Shipping Policy Generator

A shipping policy answers the questions shoppers ask before they buy: where do you send, how long will it take, what will it cost and what happens if something goes wrong. Putting the answers on one clear page reduces support email, and it gives you wording to refer to when a parcel is late. This generator turns a few facts about your fulfilment into that page.

The inputs

Start with the store name, the customer service email and an effective date. State where you ship from and where you ship to, for example “Within the United States”. Give the processing time, the time between payment and dispatch, such as “1 to 2 business days”. Then list delivery options, one per line, in the form name | time | price. For instance, “Standard | 3 to 5 business days | $4.95” and “Express | 1 to 2 business days | $9.95”. Add a currency symbol, and optionally a free-shipping threshold.

Four switches finish the page. You ship internationally adds a section on international orders. The customer pays customs duties and taxes states who pays import charges. You send tracking details adds a tracking section. You cannot ship to PO boxes adds that exclusion.

How the page reads

It opens with where the store ships and where orders are sent from, then the processing time, noting that busy periods may take longer and that delays will be communicated. A table lists each delivery option with its estimated time and cost, followed by the free-shipping sentence if you entered a threshold. A sentence beneath says delivery times are estimates, begin after dispatch and are not guaranteed, because carriers can be delayed by weather, strikes and events outside your control.

The tracking section says a tracking link is emailed at dispatch, and tells shoppers to check spam or write to you if it has not arrived within a stated time. The final sections cover address mistakes and lost or damaged parcels, in which the customer writes with an order number and you investigate with the carrier.

A worked example

Press the first sample, a US store called Harbour Goods shipping from Portland, Oregon within the United States. Processing takes 1 to 2 business days. The table shows Standard at 3 to 5 business days for $4.95 and Express at 1 to 2 business days for $9.95, and orders over $50 qualify for free standard shipping. The second sample ships worldwide, so the page gains an international orders section and the customer-pays-duties wording, and has eight sections in about 300 words.

Making it accurate

Use delivery times that your carriers actually achieve, measured from your own orders and not from a brochure. Count business days from dispatch, not from the order, and keep them consistent with what the checkout shows. If you charge a flat rate, make sure it covers your average cost. For international orders, decide in advance who pays duties, because customers who are surprised by a charge at the door often refuse the parcel. If your product has size or weight limits, state them in the options.

Consumer law

Rules about delivery vary: in some places goods must arrive within a stated period or a reasonable time, and risk of loss may stay with the seller until delivery. A policy that conflicts with local law will not be enforced. Check the rules for the countries you sell to.

Limits

This is a general template, not legal advice. It writes the page but does not calculate rates, connect to carriers or track parcels, and it cannot know your insurance, courier contract or customs obligations.

Related tools

• Refund Policy Generator covers what happens after a parcel arrives and the customer wants to send it back.
• Terms and Conditions Generator includes the sales terms that point to this page.
• Invoice Generator produces the invoices that accompany shipments.
• Privacy Policy Generator explains how delivery addresses and order data are used.