking link option for customers (Shop app tracking mentioned)
    • Ensure marketing consent checkbox is checked to build an email list

2) Shipping fundamentals (make delivery workable)

A. Set up shipping zones

  • Concept: shipping zones = buckets by destination; each zone has its own rates.
  • In Shopify admin:
    • Settings → Shipping and delivery
  • Domestic/international zones may exist automatically.
  • For a zone:
    • Under Domestic: rates may be weight-based already
    • Add a new rate:
      • Click Add rate
      • Choose pricing model:
        • Flat rate (fixed price)
        • Calculated rates (Shopify calculates using origin, destination, package weight/size)
        • Free shipping option
  • If overwhelmed:
    • Use Sidekick to help update rates by product/packaging weight examples

B. Add a new country/region to its own market

  • Key rule: A country can only belong to one shipping zone at a time
  • If the destination country is currently in “international”:
    • Edit the international zone:
      • Find International section → three dots → Edit zone
      • Uncheck the countries to remove → Done → Save

C. Create a market and set rates

  • Back in Shipping and delivery:
    • Start shipping to more places → Go to markets
    • Create market
      • Name market
      • Add condition
      • Select country/countries
      • Done → Save
    • Click Add rate for that market:
      • Options: Flat rate, Calculated rates, Free shipping
    • Repeat for other regions

D. Correct package weights (critical for calculated shipping)

  • Why: product weight differs from boxed/packed weight; inaccurate weights can cause undercharging.
  • In Shipping and delivery:
    • Scroll to Packages → Add package
    • Select package type
    • Enter:
      • Outside box dimensions
      • Weight of empty packaging
    • Name the package
    • If all products share the same packaging: set as default
  • If packaging differs by product:
    • Go to Products → select product → add variant
    • In variant Shipping section:
      • Choose correct package
    • Also double-check product weight

E. Optional: local delivery and store pickup

  • Local delivery
    • Setup under Local delivery
    • Choose delivery location
    • Define delivery area:
      • radius (miles/km) or postal codes
    • Optionally set:
      • minimum order amount
      • delivery fee
    • Save
  • Store pickup
    • Setup under Store pickup
    • Choose pickup location
    • Set pickup times
    • Add special instructions
    • Save

F. Label purchasing + printing

  • Buy shipping labels directly in Shopify admin if available.
  • If not available in your region:
    • Install a label app from the Shopify App Store (examples named: After Ship Shipping Plus Labels, Ready to Ship Shipping Labels)
  • Behind the scenes when buying labels through Shopify:
    • Shopify purchases carrier labels using discounted rates
    • Label cost is not taken directly from the customer’s payment
    • Charges are added to Shopify account balance

G. How label billing works

  • Shopify uses a billing threshold system:
    • label charges accumulate
    • when threshold reached, Shopify invoices the credit card on file
    • if threshold isn’t reached during the billing cycle, charges roll into the monthly Shopify subscription bill
  • You can check:
    • Settings → Billing → Bills

H. Shipping insurance

  • If using Shopify Payments and on Grow/Advanced/Plus:
    • up to $200 insurance included on eligible shipping labels (free)
    • still read exclusions (e.g., fragile items/higher value)
  • On Basic:
    • insurance not automatically included, but can be purchased up to $5,000 for Shopify label insurance
  • Canada/Europe alternatives mentioned:
    • carrier insurance, third-party app, or self-insure
  • Use Sidekick if unsure what’s best for your country

I. Final shipping check

Before moving on, verify zones, rates, packages, and ensure settings are saved/locked.

3) Fulfillment fundamentals (turn orders into shipped packages)

A. Choose fulfillment approach

Fulfillment methods mentioned:

  • fulfill yourself
  • use a third-party app
  • use a fulfillment service (example: Shopify Fulfillment Network)

B. Handle an order in Shopify

  • When orders arrive:
    • Go to Orders tab
    • Click an approved order
    • Review customer details
    • Pick items from inventory and prep packaging
    • Print packing slip (goes inside the box)
    • Print shipping label
    • Ship:
      • drop off or schedule pickup (depending on what you selected)
    • Customer receives “order shipped” email with tracking
    • Shopify should automatically mark as fulfilled
  • Multi-item/backorder handling:
    • If an order has multiple items, you can choose which items to fulfill
    • Ship available items now; fulfill remaining items later when stock returns

C. Bulk processing for efficiency

Example workflow:

  • pack a few orders at a time and mark in progress
  • then:
    • return to Orders
    • check multiple orders
    • bulk print packing slips and create shipping labels
    • mark all as fulfilled in one go

D. Customer notification customization

  • Use Sidekick to locate template editing:
    • Ask Sidekick: where to edit designs of customer email templates
    • Navigate to customize email templates
    • Edit confirmation email:
      • add logo
      • update brand accent color
      • preview (save)

E. Returns and refund policy setup

  • Create/edit return policy:
    • Settings → Policies → Returns and refund policy
    • If none exists: edit Shopify template
    • Publish when ready (clear policy reduces arguments)
  • Enable self-serve returns:
    • Settings → Customer accounts → toggle on self-serve returns
    • Back to Returns and refund policy:
      • Insert template if none
      • Customize and Publish
  • Return rule settings include:
    • return window (days)
    • return shipping cost
    • restocking fee
    • final sale items
  • Save after adjustments

4) Taxes fundamentals (enable correct tax calculations)

A. Core principle

Tax settings should match where your business has a physical presence:

  • where you’re located
  • where inventory lives
  • where employees are

Shopify handles heavy lifting:

  • calculates sales tax based on store location and destination

B. Configure tax settings

  • In Shopify admin:
    • Settings → Taxes and duties
    • Select store’s country basis
    • Under Sales tax:
      • Collect in a new region
      • select appropriate location (province/state)
      • enter Sales tax ID number if applicable
      • finalize with Collect sales tax
    • Under Duties and import taxes:
      • Set up
      • select applicable markets
      • Save

C. Tax payment timing for customers

  • Shopify calculates taxes/duties at checkout so customers typically don’t pay on delivery
  • Important accompanying step:
    • update shipping policy to reflect this

D. Double-check additional tax settings

  • Tax on shipping:
    • varies by jurisdiction
    • check in Taxes and duties for each country/state
    • US: use advanced options to choose whether shipping is taxable
  • Tax inclusive pricing:
    • required in some markets (examples: Japan, common in EU)
    • enable via:
      • Global settings → Include sales tax in product price and shipping rate
    • For international:
      • use dynamic tax inclusive pricing per market
      • example given: UK shows tax included; US shows pre-tax plus tax at checkout

E. Test and verify

  • Run test orders using different addresses:
    • In Payments section: Manage → toggle to Test mode
    • View store as customer:
      • click the Online store “I” icon
    • Create an order from the storefront
    • Use Sidekick for official Shopify test credit card numbers
    • Confirm:
      • tax settings
      • shipping configuration
      • fulfillment workflow
      • policy links (e.g., return policy) appear at checkout
  • After confidence is reached: turn test mode off

F. Final advice

  • Keep records of tax registrations
  • Consult a local tax professional (rules change)

Speakers / sources featured

  • Kylie Maher (host / speaker; explicitly stated near the end)
  • Sidekick (assistant feature used throughout for help/troubleshooting/navigation; referenced multiple times)

Original video