Getting GMT's games to players worldwide, without the customs surprises
GMT already ships to every country it legally can from Hanford. International players need to be able to pre-order through P500 just like US players, which is why GMT is building on Shopify Markets rather than Managed Markets. That leaves two jobs to solve: getting international taxes and duties collected and remitted correctly, and getting the box to the player for less.
What the solution needs to do
G1Pre-orders for every player
Stay on Shopify Markets so international players can place P500 pre-orders and get charged when the game ships.
G2Tax and duty remittance
Collect international taxes and duties at checkout, and have them remitted for GMT, so players never get a customs bill on delivery.
G3Lower shipping rates
Cheaper international shipping out of the US, priced on the real box size and weight.
How it fits together
Swipe sideways to see the full diagram.
The recommended setup
Shopify Markets keeps P500 open to every player. Two add-ons cover what Markets doesn't do on its own: remitting the taxes and duties, and cheaper labels.
Shopify Markets
Local currency, localized storefronts and duties shown at checkout, with P500 pre-orders available to international players.
Zonos Duty and Tax
Calculates guaranteed duties and taxes at checkout, pays the customs bill, and remits VAT so GMT doesn't need to register for IOSS or a UK VAT ID.
Discounted labels and consolidators
Shopify Shipping's discounted labels, plus consolidators in ShipStation that pool parcels into the EU and UK.
Why not Managed Markets? It doesn't let international customers place pre-orders, and P500 depends on them. The comparison below shows the other differences.
Shopify Markets vs. Managed Markets
Both run on the same Shopify store. Markets is the foundation every international store uses. Managed Markets adds Global-e on top as the merchant of record. Here's what changes.
| Feature | Shopify Markets | Managed Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Who is responsible | ||
| Merchant of record | GMT | Global-e |
| Tax registration | GMT registers where required | Not needed in local destinations |
| Remitting duties and taxes | GMT | Remitted on GMT's behalf |
| Duties and taxes | ||
| At checkout | Duty and tax estimate at checkout | Calculated and collected automatically |
| DDP shipping | When the carrier and integration support it | With DHL Express, DHL eCommerce, FedEx and UPS |
| HS codes | GMT adds them to products | Assigned automatically |
| If customs charges more | GMT pays the difference | Duties and tax guarantee covers extra fees |
| Restricted products | GMT manages | Blocked from shipping automatically |
| Payments and pricing | ||
| Local currency | Sell in local currency with Shopify Payments | Limited to a list of compatible currencies |
| Local payment methods | A selection of local payment methods | More local payment methods, with better transaction success rates |
| Fraud chargebacks | Shopify Payments fraud analysis | US orders reviewed and given fraud chargeback protection |
| Refunds | No rate lock | Original conversion rate for 30 days |
| International pricing | Managed manually, with custom pricing by market | Prices shown with duties and import tax included |
| Shipping | ||
| Labels | Discounted labels without duties prepaid, or a third-party app | Discounted DHL Express, DHL eCommerce, FedEx and UPS labels |
| Other | Any carrier or app GMT chooses | Automatic delivery address correction |
| How it fits GMT | ||
| Ship from | Any location: Hanford, the Australian 3PL, future 3PLs | Needs a fulfillment location in the continental US |
| Labels | Any carrier, consolidator or ShipStation | Merchant of record benefits only apply on Managed Markets labels |
| Subscriptions | Supported | Domestic orders only |
| B2B distributors | Supported | Not supported. GMT is merchant of record for B2B |
| P500 pre-orders | Available to international players, with Shopify's pre-order rules | Not available to international customers |
| The same on both | ||
| Localization | Localized domains with automatic redirects, automatic localization by location and browser language, and store translation | |
| Operations | Every market managed from a single admin, with custom pricing by market | |
Sources: Managed Markets comparison, Managed Markets requirements, Managed Markets shipping and pre-order limitations. Managed Markets is open to businesses based in the continental US and some stores in Canada and the UK.
How each goal gets solved
G1Pre-orders for every player
- GMT sells internationally through Shopify Markets: local currency, localized storefronts and per-market pricing from a single admin (Help Center).
- The P500 app keeps the card on file and charges when the game ships. Shopify's pre-order rules still apply: customers can't use local payment methods for pre-orders, and the supported gateways include Shopify Payments (shopify.dev).
- Duties can change between the pre-order and the charge. GMT needs to decide whether to absorb the difference, or recalculate and pass it on when the order is charged.
G2Tax and duty remittance
- Zonos Duty and Tax "calculates guaranteed duties, taxes, and fees in your checkout," so players pay up front "instead of surprising them with costs during delivery" (Shopify App Store).
- Remittance: per its listing, "Zonos remits VAT for you," with "no need to register for IOSS or obtain a UK VAT ID," and it includes "automated cross-border tax registration/remittance (IOSS, UK VAT, etc.)."
- Guarantee: "Zonos pays any discrepancies on the customs bill, you only pay exactly what you collect."
- Every product needs an HS code and country of origin so duties calculate correctly (Help Center).
G3Lower shipping rates
- Shopify Shipping offers discounted labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and DHL eCommerce for US merchants (Help Center).
- Through ShipStation, GMT can add consolidators such as Asendia, Landmark Global or ePost Global. They pool parcels into the EU and UK and offer duties-paid services. Rates are quoted per merchant, so we'd get quotes on GMT's actual box sizes.
- Saved package sizes give rates priced on the real box, not just weight.
Still to confirm
- Which countries Zonos remits for beyond the EU and UK (for example Canada and Australia), and where GMT would still need its own registration.
- How Zonos handles a P500 order: are duties locked in at pre-order, or recalculated when the order is charged?
- Which carriers and consolidators work with Zonos paying the duty bill, and whether that works through ShipStation.
- Consolidator quotes on GMT's real box sizes into the EU, UK, Canada and Australia.
- How Zonos shows duties at checkout: as a separate line, or built into the shipping price.