DHL is now a pre-integrated partner on Shopify's shipping platform in the US and Germany, with plans to expand to other major markets in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region by 2026. For merchants in the USA, it also brings “Delivered Duty Paid” shipping as a native feature, a service which protects consumers from unexpected additional fees such as customs charges or import sales tax.
DHL joins USPS, which offers up to 88% off shipping rates, and UPS, which advertises up to 83% off rates, as a Shopify pre-integrated shipping partner, advertising up to 80% international shipping from DHL Express to over 220 countries and territories. Noticeably absent from that list is FedEx, who I guess is too busy servicing packages from their non-competitor Amazon to strike a deal with Shopify.
Game changer for merchants? Not quite, as any merchant who wanted to ship with DHL could have done so already through a shipping partner like ShipBob or Shipstation, or by using DHL Express' official Shopify app.
It's DHL who has the most to gain from the partnership, as they've now become a native option for merchants that don't have an existing relationship with the carrier, which means those merchants can print DHL shipping labels directly through Shopify without a DHL account.