Setting up shipping zones and rates

Shipping zones and rates define where you ship your products to and how much you charge for shipping. A shipping zone is a group of countries or regions, such as Europe or North America. Within each zone, you create shipping rates that determine what your customers pay for shipping at checkout.

You can set up the following types of shipping rates:

• Flat rates: You set the price and can offer different rate options:
  • Flat: General flat rate for all orders.
  • Order amount: Price-based rates with conditions on order value.
  • Weight: Weight-based rates with conditions based on the item weight.
• Carrier or app calculated rates: Shipping carriers such as UPS or FedEx determine the shipping cost based on order details such as weight, dimensions, and destination.

You can also offer free shipping for any of the shipping rates that you set up.

Before you start

Before you set up shipping zones and rates, review the following information:

• Shipping profiles: Get familiar with shipping profiles. Shipping profiles let you create different shipping rules for specific products and locations. The instructions on this page apply to setting up zones and rates within a shipping profile.
• Markets: If you want to sell to customers in a particular country, then the country must be in an active market. To add a shipping zone for a new country, first add a market including that country, then activate the market and set up your rates. Customers in inactive markets can't place orders even when their country is in a shipping zone with available rates. Learn more about shipping zones and markets.
• Shipping zone structure: Within a group of locations in a shipping profile, a country or region can exist in only one shipping zone. You must remove a country or region from one shipping zone before adding it to another.
• Product weights: If you plan to use weight-based shipping rates, then make sure that all your products have weight values. Without accurate weight information, shipping rates don't calculate correctly at checkout.
• Carrier or app calculated rates: You can use built-in carrier integrations that are available on all plans, such as USPS in the United States or Canada Post in Canada. If you want to connect your own carrier accounts with carriers such as UPS, FedEx, or USPS, then you need to activate third-party carrier-calculated shipping that requires specific Shopify plans or an additional monthly fee on your Shopify account.

Setting up flat shipping rates

Flat rate shipping lets you set the shipping cost for orders. You can charge a fixed amount, offer free shipping, or vary the price based on order value or weight. For example, you can charge $10 USD for all orders, $5 USD for orders over $50 USD, or offer free shipping for orders over $100 USD.

Set up flat shipping rates

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to add shipping rates to.

3. Optional: To add a new shipping zone, complete the following steps:

   1. In the Shipping zones section, click Add zone.
   2. In the Zone name field, enter a name for your shipping zone.
   3. In the Regions section, select the countries and regions that are part of the zone, and then click Done.

4. For the shipping zone where you want to add a shipping option, click Add shipping option, and then add shipping rates:

   1. In the Name field, add a name for your shipping option. This name is displayed to your customers at checkout.
   2. Optional: To add delivery details for your shipping option, such as Tracked shipping, click Add delivery details, and then enter the details. Delivery details are displayed to your customers at checkout.
   3. From the Rate type drop-down menu, select Flat.
   4. In the Price field, enter an amount that you charge your customers for this shipping option. To make the shipping rate free, leave this field empty or enter 0.
   5. Optional: To display transit time to your customers at checkout, complete the following steps:
      1. From the Transit time drop-down menu, select a suggested transit time or enter a custom transit time
      2. If you select the Custom transit time, then enter a custom range or a single value for your transit time, such as 3-5 days or 3 days), and then click Done.
   6. Optional: To offer free shipping, select Offer free shipping, and then enter the minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping.

5. Click Done.

6. Click Save.

Set up order amount-based rates

Order amount-based shipping rates, also known as price-based rates, let you charge different shipping prices based on the total value of the order.

For example, you can charge $24.99 USD shipping for orders from $0 USD to $100 USD, $9.99 USD shipping for orders from $100.01 USD to $200 USD, and offer free shipping for orders over $200.01 USD. Review the following table that displays example price-based rates:

When an order contains products from multiple shipping profiles, Shopify combines the applicable price-based rates. For example, if a Discounted shipping rate of $5 USD is active in two profiles for orders over $50 USD, then an order totaling $55 USD with products from both profiles displays a combined shipping rate of $10 USD at checkout.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to add shipping rates to.

3. Optional: To add a new shipping zone, complete the following steps:

   1. In the Shipping zones section, click Add zone.
   2. In the Zone name field, enter a name for your shipping zone.
   3. In the Regions section, select the countries and regions that are part of the zone, and then click Done.

