Shipping Policy Template: Free Copy-and-Paste Examples

A shipping policy should tell customers where you ship, what it costs and when to expect their order. Use the free template below, then follow the examples to adapt it to your actual fulfillment process.

Copy-and-Paste Shipping Policy Template​

Copy the block below into your store's policy page. Replace every bracketed field before publishing, duplicate shipping rows as needed and remove options you do not offer. These are fields to complete, not recommended delivery promises. Turn the return-policy and tracking URL fields into working links in your store editor.

Shipping Policy — [BUSINESS NAME]

Last updated: [POLICY UPDATE DATE]

Order processing

We process orders within [PROCESSING TIME RANGE] business days. Our business days are [WORKING DAYS AND EXCLUDED HOLIDAYS]. Our order cutoff is [CUTOFF TIME AND TIME ZONE]. Orders received after that cutoff enter processing [NEXT PROCESSING DAY RULE].

Processing happens before carrier transit. Preorders, personalized products and other exceptions follow [PRODUCT-SPECIFIC PROCESSING TIMES OR NONE].

Destinations and delivery options

We ship to [COUNTRIES, REGIONS AND TERRITORIES SERVED]. Excluded destinations, address types and products are [SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS OR NONE].

Destination	Method and carrier	Estimated transit after dispatch	Shipping price and currency
[DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS]	[DOMESTIC SERVICE AND CARRIER]	[DOMESTIC TRANSIT RANGE]	[DOMESTIC PRICE OR CHECKOUT CALCULATION]
[INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS OR REMOVE ROW]	[INTERNATIONAL SERVICE AND CARRIER]	[INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT RANGE]	[INTERNATIONAL PRICE OR CHECKOUT CALCULATION]

Free shipping: [THRESHOLD, CURRENCY, ELIGIBLE REGIONS AND EXCLUSIONS, OR NOT OFFERED]. Any remote-area, oversized-item or other shipping charges are [SURCHARGES AND WHEN THEY ARE SHOWN, OR NONE].

Transit estimates start when the carrier receives the shipment. Processing and transit estimates together describe the expected delivery window. Any guaranteed service and its conditions are [GUARANTEED SERVICE TERMS OR NONE].

International duties and taxes

For international orders, import duties, taxes and carrier clearance fees are [WHICH CHARGES ARE INCLUDED, WHICH ARE COLLECTED LATER, AND WHO PAYS]. Our customs-clearance and delay information is [DESTINATION-SPECIFIC CUSTOMS INFORMATION]. Remove this section if international shipping is unavailable.

Tracking and order changes

Shipping confirmations are sent through [EMAIL, SMS OR OTHER CHANNEL]. Tracking is available at [TRACKING LINK OR ACCOUNT INSTRUCTIONS]; untracked services are [UNTRACKED OPTIONS OR NONE]. Tracking updates normally appear within [CARRIER-SUPPORTED UPDATE ESTIMATE] after dispatch.

To request an address change or cancellation, contact [SUPPORT EMAIL OR CONTACT URL]. Requests are handled under [CHANGE AND CANCELLATION PROCESS, CUTOFF AND LIMITATIONS].

Delayed, missing or damaged orders

If your order is delayed, missing or damaged, contact [SUPPORT EMAIL OR CONTACT URL] with your order number and [HELPFUL DETAILS OR PHOTOS, IF AVAILABLE]. Our support hours are [SUPPORT HOURS AND TIME ZONE].

We handle these cases through [INVESTIGATION AND CUSTOMER UPDATE PROCESS], with [APPLICABLE REPLACEMENT, REFUND AND DELAY-CANCELLATION OPTIONS]. Any request to report an issue promptly does not remove your applicable statutory rights.

Returns and exchanges

Our return and exchange terms, including the applicable return-shipping arrangements, are available here: [RETURN POLICY URL].

Customize the Template for Your Store​

Fill in the policy from your checkout settings, carrier services and fulfillment records. A policy should describe the service a customer can actually buy.

Domestic Shipping Example​

Keep processing and transit separate. A carrier's two-day service does not mean delivery two days after the order if the store needs time to pack it.

The following values are illustrative only, for a fictional store shipping ordinary, in-stock goods within the contiguous United States. They are not current carrier quotes or defaults for your business:

Under these assumptions, processing plus transit is approximately 4–7 business days from the start of processing. The cutoff rule can move that start to a later business day. Replace the estimates with evidence from your own service, and explain any holiday or seasonal change before an order is placed.

