Shopify Shipping Policy Template With Examples

A Shopify shipping policy template is a fill-in page that tells customers how long orders take to process, which shipping options and rates you offer, where you ship, who pays duties, and what happens if a parcel is late, lost or damaged. You publish it in your Shopify admin under Settings > Policies, and Shopify links it from the checkout footer, product pages and cart. Copy the template below, fill each [placeholder] with the values from Settings > Shipping and delivery, and check that the two match before you publish.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure what applies to your store, have a qualified professional review the text.

Where do you add a shipping policy in Shopify?

Shopify's guide to store policies gives this route:

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Policies.
In Written policies, click the shipping policy.
If Use automated policy is on, turn it off.
Paste your policy, or use Insert template if it appears.
Review the text, then click Save to publish it.

Shopify can also generate the policy. With Use automated policy on, the processing time comes from your fulfillment time (only when estimated delivery dates are set to Manual or Automated), and the destinations are the countries in both your shipping zones and your region markets. Shopify warns the result may miss details, and automation replaces your current text, translations included, so save a copy first.

Once saved, the policy appears in these places:

Checkout footer: Shopify adds the link automatically.
Product pages and cart: Shopify lists a shipping policy link there. On free Shopify themes, the wording lives in the theme's default content, so check how your theme shows it.
A direct URL: your domain followed by /policies/shipping-policy.
Menus: in Content > Menus, open a menu, click Add menu item, search for the policy and click Save menu.

What should a Shopify shipping policy include?

Each section answers a question customers would otherwise email you, and each must agree with a Shopify setting.

Section	What to state	Check it against
Processing time	Business days to dispatch, cutoff time, weekends and holidays	Fulfillment time in Estimated delivery dates
Methods and carriers	Each option by its checkout name, and the carrier	Rate names in each shipping zone
Rates and free shipping	Price or how it is calculated, free-shipping minimum and currency	Rates and the Offer free shipping minimum
Delivery estimates	Transit range counted from dispatch, as an estimate	Transit times and delivery date setting
Regions and international	Countries you ship to, and any exclusions	Shipping zones and Markets
Duties and taxes	Paid at checkout, or by the customer on delivery	Settings > Taxes and duties
Address errors	Deadline for changes, returned parcels	Your order-editing routine
Lost, damaged or late	When to contact you, evidence, remedy	Carrier claims and refund policy
Preorders and backorders	Dispatch window, split shipments	Product page and preorder app
Tracking and contact	How tracking is sent, contact email, reply time	Notifications and store contact details

How to fill in each section

Processing time and order cutoff

Processing time is the gap between an order and the parcel reaching the carrier. Shopify calls it fulfillment time and uses it for the Fulfill by date on orders. You set it in Settings > Shipping and delivery > Estimated delivery dates with the Fulfillment time drop-down. For manual delivery dates, Shopify counts Monday to Friday as business days and uses a 12 pm cutoff in the shipping origin's time zone.

For US customers, the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers most goods ordered online. You need a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state or, if you state none, for believing you can ship within 30 days. The rule counts to shipment, when the carrier has the goods, so processing time is the promise that matters.

Methods, carriers and rates

List each shipping option with the name customers see at checkout and name the carrier if it is fixed. Shopify's shipping rates can be a flat price, tiers by order amount or by weight, or calculated by a carrier or app. For calculated rates, say the cost is shown at checkout. For free shipping, Shopify's Offer free shipping option takes a minimum order amount. Copy that amount, its currency, the zones and the option it applies to, then test a discounted cart to see whether codes count toward the minimum. A rate priced at 0 or a free shipping discount can also make shipping free; our guide to Shopify shipping rates compares the options.

If your store has moved to shipping options by market, the rates live under Markets, then the market, then Shipping, and the threshold reads Offer free shipping over a minimum order amount.

If some products have their own rates in a custom shipping profile, such as oversized or free-shipping items, name them in the policy and say how mixed orders are charged. When a cart mixes profiles, Shopify adds same-name rates together; our guide to Shopify shipping profiles shows how to keep that predictable.

Customers must see the full cost before paying. Your Europe says EU consumers must be told the total price including delivery, and GOV.UK asks UK sellers to explain delivery arrangements, costs and timing before the order.

If you offer local delivery, give it a line with its delivery area, price and any minimum order price. For pickup in store, give the address, opening hours and how long orders take to be ready. Match that to the processing time you select under Expected pickup date in the pickup settings, because checkout displays it.

