How to add a product item count-based extra fee in Shopify

Sometimes you may need to apply a small charge based on how many unique products a customer adds to their cart — not the total quantity.

With Extra Fees Manager, you can easily set up a product item count-based extra fee that automatically applies when a customer’s cart includes a certain number of different products.

This feature is ideal for merchants managing diverse product lines with varying handling or fulfillment costs.

About this feature

The product item count-based extra fee allows you to apply charges based on the number of unique products in a cart.

Unlike cart item quantity (which counts total items), this feature looks at how many distinct product types a customer has added.

For example, if a cart has 1 mug, 1 t-shirt, and 1 notebook — that’s 3 unique products, regardless of the quantity of each.

Benefits of using a product item count-based extra fee

• Manage multi-item complexity: Cover the additional cost of packaging and processing multiple different products in one order.
• Set smarter order thresholds: Apply fees when customers order too many varied items requiring special handling.
• Automate cost recovery: The app automatically adds the fee once conditions are met.
• Improve checkout clarity: Fees are displayed clearly in the cart and checkout summary, maintaining transparency.

How to configure a product item count-based extra fee in Shopify

Follow these easy steps to set up your rule:

Step 1: Open the Extra Fee Manager app

• In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → Extra Fee Manager.

• On the dashboard, click Create Fee.

  

Step 2: Add basic details

• Fee name: Enter something like Multi-Product Handling Fee or Variety Pack Fee.

• Description (optional): Briefly describe the reason, e.g., “Applies to carts containing more than 5 unique product types.”

  

Step 3: Configure the fee type

• Under Fee configuration, choose Fixed amount or Percentage of order total.
• Enter your amount ($) — for example, 5.00 for a $5 fee.

• Turn on Is fee taxable? if needed.

  

Step 4: Add conditional rules

• Scroll to Conditional Fee Rules and toggle Enable Conditional Rules → ON.

  Create a new condition:

  • Condition type: Product Item Count
  • Operator: greater than, less than, or between

  • Value: Specify the number of unique products (e.g., greater than 5)

    

Step 5: Save and test

• Click Save Fee.

• Add different products to the cart and verify that the fee appears when the number of unique product types meets the rule.

  

Use case examples

1. Multi-product packaging fee

A gift shop sells various small decorative items and wants to charge a small fee when orders include too many different product types.

Set up: Apply a $4 fixed fee when a cart includes more than 6 unique products.

Result: Customers ordering several distinct items see a small packaging fee added, helping the store cover sorting and packing time.

2. Variety box surcharge

A gourmet store offers build-your-own snack boxes with many product combinations.

Set up: Add a 3% fee when the cart includes more than 10 different snacks.

Result: The app automatically applies a small percentage fee to cover assembly and quality-check costs for varied orders.

FAQs

Q1. How is “product item count” different from “cart item quantity”?

Cart item quantity counts total units, while product item count counts unique product types.

Q2. Can I combine this condition with cart total or location-based rules?

Yes. You can stack multiple conditions to create highly customized fee rules.

Q3. Can I apply both a fixed and a percentage fee together?

You can create two separate fees — one fixed and one percentage — and both can apply if their conditions are met.

Q4. Will customers see the fee at checkout?

Yes. The fee name and amount appear clearly in the cart and checkout summary.

Q5. Can I use this feature for B2B or wholesale customers?

Absolutely. Combine it with customer type conditions to apply the rule only for specific customer segments.