Managed Markets & Merchant of Record
Are there merchant-of-record providers besides Global-e and Flow Commerce that integrate with Shopify?
Short answer
ESW (a cross-border ecommerce company) and Reach act as merchant of record for Shopify stores outside Global-e, as of October 2026. ESW connects through three Shopify apps (ESW's Shopify page), and Reach through a custom app (Reach's Shopify guide). Zonos isn't a cross-border merchant of record on Shopify, because Shopify doesn't support its checkout (Zonos's checkout page, October 2026).
- ESW on Shopify
- Merchant of record through three Shopify appsIts public ESW International listing launched on 5 September 2025 and had no reviews in October 2026. ESW is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asendia, a La Poste and Swiss Post joint venture.Sources: ESW (The ESW x Shopify Solution, ESW International on the Shopify App Store, About ESW)
- Reach on Shopify
- Merchant of record through a custom appA Reach representative sends the link to install a custom Reach data app, and Reach's disclaimer and terms must appear at checkout (October 2026).Source: Reach developer docs (Getting started with Shopify)
- Zonos on Shopify
- Not a cross-border merchant of recordFor US sales tax on Shopify, Zonos calls its role a "co-operator". Its Zonos Duty and Tax app costs from $2,500 a year, plus $2 an order and 10% of the duties, taxes and fees (October 2026).Sources: Zonos Docs (U.S. Sales Tax Solutions); Zonos (Zonos Duty and Tax on the Shopify App Store)
- Passport's owner
- Global-e, since July 2026Global-e completed the purchase on 1 July 2026 and offers a non-merchant-of-record solution through Passport; Passport's own pages say it sells Seller of Record and Merchant of Record services.Sources: Passport (IOR vs. MOR vs. SOR: Which Global Ecommerce Model Does Your Brand Need?); Global-e investor relations (Global-e to Enhance Logistics Offering with Acquisition of Passport, Global-e Closes on Acquisition of Passport)
Deploi’s call
The real shortlist beyond Shopify's Managed Markets is ESW (a cross-border ecommerce company), Reach and registering for tax yourself. Zonos belongs in a different column, because on Shopify it collects duties and remits tax without becoming the merchant of record for cross-border orders. Flow and Passport don't belong on the list: both are owned by Global-e, the merchant of record behind Managed Markets.
WaitStay on Managed Markets, Shopify's merchant-of-record service, when
- Your business is eligible: based in the continental United States, or an eligible store in Canada or the United Kingdom (Shopify Help Center, October 2026).
- International sales are under roughly $2M a year or spread across many countries; Deploi's cross-border stack record scores that WAIT, the record's illustrative estimate (Deploi decision record, October 2026).
DependsPrice ESW, Reach, a direct Global-e contract or your own tax registrations when
- You need business-to-business (B2B) orders, which Managed Markets refuses, subscriptions or several business entities in one store (Shopify Help Center, October 2026).
- Your business is outside the countries where Managed Markets is available.
- International sales pass roughly $2M a year in two to four markets, where the record scores your own stack CUSTOMIZE (Deploi decision record, October 2026).
- You also sell on marketplaces or other platforms. Deploi's Global-e vs. Managed Markets record scores a direct Global-e contract BUY there (Deploi decision record, October 2026), so price it beside ESW and Reach.
Basis: Build Your Cross-Border Stack or Use Managed Markets on Shopify?, our Build vs. Buy decision record, scored DEPENDS.
Which merchant-of-record providers outside Global-e work with Shopify?
ESW and Reach are merchant-of-record providers outside the Global-e group that document a Shopify integration, as of October 2026. Shopify defines a merchant of record as the legal entity that sells to the customer and follows local laws abroad (Shopify Help Center, October 2026). Shop for one only after testing whether Managed Markets pays its way under $5M of international sales, because both alternatives start with a sales conversation.
| Line | ESW | Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant-of-record claim | Merchant of record for your international transactions | Merchant of record; its disclaimer and terms show at checkout |
| How it connects to Shopify | Three Shopify apps; its public listing launched 5 September 2025, no reviews yet | A custom data app from a link Reach sends, plus Shopify Flow |
| Shopify Plus stores with several business entities | Not stated | Extra setup steps, one market per region |
| Owner | Asendia, owned by La Poste and Swiss Post | No parent named |
| Published price | None | None |
ESW (owned by Asendia) says it handles tax, currency settlement, customs compliance and fraud on international orders (ESW's Shopify page, About ESW, October 2026). Reach calls itself "fully embedded within Shopify" (Reach's Shopify page). So the difference is setup and ownership, not the role.