Delivery estimates

Shopify offers automated, manual or no delivery dates. Manual dates add fulfillment time to the transit time on your rates. Automated dates need the Basic plan or higher, an eligible fulfillment location and at least one fulfilled domestic order. They show at checkout, in Shop Pay, in order confirmation emails and on the Thank You and Order Details pages. Quote ranges that match those dates, count them from dispatch, and keep "guaranteed" for services that are.

Where you ship

List your countries or regions, or point to checkout. Shopify's automated policy lists only countries in both a shipping zone and a region market, which is a good test for your own list. Add exclusions, such as PO boxes, only if true.

Duties, import taxes and customs

Shopify's shipping terms guide explains the two models. Under delivered duty paid (DDP), the seller covers import costs. Under delivered at place (DAP), the customer pays the carrier, and some carriers add a collection fee. Shopify advises telling customers which terms you use.

You can collect duties at checkout from Settings > Taxes and duties if your products have HS codes and a country of origin and you do not use Shopify Fulfillment Network. Estimates can be incomplete, so avoid promising "no extra charges". If you collect duties and buy labels in Shopify, the carrier must support DDP labels; otherwise you can't buy the label in Shopify. Our Shopify shipping labels guide lists the carriers that do.

Selling into the EU from outside it? From 1 July 2026 the EU applies a temporary €3 customs duty per item on low-value parcels, counted per tariff classification and declared by the seller or importer. Say whether you absorb it or pass it on.

Address errors and failed deliveries

Set a deadline for address corrections, such as "until the order ships", and say what happens to parcels returned as undeliverable or uncollected: reshipped for new postage, or refunded minus shipping.

Lost, damaged or late parcels

Define "late" as a number of business days past the estimate and "lost" as a period without tracking updates. Give a deadline for reporting damage and ask for photos of the item and packaging.

Your Europe says the trader is responsible for damage from dispatch until the consumer receives the goods. Without an agreed date, EU delivery is due within 30 days; if it is late, the consumer can set an extra period, then cancel and be refunded. In the US, the FTC rule requires a delay notice with a revised date and the option to cancel for a full refund, usually paid within seven working days.

Preorders and backorders

Say when these items ship and whether mixed carts ship together. A preorder date is a shipping statement too, so set it with the Shopify preorder setup checklist.

Tracking and contact

Shopify shows the tracking number in shipping confirmation and shipping update emails, and an order shipped in several fulfillments can produce more than one shipping confirmation, so say that split orders get tracking for each parcel. Our guide to the Shopify tracking number covers adding and fixing numbers, and our Shopify order tracking guide shows where customers follow the parcel.

End with a contact email, reply time and a request for the order number. Short shipping answers also fit on a Shopify FAQ page that links to the full policy.

Free Shopify shipping policy template

Copy the text, delete lines that do not apply, keep one option where two are offered, and replace every [bracketed placeholder].

SHIPPING POLICY
Last updated: [Date]

This policy explains how [Store name] processes and ships orders
placed at [store URL]. Questions? Email [support email].

1. ORDER PROCESSING
Orders are processed within [number] business days (Monday to Friday,
excluding [public holidays]). Orders placed after [cutoff time and
time zone], or on a weekend or holiday, are processed the next
business day.

2. SHIPPING METHODS, RATES AND DELIVERY TIMES
We ship from [city, country] with [carrier or carriers].
- [Standard option name]: [price or "calculated at checkout"],
  delivered in about [number-number] business days after dispatch.
- [Express option name]: [price or "calculated at checkout"],
  delivered in about [number-number] business days after dispatch.
- Free shipping: on orders over [amount and currency] to [countries],
  using [option name], [before / after] discount codes.
Delivery times are carrier estimates and start when your order ships.
Your exact shipping cost and estimated delivery date are shown at
checkout before you pay.
[Local pickup is available at [address], [days and hours]. Pickup
orders are usually ready within [time]. Local delivery is available
within [area] for [price], on orders over [minimum, if any].]

3. WHERE WE SHIP
We ship to [countries or regions]. We do not ship to [exclusions]. If
your country is not available at checkout, we cannot ship there yet.

4. DUTIES AND IMPORT TAXES
[Option A] For orders to [countries], duties and import taxes are
calculated and charged at checkout, so you see them before you pay.
[Option B] Prices and shipping charges do not include duties, import
taxes or customs fees. You pay these to the carrier or customs
authority on delivery.

