Customs and catalog guides for Shopify sellers
Everything here is written for one reader: a Shopify merchant who ships (or wants to ship) internationally and keeps running into customs fields Shopify never explains. Plain English, no broker jargon, and always honest about the one thing no tool can do for you — the classification call is yours. New guides are added regularly; the newsletter below is the easiest way to catch them.
Fundamentals
What is an HS code?
The Harmonized System explained in plain English — what each digit means, HS vs HTS vs tariff codes, and how many digits you actually need.
De minimis is gone
What the end of duty-free low-value imports means for Shopify sellers, and how to keep parcels moving.
Shopify how-tos
Shopify customs information
What the customs fields are, where they hide in the admin, and how to bulk-edit them.
Bulk HS codes in Shopify
The bulk editor reaches HS codes but won't tell you which products are missing one. Three realistic ways to fill a catalog.
Country of origin in Shopify
Where the field lives, why it matters at customs, and how to set it across your catalog.
Error messages
"HS codes and country of origin are required"
What Shopify's label-blocking error means, how to clear it for one product, and how to clear it across a catalog.
"Harmonized code is invalid"
Why a code gets rejected after you've already entered one, where the bad characters come from, and the blank-code version nobody sees.
HS codes on a domestic order
The Markets setting that triggers it, why switching Markets off is the wrong fix, and what to do instead.
HS codes by product category
Clothing & apparel
Knitted vs woven, how material changes the code, and the common headings fashion stores need.
Jewelry
Chapter 71 explained — precious vs imitation, and the headings jewelry stores actually use.
Cosmetics & skincare
Chapter 33 for beauty products — skincare, makeup, haircare, and fragrance headings.
Looking for how the app itself works instead? See How Origova works — every tab and feature, in detail.