4. For the shipping zone where you want to add a shipping option, click Add shipping option, and then add shipping rates:

   1. In the Name field, add a name for your shipping option. This name is displayed to your customers at checkout.
   2. Optional: To add delivery details for your shipping option, such as Tracked shipping, click Add delivery details, and then enter the details. Delivery details are displayed to your customers at checkout.
   3. From the Rate type drop-down menu, select Order amount.
   4. Set up your price ranges by entering the following information for each range:
      1. In the Minimum field, enter the minimum order value for this rate.
      2. In the Maximum field, enter the maximum order value for this rate. If you don't want a maximum limit, then leave this field empty.
      3. In the Price field, enter an amount that you charge your customers for this shipping rate. To make the shipping rate free, leave this field empty or enter 0.
      4. Optional: From the Transit time drop-down menu, select a suggested transit time. If you select Custom transit time, then enter a custom range or a single value for your transit time, such as 3-5 days or 3 days, and click Done.
   5. To add additional price ranges, click the icon.
   6. Optional: To offer free shipping, select Offer free shipping, and then enter the minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping.

5. Click Done.

6. Click Save.

Set up weight-based rates

Weight-based rates let you charge different shipping prices based on the combined weight of items shipping from the same location with the same shipping option. Make sure that all your products have accurate weight data before setting up weight-based rates. If products are missing weight information, then shipping rates don't calculate correctly at checkout.

For example, you could charge $4.99 USD shipping for orders from 0 lb to 0.99 lb, $9.99 USD shipping for orders from 1 lb to 4.99 lb, and $19.99 USD shipping for orders from 5 lb to 9.99 lb. Review the following table that displays example weight-based rates:

When combining weight-based shipping rates, Shopify combines rates that apply to the weights of the individual products, with your store default package weight added to each product. Learn more about combined shipping rates.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to add shipping rates to.

3. Optional: To add a new shipping zone, complete the following steps:

   1. In the Shipping zones section, click Add zone.
   2. In the Zone name field, enter a name for your shipping zone.
   3. In the Regions section, select the countries and regions that are part of the zone, and then click Done.

4. For the shipping zone where you want to add a shipping option, click Add shipping option, and then add shipping rates:

   1. In the Name field, add a name for your shipping option. This name is displayed to your customers at checkout.
   2. Optional: To add delivery details for your shipping option, such as Tracked shipping, click Add delivery details, and then enter the details. Delivery details are displayed to your customers at checkout.
   3. From the Rate type drop-down menu, select Weight.
   4. Set up your weight ranges by entering the following information for each range:
      1. In the Minimum field, enter the minimum order weight for this rate.
      2. In the Maximum field, enter the maximum order weight for this rate. If you don't want a maximum limit, then leave this field empty.
      3. In the Price field, enter an amount that you charge your customers for this shipping rate. To make the shipping rate free, leave this field empty or enter 0.
      4. Optional: From the Transit time drop-down menu, select a suggested transit time. If you select Custom transit time, then enter a custom range or a single value for your transit time, such as 3-5 days or 3 days, and click Done.
   5. To add additional weight ranges, click the icon.
   6. Optional: To offer free shipping, select Offer free shipping, and then enter the minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping.

5. Click Done.

6. Click Save.

Creating flat rates in local currencies

You can create flat rates in local currencies for customers from different markets. For example, you can offer $10 USD flat rate shipping for customers in the United States, but €15 EUR flat rate shipping for customers in Europe.

Shipping rates are automatically displayed in the customer's local currency when you activate local currencies for your market. If you want to set specific fixed rates for different regions rather than relying on automatic conversion, then create separate shipping zones for each region. For example, if your Europe market contains France, Germany, and Sweden, then automatic conversion displays your €10 EUR rate as approximately 120 SEK for Swedish customers. If you want to charge exactly 120 SEK for Sweden (rather than the converted amount), then create separate zones: one for Euro countries (France and Germany) with a €10 EUR rate, and another for Sweden with a 120 SEK rate.

Setting up carrier or app calculated shipping rates

Carrier-calculated shipping rates display rates from carriers such as UPS, FedEx, or USPS at checkout. The carriers determine the rates based on the order details, including weight, dimensions, and destination. This helps you charge your customers the exact amount that a shipping carrier charges you when you purchase a shipping label.

Shipping carriers use the following factors when determining how much to charge for shipping:

• Shipping origin
• Shipping destination
• Weight of the shipment
• Value of the shipment
• Dimensions of the shipment box
• Dimensional weight
• Requested speed of delivery

You need to enter accurate product weights to ensure accurate carrier-calculated rates at checkout. These rates display expected transit time, but they don't include your processing time. To display delivery dates that include both processing and transit time, refer to Setting up delivery dates.

