FedEx is expanding its digital international shipping offering with a new Shopify app designed to address one of the most frustrating issues for cross-border shoppers: unexpected duties, taxes and other import charges that appear after a purchase has already been completed.
The carrier’s new FedEx Duty and Tax tool allows merchants to provide customers with a guaranteed duty and tax amount at checkout. If the final duties and taxes turn out to be higher than the amount presented to the customer, FedEx will cover the difference.
The service is part of a broader package of digital capabilities unveiled by FedEx under the name Global Trade Navigator, a suite designed to support businesses throughout the international shipping process.
FedEx announced the new tools in a release on Wednesday, September 11, 2026.
A guaranteed cost at checkout
FedEx Duty and Tax is currently available through Shopify as an app priced at $99 per month.
The tool is intended to eliminate the uncertainty that can arise when customers receive an international shipment and discover that additional import costs are due upon delivery. Under the FedEx guarantee, the amount displayed at checkout includes a service fee and represents the maximum duties and taxes the customer will be required to pay.
If the actual duties and taxes exceed the amount shown at checkout, FedEx will cover the additional cost.
The arrangement does not work in reverse, however. According to the app’s Shopify listing, customers will not receive a refund when the final duties and taxes are lower than the amount initially displayed.
Cross-border costs remain a growing concern
The launch comes as businesses continue to navigate changing tariff rates and evolving customs requirements across international markets.
FedEx says unexpected charges have become a significant source of frustration for consumers purchasing products internationally. An April 2026 survey conducted for the FedEx Small Business Trade Index found that 68% of small and medium-sized businesses see customers surprised by additional duties, taxes or fees at delivery at least some of the time.
That environment is pushing logistics and cross-border technology providers to make import costs more transparent before a transaction is completed.
FedEx is not alone in pursuing that goal. Rival UPS introduced a comparable service last year, UPS Global Checkout, which allows shoppers to see a guaranteed total landed cost before finalizing an international purchase.
Cross-border technology company Zonos also offers a Duty and Tax app through Shopify. Its solution calculates duties during checkout and handles discrepancies that arise from customs billing.
FedEx’s solution is designed to compete directly in that increasingly important area of international commerce.
According to Jason Brenner, FedEx’s senior vice president of digital portfolio, FedEx Duty and Tax is “at parity or better” with competing services when it comes to cost transparency at checkout.
Brenner did not provide further details about future expansion, but indicated that the carrier intends to make the app available through additional channels beyond Shopify.
The broader objective, he said, is to create a smoother cross-border experience, reduce friction during international transactions and improve the experience for recipients.
Global Trade Navigator extends beyond duties and taxes
FedEx Duty and Tax is only one component of the company’s new Global Trade Navigator platform.
The wider suite is intended to assist shippers at multiple stages of international trade, beginning before a shipment is even prepared and continuing through delivery and post-delivery analysis.
One of the tools included in the offering is FedEx Trade Planner. Businesses can enter a product description, a URL or an image to identify the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) codes. The tool can then estimate duties, taxes and fees and recommend the customs documentation required for the shipment.
FedEx has also introduced new capabilities within FedEx Ship Manager. These allow customers to review HS code classifications, customs values and the country of manufacture associated with their products.
The carrier is also making Global Trade APIs available. These application programming interfaces can be used to look up HS codes, estimate duties and taxes, and identify regulatory compliance requirements.
Together, the tools are intended to serve a broad range of customers. That includes smaller companies taking their first steps into international shipping as well as larger enterprises seeking to integrate trade information directly into their existing workflows.
FedEx had already been testing the capabilities with a small percentage of its customers before the official announcement, according to Brenner.
The response so far appears to have reinforced FedEx’s strategy. Brenner described the overarching ambition of Global Trade Navigator as making international shipping feel as straightforward as domestic shipping, adding that the suite has generated strong reactions from participating shippers.
For FedEx, the Shopify launch represents another step toward making the costs and complexity of cross-border commerce more predictable for both merchants and their customers.
