Shipping Policy

Having a Shipping Policy in place will give your customers an idea of what to expect when they purchase a product from you that will be shipped to them after purchase.

This includes:

What a customer can expect to pay for shipping

How long a shipment may take to arrive

What shipping options and pricing you have available for customers to choose from

What shipping carriers your company uses

While a Shipping Policy is not a legal requirement, unlike some other business policies, it is a good idea to have one in place. Having a Shipping Policy offers your customers valuable information that could help them make an informed decision about purchasing from your company.

Without a Shipping Policy, it may take your customers too long to figure out shipping costs, carriers you use, or how long a shipment will take to reach them. If this is the case, many customers will decide not to go through with a purchase and may go to a competitor who has a clear Shipping Policy in place, thus losing business and revenue for your company.

What Your Shipping Policy Should Include

Here are a few important sections and pieces of information to include in your Shipping Policy.

Shipping Prices: An overview of the different price options for varying levels of shipping services. (Standard shipping, overnight, expedited, etc.)

Carriers: A list of the carriers your company uses to ship products to customers. (USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.)
Options for Payment: The different types of payment your company accepts for shipping costs and how those payment methods are processed.

Restrictions and Guidelines: This should include the types of residences you will or won’t ship to, whether or not you can ship to a P.O Box, and other relevant information.

International Shipping Options: Your company’s policy for shipping outside of your country, to different territories, across continents, etc. (International pricing, customs and tax guidelines, extra costs, etc.)

Let’s look at these and a few others, more in-depth and with examples from actual shipping policies.