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Shipping policy template

When it ships, what it costs, where it goes.

A standard shipping policy, an international section with duties and taxes, one for made-to-order and preorder items, and a short version for your footer.Updated · By Ziyad Basheer
Use this template freeSee the template

Short answer

A shipping policy says how fast you send orders, how long delivery takes, what it costs, where you ship and what happens when a parcel goes missing. Copy the policy below, replace each bracket with your own terms and link it from your store footer.

The templates

Yours to fill in
PolicyStandard domestic shipping policy
Shipping policy Processing time We pack and ship orders within 1 to 2 business days. Orders placed after 2 pm ET, on weekends or on public holidays are processed the next business day. Delivery times and rates We ship with USPS and UPS to addresses in the United States. Standard: 3 to 5 business days, $5.95 Express: 1 to 2 business days, $14.95 Orders over $75 ship free by standard delivery. Delivery times are carrier estimates and start once your order has shipped. Tracking We email you a tracking link when your order ships. It can take up to 24 hours for the first update to show. Address changes Please check your address before you order. We can change it until the order ships: email support@yourstore.com with your order number as soon as you notice. Once the parcel is with the carrier, we cannot redirect it. PO boxes We ship to PO boxes with USPS only. Express orders need a street address. Split shipments If your items ship from different places, they may arrive in more than one parcel. You get a tracking link for each one and pay for shipping once. Lost or damaged parcels If your tracking has not moved for 7 days, or your order arrives damaged, email support@yourstore.com with your order number and a photo of any damage. We will send a replacement or refund you. International orders We currently ship within the United States only. Questions Contact us at support@yourstore.com.
PolicyInternational shipping, duties and taxes
International shipping We ship to Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia. Delivery takes 7 to 14 business days after your order ships, and the rate is shown at checkout. Duties and taxes Duties and import taxes are paid at checkout, so there is nothing more to pay on delivery / not included in your total: customs or the carrier may charge them before delivery, and they are yours to pay. Customs delays Customs can hold a parcel for several days. Tracking may not update while it is held. Refused or returned parcels If a parcel comes back to us because it was refused or the duties were not paid, we refund the items once they arrive, less the original shipping cost and any return charges.
PolicyMade-to-order and preorder items
Made-to-order items Made-to-order items are made after you order. They take 10 to 14 business days to make, and delivery time is added to that. Preorders Preorder items ship on or around date, shown on the product page. If that date moves, we email you the new one. Orders with in-stock items If you order in-stock items together with a made-to-order or preorder item, we hold the order and ship everything together / we ship the in-stock items first at no extra cost.
PolicyShort version for the footer or product page
Orders ship within 1 to 2 business days. Standard delivery in the United States takes 3 to 5 business days and costs $5.95, free on orders over $75. We also ship to Canada and the United Kingdom in 7 to 14 business days, with duties and taxes paid at checkout. A tracking link is emailed when your order ships.
ChatThe policy in brief
We ship within 1 to 2 business days to the United States and Canada. Standard delivery costs $5.95 and is free on orders over $75, and you get a tracking link by email when your order ships. The full policy is at yourstore.com/policies/shipping-policy.

When to use

A shopper asks about your shipping policy in general, such as PO boxes, split shipments or what happens to a lost parcel. Not when they ask only how long delivery takes, or where an order they already placed is.Aide picks a procedure from its When to use. Paste this into your procedure, then edit it for your store.

What to decide first

Cut-off and closed daysThe hour after which an order counts as the next day, and the days you do not ship.
Who pays dutiesCollected at checkout, or charged to the customer on delivery. Say which before they order.
When a parcel goes missingHow many days without a scan before it counts as lost, and whether you reship or refund.

In your Shopify admin

Processing timeFulfillment time, under Settings > Shipping and delivery > Estimated delivery dates.
Delivery estimatesThe Transit time on each shipping option, which customers see at checkout.
Rates and free shippingRates on each shipping zone. Offer free shipping sets the minimum order amount.
Where you shipYour shipping zones. An address outside every zone is told no shipping rate is available.
Duties and taxesShopify can collect duties and import taxes at checkout. If you turn that on, the policy should say so.
The policy itselfSettings > Policies, Shipping policy. Shopify links it from checkout, product pages and the cart.

Example conversation

Customer
Do you ship to PO boxes? And what happens if my parcel gets lost?
Aide
Yes, we ship to PO boxes with USPS on standard delivery. If your tracking has not moved for 7 days, email us your order number and we will send a replacement or refund you.
✓Answered from your shipping policy

Frequently asked questions

The rules differ by country, so check the ones where you sell. It is worth publishing either way: shoppers look for delivery time and cost before they pay, and a written policy is what your team and your customers point to when a parcel is late.

State the time you can meet on your slowest day, in business days, with the daily cut-off. If made-to-order or preorder items take longer, give them their own line, so one slow product does not stretch the promise on everything else.

No. Give delivery windows as carrier estimates that start when the order ships. Shopify's own guidance on store policies is not to promise delivery or shipping times that you cannot provide.

Yes. Keep one page and put the international section under the domestic one, with the countries you ship to, the delivery window and who pays duties and import taxes. Shoppers abroad then find everything on the page your checkout already links.

Add the policy to Knowledge as an article, and the Aide AI Agent answers shipping questions from it. Every reply is checked before it is sent, and one that promises something your policies do not back is rewritten or handed to your team.

Related templates

Estimated shipping timeAnswer how long shipping takes.ChatFree shipping eligibilityAnswer whether an order ships free.ChatInternational shipping availabilityAnswer whether you ship to a country.ChatShip to a PO boxWhether you deliver to PO boxes, and which methods do.Chat · Internal noteSplit shipmentThe order ships in more than one package.Email · Chat · Internal noteLost in transitTracking has not moved for weeks.Email · Chat · Internal note

Related

Send this with the order filled in

Aide fills in the Shopify order and tracking, then drafts or sends the reply, as you choose.

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