Installing the CanShip Shopify app

Applies to: All tiers  ·  Last reviewed: 2026-06-23

What this is

A walkthrough for connecting your Shopify store to CanShip for the first time. It covers what CanShip asks for, what gets installed, and how to confirm the connection works.

How to do it

1. From your Shopify Admin, open Apps in the left sidebar.
2. Click Visit the Shopify App Store.
3. Search "CanShip" and open the result.
4. Click Add app and review the requested permissions. CanShip asks for four scopes only: read_orders (to import orders to fulfill), read_products (to sync your catalogue), write_fulfillments (to push tracking back), and write_inventory (to keep on-hand counts accurate in your store).
5. Click Install app. Shopify redirects you to canship.co to finish setup.
6. Sign in to CanShip, or create your account if you do not have one yet.
7. Choose which CanShip warehouse this store ships from. Most merchants pick their primary warehouse. You can connect more later.
8. Done. Within a few minutes your Shopify orders begin flowing into the CanShip Orders view.

Why it works that way

Shopify's app authorisation uses OAuth 2.0, and the four scopes above are the minimum CanShip needs to do fulfillment. CanShip does not request access to customer accounts, payment methods, or analytics, because it does not use them.

What can go wrong

• The connection finished but no orders appear. Orders only flow to CanShip if Shopify is routing them to the CanShip-managed location. Check Shopify Admin > Settings > Locations, and see "How orders flow between Shopify and CanShip".
• You hit a "permission denied" error during install. Sign in as a Shopify Admin, not a Staff user. Only Admins can install third-party apps.
• CanShip says the store is connected under another client. A Shopify store belongs to one client. The message names the client that holds it. Disconnect it there first, pick that client, or use Move to another client in the store's settings menu on Channels.
• Sync Products shows "Archived product owns it". An archived product is still linked to that listing, so the sync leaves it out. Restore the product (Catalog > Products, turn on Archived, then the restore icon at the end of its row), or delete it so the sync can create a new one.