Is Zonos a merchant of record on Shopify?
Zonos, a duty and tax software company, is not a cross-border merchant of record on Shopify. Zonos acts as merchant of record for US domestic orders through Zonos Checkout, and it says "Shopify does not support third-party checkout replacements" (Zonos, October 2026). For US sales tax on Shopify, Zonos describes its role as a "co-operator", where "the merchant handles their own payment processing" (Zonos Docs, October 2026). The same page offers merchant-of-record tax services for US sales tax on Shopify as "an opt-in".
What Zonos sells on Shopify is the Zonos Duty and Tax app. It costs from $2,500 a year, plus $2 an order and 10% of the duties, taxes and fees, and Zonos says it remits value-added tax (VAT) for you (Zonos Duty and Tax listing, October 2026). Deploi's Zonos vs. Managed Markets record reads Zonos the same way: it "keeps your company as seller of record" (Deploi decision record, October 2026). So file Zonos under duty and tax tooling, not under merchants of record.
Which shortlisted names now belong to Global-e?
Passport, a cross-border shipping company, and Flow Commerce, a cross-border software company, both belong to Global-e, the merchant of record behind Shopify's Managed Markets. Global-e agreed in May 2026 to pay $350 million upfront (Global-e's May release) and completed the purchase on 1 July 2026 (Global-e's closing release, October 2026). Global-e says it will provide "a non-Merchant of Record (non-MoR) solution" through the Passport brand, while Passport's own July 2026 post says it offers both Seller of Record and Merchant of Record services (Passport, October 2026). Passport's Shopify App Store listing names no merchant, seller or importer of record (Passport Shipping listing, October 2026).
Flow Commerce has belonged to Global-e since January 2022 (Global-e's Flow release, October 2026), so Flow is not a real alternative to Managed Markets. A shortlist of Managed Markets, Passport and Flow therefore holds one company. That matters because concentration is the risk a second provider is meant to remove.
What should you compare instead of star ratings?
Compare each provider with Shopify's Managed Markets on five contract terms, because star ratings and country counts say little about a merchant of record.
- Which company signs. Managed Markets' merchant of record is the Global-e company for your store's country. US stores sign with Global-e US Inc. (Global-e, October 2026). Canadian stores sign with Global-e Canada E-Commerce Ltd. and Global-e Commerce Shipping Canada Inc., and UK stores with Globale U.K. Limited (Global-e Canada terms, Global-e UK terms, October 2026). Ask each alternative to name its contracting company in writing.
- The orders Managed Markets refuses. Business-to-business (B2B) orders, subscriptions and several business entities in one store aren't supported (Shopify Help Center, October 2026). Reach, a merchant-of-record provider, has extra setup steps for "Shopify Plus with multiple entities" (Reach developer docs, October 2026), so ask each provider about all three.
- Duty refunds on returns. Managed Markets refunds no duties, customs fees or value-added tax (VAT) once an order is fulfilled (Shopify Help Center, October 2026). Get each alternative's answer in writing.
- Who your team calls. "All Managed Markets questions go to Shopify Support" (Shopify Help Center, October 2026). Ask each alternative where an escalation goes and how fast it answers.
- Exit. Managed Markets can be ended "at any time" from the Shopify admin, with 30 days to cure a material breach either way (Global-e, October 2026). Ask each alternative for its exit terms.
When should you not shop beyond Managed Markets?
Don't shop beyond Shopify's Managed Markets when it already fits, because every merchant-of-record provider outside Global-e starts with a sales process.
Providers' claims are quoted from their own pages as of October 2026 and are not independently audited. Merchant-of-record arrangements carry tax and legal consequences; take contract terms to counsel.
