What Is the Sales by Billing Location Report?
The Sales by Billing Location report groups Shopify sales figures by the country on an order’s billing address. It helps you see where customers are billed, rather than assuming the delivery destination represents the customer’s purchasing location.
For a selected reporting period, compare order count, gross sales, discounts, returns, net sales, shipping, tax and total sales for each billing country. This view can be especially useful for gift purchases and cross-border orders, when billing and shipping locations may differ.
Use the figures to understand the distribution of recorded sales across billing countries. Billing location indicates the address used for billing; it does not by itself prove a customer’s residence, nationality or where payment originated.
Report Overview
- Report period
- Choose the date range you want to review.
- Data included
- Billing Country, Order Count, Gross Sales, Discount, Returns, Net Sales, Shipping, Tax and Total Sales.
- Best for
- Comparing sales associated with billing countries and distinguishing billing geography from delivery geography.
- Export options
- Excel, CSV, TXT or PDF.
- Delivery
- Schedule report emails daily, weekly or monthly for a recurring review.
What Can You Learn from Billing-Country Sales?
1. Which billing countries account for most orders?
Compare Order Count across countries to see where order activity is concentrated. A higher count does not necessarily mean a higher sales total.
Example: Hypothetical example: Country A has more orders than Country B, but lower Total Sales.
What you can do: Review the two metrics together before prioritizing a market.
2. Where do discounts have the greatest impact?
Read Gross Sales alongside Discount by billing country to identify where reductions are more substantial. The report does not show the reasons for individual discounts.
Example: Hypothetical example: Two countries record similar Gross Sales, but one has a larger Discount amount.
What you can do: Review promotional activity for that billing-country segment.
3. How do returns change the sales picture?
Returns and Net Sales help explain how reported sales differ from gross activity across billing countries. Avoid treating these figures as profit.
Example: Hypothetical example: A billing country has strong Gross Sales but a noticeably lower Net Sales figure.
What you can do: Inspect return patterns in a more detailed order report if needed.
4. How do shipping and tax vary across billing countries?
Shipping and Tax provide extra context alongside Total Sales. Billing-country grouping alone does not establish a shipping destination or determine tax liability.
Example: Hypothetical example: One country has a higher reported Shipping amount despite fewer orders.
What you can do: Check supporting orders before changing shipping or tax settings.
What Should You Check First in This Report?
Start with the measures that explain the size and composition of each country’s sales.
- Order Count and Total Sales: Identify countries with high order volume versus high sales value.
- Gross Sales and Discount: Check whether discounts materially change the picture.
- Returns and Net Sales: Compare sales before and after reported reductions.
- Shipping and Tax: Interpret these as separate amounts rather than assuming they represent revenue or margin.
When Should You Use This Report?
| When to Use It | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Comparing monthly sales by billing country | Compare recorded order volume and sales across billing countries. |
| Reviewing discounts and sales by billing country | See Gross Sales, Discount and Net Sales by billing country. |
| Preparing a country-grouped sales and tax export | Export country-grouped sales, shipping and tax figures for further review. |
| Checking billing geography separately from delivery | Avoid confusing the billing address with the shipping destination. |
| Investigating returns by billing country | Identify billing-country groups that warrant closer investigation of returns. |
How to Create This Report in Data Export
Start from the premade Sales by Billing Location report rather than assembling the column list manually.
- Open Data Export and locate the premade Sales by Billing Location report.
- Open the report and check the nine included fields, particularly Billing Country and the sales measures.
- Choose your reporting period; optionally adjust available columns, sorting or country filters.
- Save the report and generate or export it in your preferred supported format.
- If you need recurring updates, set an email schedule (daily, weekly or monthly) for the intended recipients.
Make the Most of This Report
These four checks help keep country comparisons clear and useful.
01 / GEOGRAPHY
Billing is not shipping: A billing country describes the address used for payment details, not necessarily where the order was delivered.
02 / COMPARISON
Use consistent periods: Compare countries over the same date range so differences are meaningful.
03 / CONTEXT
Read figures together: Review discounts and returns alongside gross and net sales instead of using one number alone.
04 / SHARING
Share the right view: Export a focused country summary and restrict recipients when order or customer data is involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does billing location mean in this report?
Billing location refers to the country recorded in the billing address on an order. This report groups sales by Billing Country.
Is billing country the same as shipping country?
No. A customer may pay using a billing address in one country and send the order to another. This report contains Billing Country, not Shipping Country.
Can I compare discounts and returns by billing country?
Yes. The premade fields include Gross Sales, Discount, Returns and Net Sales for billing-country comparison.
Does Total Sales mean the amount paid out to my bank?
No. Total Sales is a sales measure, not a payout or profit figure. This report does not include payout or cost fields.
Can I export or schedule this report?
The report can be exported in Excel, CSV, TXT and PDF, with daily, weekly or monthly scheduled email delivery. Available choices can depend on your setup.
