Addresses at checkout

Whether checkout asks for an address depends on what’s in your cart. This page explains what’s asked, when, and why.

A cart is shippable if it has at least one physical item that needs posting. A cart of only downloads, gift cards, or event tickets has nothing to ship.

Shipping address

Adding a shipping address is optional while you browse and required at checkout, then locked in when you pay.

Billing address

Online, a billing address is required when you pay, for every cart. If you’ve already given a shipping address, “same as shipping” is one tap; if there’s no shipping address, you enter one explicitly. This is a single, uniform rule — even for tax-free orders — so every invoice is complete.

In-store sales don’t require a billing address, because the register’s own location is used to work out tax.

Phone numbers on addresses

Whether a shipping address includes a phone number follows the store’s setting — off, optional, or required. When it’s required and missing, checkout asks for it. A billing address never collects a phone, and carry-out in-store sales never ask.

Digital, gift-card, and event carts

A cart with only gift cards, downloads, or event tickets never asks for a postal address — the delivery contact (your email or phone) is the address. Billing still applies online, because it sets the tax location and digital goods are taxable.

Working out tax without a shipping address

For a taxable cart with nothing to ship, the store works out which tax applies in a set order: your billing address first, then a shipping address if you happened to enter one, then the store’s default tax region (with a heads-up). The storefront and any connected app follow the same rule.

Fixing an address after you order

A store owner can still correct a shipping address after the order, up until the point where the order starts being packed, shipped, or a return label is made. The corrected address has to pass the same checks as checkout and must land in the same tax region — a move to a different tax area is refused, with guidance to cancel and reorder instead. The order’s totals aren’t recalculated, and the billing address can’t be changed after ordering.

You can also request a shipping-address change yourself, from your account or your order page, while that same window is open. It’s checked for the same country and tax region, and the store approves it — changes aren’t automatic.

Cancellations and returns never ask you for an address: a cancellation just needs your order and a reason, and a return goes back to the store’s own location, shown to you in the approval email.