If you offer pickup, local delivery or expedited shipping, add separate rows with the real area, cutoff, price and collection or delivery instructions. Check each carrier service's address restrictions instead of assuming every service excludes P.O. boxes.

International Shipping Example​

Name supported destinations explicitly. Explain which duties, import taxes and clearance charges your checkout collects, which may be collected later and who pays them. A label such as “international shipping” is not enough to explain the customer's total cost.

For a store that has verified it collects all relevant import charges for a particular service, adaptable wording is:

For orders to [VERIFIED DESTINATIONS] using [SERVICE], [SPECIFIED DUTIES, TAXES AND CLEARANCE FEES] are included in the checkout total. Other charges or exceptions are [EXPLAIN ANY EXCEPTIONS OR CONFIRM NONE].

For a service where some charges are collected later:

For orders to [DESTINATIONS] using [SERVICE], [SPECIFIED CHARGES] are not collected at checkout. [PARTY RESPONSIBLE] pays these charges through [COLLECTION METHOD]. See [DESTINATION-SPECIFIC COST INFORMATION] before ordering.

Use either example only where it matches your actual carrier, checkout and destination rules. Do not promise “no additional charges” without checking what the service covers. Keep customs fees distinct from your own shipping charge.

Policy sources checked September 10, 2026: the EU small-parcel change is no longer a future July 2026 event. EU guidance now describes a EUR 3 duty for each goods-item grouping in covered low-value consumer imports, rather than a single flat charge per parcel; VAT and delivery charges are separate. Goods sharing a commodity code and country of origin can be grouped together. Check the current scope and collection arrangements before setting checkout charges. European Commission consumer guidance

Custom, Preorder and Special-Product Shipping​

Replace the ordinary processing estimate where it does not apply. For made-to-order goods, state when production begins and the expected dispatch window. For preorders, distinguish an estimated dispatch date from a delivery date and explain how you notify customers of changes.

For perishables, fragile items, batteries or oversized goods, verify the specific carrier and destination requirements before offering a service. Describe any packaging, signature, appointment or recipient-availability requirement. Avoid copying a blanket “all sales final” or “no responsibility after dispatch” clause into a shipping policy.

Set Delivery and Problem-Resolution Terms You Can Honor​

A clear policy can reduce uncertainty and give support staff a consistent reference. It does not automatically remove responsibility for delayed or damaged orders.

For covered U.S. merchandise orders, the FTC requires a reasonable basis for the advertised shipping time. When no shipping time is given, the rule generally uses 30 days. If shipment cannot happen within the applicable time, the seller must follow the rule's delay-notice, consent and refund requirements. A carrier investigation is not a substitute for those obligations. FTC merchandise-order rule

Do not turn a request for damage photos within 48 hours into an automatic loss of customer rights, or assume a “delivered” scan settles every missing-order dispute. For example, EU consumer guidance says the trader is responsible for damage before the buyer receives the goods. Make your investigation process and available remedies fit the applicable consumer rules. EU shipping and delivery rights

Keep useful operational details in the policy: how to contact support, what information helps locate an order, when customers can expect an update and where to find returns terms. Fill those details from your actual support process instead of copying an arbitrary seven-day deadline or a guaranteed refund outcome.

Display and Maintain Your Shipping Policy​

Link the policy from your footer, product pages, cart and checkout where customers look for delivery information. Put the relevant price and delivery estimate near the purchase decision as well; a policy link should not hide an unexpected checkout charge.

Before publishing, make a test order for each supported shipping region and confirm:

• Every bracketed field is replaced and every method in the policy is available at checkout.
• Processing, cutoff times, time zones and transit estimates agree across product pages, policy and checkout.
• Prices, currencies, free-shipping thresholds and exclusions match the checkout calculation.
• International charge collection and product or address restrictions match the chosen service.
• Tracking, support and return-policy links work, including on mobile.
• Staff can carry out the stated delay, cancellation and damage-handling process.

Review the policy when carriers, destinations, costs or processing times change. Keep dated versions so you can identify the terms shown when a customer ordered.

Track Shipping Costs Before Promising Free Delivery​

Choose a free-shipping threshold from your margins and order costs, rather than a universal percentage above average order value. Include carrier charges, packaging, fulfillment labor, surcharges and the expected cost of returns or replacements. A larger order may still lose money if its extra items are costly to ship.

Monitor average shipping expense per order, the share recovered from customers, free-shipping usage and delivery problems by service. These records help you decide whether to change a threshold, price or carrier.

Beancount.io's plain-text accounting lets you keep shipping expenses, customer shipping charges and carrier refunds in traceable records. Get started for free to organize the costs behind your shipping policy.