Shipping policy

A shipping policy is a company document that entails every relevant information about the shipping rules and procedures of your business. This would include how orders are shipped, how long they take to be delivered, shipping costs, etc. 

A shipping policy page can be as detailed or brief as you want it to be. It may not leave you feeling excited in the morning. And sure, it’s not legally required of you to create a shipping policy for your online store. But it’s a brilliant resource to address all the questions your customers may ever want to ask about shipping. 

A shipping policy should include all shipping information about shipping carriers, costs, delivery times, shipping methods, payment systems, refund and exchange, tracking methods, and delivery restrictions.

Before drafting a shipping policy for your ecommerce business, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you offer free shipping options, flat-rate shipping, or calculated shipping to customers? 

• What kind of payment options do you offer? Are you or your 3PL partner equipped to handle COD orders?

• How many carriers and mail classes do you support?

• How will you make tracking information available to your customers?

• How efficient is your delivery service? What are your shipping times? Can you provide multiple shipping options like Same Day/Next Day services or hyperlocal delivery?

• How long will order processing or manufacturing take, in the case of both custom and regular orders?

• How will you handle returns and exchanges?

• Do you ship internationally? Who manages customs on arrival?

• What is your refund policy?

These are some of the questions every online entrepreneur should ask themselves before creating a fool-proof shipping policy. We believe these are some of the most commonly asked customer questions. Answering these questions in advance should help reduce confusion and enhance the post-purchase customer experience.