How To Create a Shipping Policy in 2024 (Free Template)

Some of the most common questions customers ask ecommerce stores are related to order shipping. It’s common for shop owners to hear questions like: “How much will shipping cost?” and “When will my order arrive?”

Sound familiar? If so, your online store may be in need of a shipping policy that sets expectations about shipping costs and timelines. When you create a comprehensive and accessible shipping policy, it helps both you and your customers—your customers can use it as a self-service FAQ, and you can save time by answering fewer shipping questions.

It’s best to start with a shipping policy template. This will be a living document for your business—one that you can update and adjust as your operations and circumstances change.

Whether you’re creating a new shipping strategy from scratch or updating your existing policy to curb customer support inquiries, this shipping policy template will get you up and running in minutes.

What is a shipping policy?

A shipping policy is a set of terms created by an online retailer that describes how orders are shipped to the customer. Shipping policies typically include domestic and international shipping speed options, delivery times, return policies, payment terms, shipping costs, and estimates for order processing time.

Shipping policies typically are included in a company’s terms and conditions, or as a standalone document. It is not uncommon to update your policy every few months, especially when you add new shipping carriers, expand your fulfillment network, or anticipate delays based on issues like order volume or supply chain issues.

What to include in your shipping policy

What you cover in your shipping policy template and how you communicate it will depend on your current business operations and supply chain. The ultimate goal is to be transparent with customers at all times.

As a general rule, your shipping policy should include:

• Order processing times. After an order is placed, how many business days will it take to get it ready to ship? Communicate if you’re excluding weekends and/or holidays, and if you have certain cutoff times for processing orders (e.g., Orders received after 5pm will be processed the next business day).
• Domestic and international shipping options. What are the qualifying regions for your domestic shipping options? Which countries have shipping restrictions that you can’t meet? International shipping can be broken down in its own section where you list the countries you ship to and estimated delivery times. If you offer several shipping options like expedited shipping, list them in a table so the information is easy to scan.
• Shipping costs. Break down your shipping costs for the customer. For example, if you offer free shipping above a certain order total threshold, communicate that in various places as an upsell incentive. Also surface any potential surprise fees, such as import duties and taxes the customer may incur.
• Local delivery options. If you offer multiple shipping options for nearby customers, such as local delivery or buy online, pick up in-store, explain the steps customers will need to follow after ordering, and clearly communicate your local delivery coverage.
• Returns, changes, and cancellations. On top of accommodating returns through a dedicated return policy, summarize how your business evaluates refunds, order edits, and exchanges, and what your process is in the event of a lost or damaged order.
• Potential service interruptions. Orders may take longer to arrive due to variables outside of your control. Your own shipping policy page is where you can communicate timeline estimates and explain to customers why their packages could be delayed.
• Order tracking details. Inform customers what happens after they’ve made online purchases. This might mean a shipment confirmation email that includes tracking information, or guidance on who to contact in case of any lost packages.

Above all, don’t make customers comb through your shipping policy page for the information they need. Whenever possible, make it easy to navigate, with clear subheadings, tables, bolded text, and links to learn more. 

💡 PRO TIP: Communicating shipping speeds at checkout to your customers can help improve cart conversion, provide clarity and transparency, and increase consumer confidence. Learn more about how to add shipping speeds directly from your Shopify Admin.

Shipping policy template: Free download

Every shipping policy is different—there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We highly recommend you cut, adapt, expand, or rearrange the following sections in this sample shipping policy template to suit your business’s unique needs.

Shipping policy examples

The following shipping policy page examples can serve as inspiration for some of the ways you can customize your own policy on your online store. We’ve included various shipping contexts so you can see how different circumstances translate into different policies.

Create a local shipping policy for nearby customers

Many brick-and-mortar stores have embraced shoppers in their community by offering local delivery and buy online, pickup in-store shipping options. These options each come with their own unique set of steps that must be clearly communicated to ensure a smooth customer experience.

If you’re relying heavily on business from your local customers, you can also list the ZIP/postal codes you service, or embed a map on your shipping page to communicate your local delivery ranges visually. Magnolia Bakery even has dedicated landing pages to help customers find baked goods that can be picked up or locally delivered on the same day.

Break down your shipping policy across multiple pages

Gifting brand Goodee splits its shipping policy across multiple pages. Its main shipping page is designed around the needs of the majority of its customers, but its FAQ page also links out to supporting pages where international customers can get more details about order processing and shipping.