Carrier-calculated rates availability

Carrier-calculated rates are available in specific scenarios. Review the following table to learn more about carrier-calculated rates and their availability in different regions:

Set up carrier-calculated rates

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to add shipping rates to.

3. Optional: To add a new shipping zone, complete the following steps:

   1. In the Shipping zones section, click Add zone.
   2. In the Zone name field, enter a name for your shipping zone.
   3. In the Regions section, select the countries and regions that are part of the zone, and then click Done.

4. For the shipping zone where you want to add a shipping option, click Add shipping option, and then add shipping rates:

   1. Optional: To add delivery details for your shipping option, such as Tracked shipping, click Add delivery details, and then enter the details. Delivery details are displayed to your customers at checkout.
   2. From the Rate type drop-down menu, select Carrier or app calculated.
   3. Click Choose carrier and apps, and then complete the following steps:
      1. From the Carrier or app drop-down menu, select a shipping carrier or app.
      2. Select the shipping services that you want to display to your customers at checkout. If no services are available to select, then rates are displayed automatically by the carrier or app.
      3. Optional: To automatically include new shipping services when they become available, select Automatically include new services when they become available.
      4. Optional: In the Handling fee section, enter a percentage or a fixed amount to add to the carrier rate. You can use this to account for packaging and handling costs.
      5. Click Done.
   4. Optional: To offer free shipping when orders meet a minimum value, select Offer free shipping, and then enter the minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping.

5. Click Done.

6. Click Save.

Mark up or discount carrier-calculated rates

You can adjust carrier-calculated shipping rates to mark up or discount the rates that display to your customers at checkout. For example, if the rate is too high to attract customers, then you could discount it by a certain percentage to increase sales. Instead, if the rate is too low to cover your packaging and handling costs, then you can increase it.

You can mark up carrier-calculated rates by an additional flat fee or by a percentage of the total shipping rate. If you adjust a carrier-calculated rate to include both an additional flat fee and a percentage markup, then the percentage is calculated before the flat fee is added. For example, a $5.00 USD rate with 50% markup and a $1.00 USD flat fee costs the customer $8.50 USD, not $9.00 USD.

If you want to offer discounted shipping, then enter a negative value, such as -5% or $-2.50.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to edit.

3. Next to the carrier-calculated rate that you want to adjust, click , and then click Edit shipping option.

4. In the Handling fee section, set the rate adjustments.

5. Click Done, and then click Save.

Add free shipping to your existing shipping option

You can offer free shipping for your existing shipping option. You need to enter a minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping. For example, you can enter $50 USD as your minimum amount. This means that orders of $50 USD or more are eligible for free shipping.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to edit.

3. In the Shipping zones section, click … for the shipping option that you want to edit, and then click Edit shipping option.

4. Select Offer free shipping, and then enter the minimum amount for an order to qualify for free shipping.

5. Click Done.

6. Click Save.

Adding free shipping for specific products or specific customers

You can add free shipping for specific products or specific customers:

• To offer free shipping on only certain products, you need to create a custom shipping profile and include the relevant products, and then create a flat rate that offers free shipping.
• To offer free shipping to specific customers, you need to create a free shipping discount. Customers who are eligible for the discount can enter the discount code during checkout, and then free shipping is applied to their order. If you want the customer to receive both a monetary discount and a free shipping discount, then create a draft order for your customer.

Edit shipping zones and rates

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to edit.

3. Next to the shipping zone or rate that you want to edit, click ….

4. Click Edit zone or Edit shipping option.

5. Make any changes, and then click Done.

6. Click Save.

Delete shipping zones and rates

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

2. In the Shipping profiles section, click the shipping profile that you want to edit.

3. Next to the shipping zone or rate that you want to delete, click ….

4. Click Delete.

5. Click Save.

Customer experience choosing shipping rates

Your shipping settings determine which rates display to customers at checkout. After you set up your shipping rates, you can place a test order to verify the rates your customers can choose from. Learn more about troubleshooting and testing shipping rates.

When customers enter a shipping address at checkout, applicable shipping rates display. Each customer is offered only rates that apply to their order, and the cheapest rate displays as the default. If a customer changes their order contents after reaching checkout, then shipping rates recalculate when they continue to the final purchase step.

Customers who enter a shipping address in a region that isn't included in your shipping zones receive a notice that no shipping rate is available for their region.