Deploi’s point of view
Our own position, from building on Shopify. Kept apart from the sourced facts above.
- What we’ve seen
- Cross-border shortlists get assembled from comparison blog posts, which is how Flow survives on them nearly four years after the acquisition and how Zonos gets filed as a general merchant of record. Building the shortlist from each vendor's own terms page takes an afternoon and changes the list.
- Where we disagree
- Comparison content ranks these providers on star ratings and country counts. Both are close to meaningless here. A new listing has no reviews and a country count is a marketing number. The variables that decide the project are which entity signs, how duties are treated on returns, and where an escalation goes at 6pm on a Friday.
- What this page adds
- Which providers outside Global-e sign as merchant of record for Shopify stores and how each connects (ESW through three apps, Reach through a custom app); that Zonos is not a cross-border merchant of record on Shopify; that Passport joined Global-e in July 2026; and a five-point comparison built on the contracting company, refused order types, duty refunds, support route and exit.
Decision records behind this answer
When this answer changes
- ESW or Reach publishes a price, or ESW's App Store listing collects its first reviews.
- Zonos Checkout becomes usable on Shopify, or Zonos extends its merchant-of-record role on Shopify beyond US sales tax.
- Global-e buys another cross-border provider, as it bought Flow in 2022 and Passport in July 2026.
- Shopify and Global-e renew or end the three-year agreement they announced on 14 May 2025.
- Managed Markets starts supporting business-to-business (B2B) orders, subscriptions or several business entities in one store.
Related questions
This follows from Is Managed Markets worth it for a brand doing under $5M in international sales, or is that too small to justify the fee?
- What's Flow Commerce, and is it a real alternative to Shopify Managed Markets/Global-e?
Flow Commerce, a cross-border ecommerce software company, is not an alternative to Shopify's Managed Markets, because Global-e owns it.
- Does Managed Markets support B2B/wholesale international orders, or is it DTC-only?
Managed Markets is direct-to-consumer (DTC) only: it doesn't support business-to-business (B2B) or wholesale orders.
- Is Managed Markets exclusive to Shopify Plus, or can Advanced-plan merchants use it too?
Managed Markets, Shopify's merchant-of-record service for cross-border sales, is not exclusive to Shopify Plus, because Shopify requires only the Basic plan or higher: Basic, Grow and Advanced stores pay 3.5% per transaction, against 3.25% on Plus (Shopify Help Center, October 2026).
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these. Official and vendor pages are checked on the date shown; Deploi records are our own published decisions.
- ESW, The ESW x Shopify Solution
- ESW, ESW International on the Shopify App Store
- ESW, About ESW
- Reach, Reach for Shopify
- Reach developer docs, Getting started with Shopify
- Zonos, International Checkout Solution for Ecommerce
- Zonos Docs, U.S. Sales Tax Solutions
- Zonos, Zonos Duty and Tax on the Shopify App Store
- Passport, IOR vs. MOR vs. SOR: Which Global Ecommerce Model Does Your Brand Need?
- Global-e investor relations, Global-e to Enhance Logistics Offering with Acquisition of Passport
- Shopify Help Center, Overview of Managed Markets
- Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for using Managed Markets
- Shopify Help Center, Fulfilling and managing Managed Markets orders
- Global-e, Service Terms for Shopify Managed Markets
- Shopify, Pricing for Shopify's international sales tools and Shopify Managed Markets
- Passport Global, Passport Shipping on the Shopify App Store
- Global-e investor relations, Global-e Announces Closing of Acquisition of Flow Commerce and Expansion of its Leadership Team
- Reach, The Team Behind Merchant of Record Infrastructure
- Global-e investor relations, Global-e Closes on Acquisition of Passport
- Global-e, Canadian Service Terms for Shopify Managed Markets
- Global-e, UK Service Terms for Shopify Managed Markets
- Deploi Build vs. Buy, Build Your Cross-Border Stack or Use Managed Markets on Shopify?
- Deploi Build vs. Buy, Global-e vs. Managed Markets: Which Merchant of Record Fits?
- Deploi Build vs. Buy, Zonos vs. Managed Markets: Merchant of Record or Not?