What is a shipping policy and why does e-commerce need one?
A shipping policy is the page on your storefront that tells customers — before they pay — how long it takes you to ship an order, how long carriers take to deliver it, what shipping costs, when shipping is free, and what happens to international duties. Most platforms (Shopify, Stripe, modern payment processors) require a posted shipping policy as a condition of using their checkout.
Beyond compliance, a sharp shipping policy is one of the highest ROI pages on the entire store. Roughly 49% of abandoned carts cite unexpected shipping cost as the reason (Baymard Institute). Pre-empting that surprise — clear costs, clear timing, clear free-shipping threshold — recovers a meaningful chunk of revenue with no ad spend.
The shipping policy is the most-read page on the store after the product detail page. Treat it like a sales asset, not a legal boilerplate.
How to write a shipping policy in 6 steps
The framework the generator above uses. Run through it manually if you want to write the policy by hand or verify the output.
State your processing time
How many business days after the order is placed do you ship it? Stores that bury this lose trust. 1–2 days is the default expectation for in-stock items; 3–5 if you're a small operation; 5–7 if everything is made-to-order. Be honest — under-promise and over-deliver beats the reverse.
Pick your shipping zones
Domestic only is fine to launch with — adds zero international support cost. International unlocks 30–60% more addressable market but adds customs work. A clean middle ground: domestic free shipping, international flat-rate. State which countries you ship to or just say 'worldwide except sanctioned regions.'
Decide free-shipping threshold
Free shipping over $50 (or $75 for premium AOV brands) consistently lifts average order value by 8–18%. The threshold should sit ~30% above your current AOV so it pulls customers up. Set the number once and don't move it around.
List delivery estimates per method
Standard (5–7 business days), Express (2–3), Overnight (1). Exact numbers, not 'fast' or 'soon.' Stores that list specific ranges get fewer 'where is my order?' tickets — customers self-serve from the policy.
Cover duties and customs explicitly
For international, one line saves a hundred support tickets: 'International customers may owe duties or customs fees on delivery. These are not included in the shipping cost and are non-refundable.' That sentence alone prevents the worst customer-service interactions in international e-commerce.
Tell them what happens when something goes wrong
Lost packages, stuck-in-transit, damaged on arrival, wrong address. Each needs one line. The policy doesn't have to solve every case — it just has to tell the customer how to reach you so the case starts moving.
Shipping policy mistakes to avoid
Promising 'fast' without a number
Fast means nothing. 1–2 business days means something. Vague timing creates more support tickets than long timing — customers expect what they read literally.
Ignoring weekends and holidays
Business days, not calendar days. State it once at the top of the policy. Holiday windows (Black Friday, December) deserve a dedicated callout: 'Orders placed Dec 15–24 ship the following business day after Dec 26.'
No address-edit window
Customers type wrong addresses. The policy should tell them what to do — usually a 1-hour edit window before fulfilment locks. Without that line, you'll absorb the cost of every re-route.
Treating international as an afterthought
One line on duties, one line on countries you ship to, one line on extended timelines. Three sentences saves dozens of support tickets a month at scale.
DDU vs DDP — international duties explained
The single most important decision on an international shipping policy is how you handle duties and customs fees. DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid) means the customer pays duties at the door — simpler to set up, but creates the worst customer-service interactions when the package arrives and someone owes the carrier an unexpected $40. DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) pre-collects duties at checkout — better customer experience, but requires Shopify Markets or a duties calculator integration.
The generator above picks the right defaults for whichever model you choose. For most stores under $1M GMV, DDU is the right starting point with one clear sentence in the policy. For premium brands or anyone whose international AOV exceeds $80, DDP pays for itself in customer experience.
Is the generator's output legally reviewed?
No. The generator produces a clean shipping policy suitable for general US/EU consumer-goods e-commerce. For regulated categories (hazmat, alcohol, large freight, restricted items), have a lawyer review.
Pair it with our return policy generator, store name generator, and tagline generator to cover the brand basics before launch.
Shipping policy generator FAQ
Do I legally need a shipping policy?
Most e-commerce platforms (Shopify, Stripe, payment processors) require a posted shipping policy as a condition of using their checkout. Beyond platform requirements, US states with deceptive-trade-practices laws expect clear shipping disclosure before purchase. In practice: you need one. The generator output meets these requirements for general consumer goods.
What's the best free-shipping threshold for e-commerce?
Set it ~30% above your current average order value. If AOV is $40, set free shipping at $50; if AOV is $70, set it at $90. This pulls customers to add one more item without making the threshold feel out of reach. Brands that set free shipping at AOV waste margin; brands that set it 2x AOV leave conversion on the table.
Should I show shipping cost on the product page or only at checkout?
Show a one-line estimate on the product page if you can ('Free shipping over $50') and the exact cost at checkout. Shoppers abandon checkout when surprised by shipping costs — about 49% of abandoned carts cite unexpected shipping per Baymard Institute research. Pre-empt the surprise on the PDP.
Is international shipping worth the operational headache?
Depends on your category. Premium goods (~$80+ AOV) with high margins (50%+) absolutely yes — international AOVs are typically 20–40% higher than domestic. Sub-$30 commodity items, no — duties and shipping eat the margin. Start domestic, add international when you have the AOV to absorb it.
How do I handle duties and customs in the policy?
Two options: (1) Customer pays at delivery (DDU — Delivery Duty Unpaid) — the e-commerce default, simple, but creates angry-customer moments at the door. (2) You pre-collect duties at checkout (DDP — Delivery Duty Paid) — better customer experience, requires Shopify Markets or a duties calculator integration. State explicitly which model you use.
Is the generator's output legally reviewed?
No. The generator produces a clean, well-structured shipping policy suitable for general US/EU consumer-goods e-commerce. For regulated categories (hazmat, alcohol, large freight, restricted items), have a lawyer review. For most Zentrix-style brands, the output is sufficient to launch.