5. SHIPPING ADDRESS
To correct your address, email us with your order number before the
order ships. We cannot change the address after dispatch. If a parcel
comes back to us as undeliverable or uncollected, we will [reship it
once you pay the new postage / refund the order minus the original
shipping cost].

6. TRACKING
When your order ships, we email you a tracking number. If your order
ships in more than one parcel, you will receive tracking for each one.

7. LATE, LOST OR DAMAGED PARCELS
If your order has not arrived [number] business days after the
estimated delivery date, or tracking has not updated for [number]
business days, contact us with your order number. If the carrier
confirms the parcel is lost, we will [reship your order / refund you].
If your order arrives damaged, email us within [number] days of
delivery with photos of the item and the packaging, and we will
[replace the item / refund you].
If we cannot ship your order in the time stated, we will email you a
new shipping date and the option to cancel for a full refund.

8. PREORDERS AND BACKORDERS
Items marked [preorder / backorder] ship within the time shown on the
product page. Mixed orders [ship together when everything is ready /
ship separately at no extra cost].

9. CONTACT
[Business name], [business address]
[Support email] | [phone and hours, if offered]
We reply within [number] business days.

Clear vs vague: two wording examples

Clear wording gives a number, a condition and a next step; vague wording becomes a support ticket.

Topic	Vague	Clear
Processing time	"Orders ship quickly, usually within a few days."	"Orders placed by 12 pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, ship within 1 business day. Later orders ship the next business day."
Duties	"International customers may have to pay extra fees."	"For orders to the UK and EU, duties and import taxes are charged at checkout, so you see the amount before you pay."

Use the clear versions only with your real cutoff, time zone and countries.

Check the policy against your shipping settings

Customers quote your policy back to you, so it must match checkout. Before you click Save, compare:

Processing time with the fulfillment time under Estimated delivery dates.
Rates with each shipping zone in every shipping profile, or each market's shipping options: same option names, same prices.
Free shipping with the Offer free shipping minimum and currency on each rate, or with your free shipping discount.
Countries with your shipping zones and markets.
Duties wording with Settings > Taxes and duties.
Checkout: test an address in each zone and compare costs and delivery dates.
Other policies: your shipping policy, refund policy and privacy policy use the same business name and contact email.

Repeat the check after any change to rates, carriers or processing time, and review every translation if your store sells in more than one language.

If you would rather not draft it yourself, ShopOpsy's Shipping Policy Setup is a one-time $49 drafting service that covers processing times, carriers, rates, delivery areas and international orders, delivered as plain text ready to paste. The Legal Page Bundle writes all five policy pages together so the details match.

Frequently asked questions

Can Shopify write my shipping policy automatically?

Yes. Turn on Use automated policy for the shipping policy in Settings > Policies. Shopify builds it from your fulfillment time and destinations, but review it and add anything it misses.

Do I have to ship within 30 days?

It depends on where your customers are. In the US, if you state no shipping time, the FTC expects a reasonable basis for believing you can ship within 30 days. In the EU and UK, the default is delivery within 30 days unless you agreed otherwise with the customer.

How do I remove the shipping policy link from product pages?

On free Shopify themes downloaded after November 2018, go to Online Store, open the theme menu, choose Edit default theme content, search for "shipping policy html", replace its contents with a single space and click Save. Other themes may differ, so check your theme documentation.

Sources

Adding store policies — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Setting up shipping rates — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Understanding fulfillment time — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Manual delivery dates — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Delivery dates overview — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Setting up shipping options for a market — Shopify Help Center, accessed 28 October 2026.
Shipping profiles — Shopify Help Center, accessed 28 October 2026.
Calculating shipping rates from different shipping profiles — Shopify Help Center, accessed 28 October 2026.
Local delivery — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Pickup in store — Shopify Help Center, accessed 28 October 2026.
Collecting duties and import taxes at checkout — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Carriers and shipping terms for duties — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
DDP and DAP shipping labels — Shopify Help Center, accessed 28 October 2026.
Fulfilling orders and adding tracking numbers — Shopify Help Center, accessed 22 October 2026.
Business Guide to the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule — Federal Trade Commission, accessed 22 October 2026.
Shipping and delivery — Your Europe, European Union, accessed 22 October 2026.
Ensuring fairness and safety: €3 customs duty for low-value parcels — European Commission, accessed 22 October 2026.
Online and distance selling for businesses — GOV.UK, accessed 22 October 2026.