Use tables to manage customer expectations

In some cases, delivery timelines need to be made explicitly clear for the customer. For example, if your products are frequently purchased as a gift for holidays or events, timely arrival is paramount to customer satisfaction.

Cookware retailer Our Place does a great job in this area. They break down their delivery timelines for pre-ordered products, so customers know how long of a delay to expect before they decide to order a product.

Personalize your international shipping policy

If you’re selling internationally, help overseas customers understand your shipping policy by personalizing a landing page for it.

For example, Gymshark has a generic delivery policy page, but they’ve also included a dropdown menu for customers to select their package’s destination country. That option provides more personalized answers, such as: how long it takes for international orders to arrive, available international shipping methods, whether the parcel needs a signature to complete delivery, and how much shipping will cost.

Upsell free shipping offers on your policy page

Data shows that as much as 62% of Americans won’t buy something online if free shipping is not an option. At first glance, it may seem counterintuitive to offer free shipping to make a profit, but that hunger for free shipping is actually a rich opportunity for upselling. For example, Beardbrand takes advantage of this opportunity on its shipping policy page.

Beardbrand launched Alliance, a branded membership and community that costs $90. Only those who buy directly from the brand three times or spend $150 on a single order get an invitation to join the exclusive club—a potentially huge money-maker that encourages customer retention. 

Their FAQ page is the perfect place to mention the Beardbrand Alliance. In a question titled “Why did shipping costs increase?” the retailer upsells its membership to price-sensitive customers looking for cheaper shipping rates.

Where to communicate your shipping policy to customers

It’s best practice to display your shipping policy at multiple customer touch points. It shouldn’t live only on your shipping policy page. Instead, make it easier for customers to find the information they need by communicating your shipping policy wherever these questions may make customers hesitate about making a purchase.

The following are a few ideas for where you can repurpose your shipping policy template to make it easier for customers to complete their purchase.

Update a website announcement bar

When you’re anticipating shipping delays or a higher volume of orders, one of the most effective ways to be transparent with customers is by communicating delays through your website announcement bar. These are banners that can typically appear at the top of an ecommerce store’s pages. Banner options are built into many Shopify themes, but you can also add them to your store via a Shopify app of your choice.

In addition to shipping delay updates, you can also use this real estate on your website to highlight any incentives that might compel customers to make a purchase. For example, use a banner to highlight free shipping for orders over $75, or announcement $5 flat-rate shipping to the US and Canada.

Add a link to your website footer

Your footer is likely the first place a customer will look to find your shipping policy, along with other links to access self-serve customer support.

If shipping is a particularly important concern for your customers, it might be best to incorporate your shipping page into your website navigation’s dropdown menu to ensure it is more discoverable. However, in most cases, a link in your footer should suffice.

Incorporate shipping details into product pages

Questions about shipping often come up as customers are browsing your product pages. Consider including high-level information about your shipping policy on each product page. For example, write up one line about your free shipping incentive, or add a dedicated product page tab for more detailed shipping info.

Feature shipping info on your FAQ page

An FAQ page isn’t just for troubleshooting customer issues. It’s also the perfect place to highlight aspects of your shipping policy that could win over uncertain customers, such as your return policy or your free shipping threshold.

Label your delivery options with timelines

At checkout, when customers are choose their shipping options, it’s useful for them to see how long each shipping option takes. For example, your standard shipping option could take 5-7 business days, while a more expedited tier could take only 2 days. Having that information makes it easier for customers to select the best option for them. Including this information at checkout could be especially useful if you offer delivery timelines that are longer than a week and want to reduce the number of customers who reach out asking about their orders.

Deliver the right expectations with your shipping policy

Trust is the cornerstone of running a successful ecommerce business, and your shipping policy ensures both you and your customers are on the same page. 

Being transparent and upfront when setting expectations helps customers decide to buy from you, and when the unexpected happens and your business operations change, your shipping policy template helps you maintain that hard-earned trust.

If shipping feels like too big of a hassle to maintain yourself, there’s always the option to outsource it. Shopify Fulfillment Network can connect your online store with Flexport, a leading logistics company that will pick, pack, and ship orders directly to your customers—no intervention required. 

The best part: It offers flexible delivery speed options and competitive shipping rates, so you’ll only pay for what you need.