Configuring your Shopify shipping settings is one of those tasks that seems complicated until you actually do it. Then you realize it’s much simpler than expected—if you have the right guidance.
After 14 years of building over 800 online stores, I’ve watched countless beginners overthink shipping configuration. They spend hours researching complex carrier integrations when all they really need are two basic shipping options: free shipping over a certain amount, and a flat rate for everything else.
This guide will show you exactly how to set up shipping on Shopify the easy way. I’m going to focus on the two most common scenarios that work for 90% of new stores. By the end, you’ll have functional Shopify shipping rates that make sense for your business and keep customers happy.
Let’s simplify this.
Why Your Shopify Shipping Settings Matter
Before we dive into how to set up free shipping on Shopify and other configurations, let’s talk about why getting your shipping settings right is crucial.
Shipping costs are one of the top reasons customers abandon carts. Studies show that 48% of shoppers abandon their carts due to unexpected shipping fees. Your shipping rates directly impact whether browsers become buyers.
How your Shopify shipping settings affect your business:
Conversion rates. Clear, reasonable shipping rates reduce cart abandonment. Customers want to know shipping costs upfront without surprises at checkout.
Customer expectations. Modern shoppers expect options. Some want the cheapest rate and will wait. Others need fast delivery and will pay extra. Your shipping settings should accommodate both.
Profit margins. Incorrectly configured shipping rates can quietly drain your profits. Charge too little and you lose money on every order. Charge too much, and you lose sales.
Competitive advantage. Smart free shipping Shopify strategies can differentiate your store from competitors and increase average order values.
The good news? You don’t need to configure every possible shipping scenario when you first set up shipping on Shopify. Start simple, learn what your customers prefer, then refine over time.
Understanding Shopify Shipping Basics
When you set up shipping on Shopify, you’re essentially answering three questions: Where will you ship? How much will you charge? How will you calculate those charges?
Shipping zones define where you’ll ship. A zone might be “United States,” “Canada,” or “Rest of World.” Your shipping settings let you create different pricing for different zones.
Shipping rates determine what customers pay. These appear at checkout based on the customer’s location and your shipping rates configuration.
Shipping profiles group products with similar shipping needs. Most beginners only need one general profile when they first set up shipping. Advanced users create multiple profiles for different product types.
For this guide, we’ll focus on the two most beginner-friendly settings: free shipping over a threshold and flat rate shipping.
The Two Shipping Options You Actually Need
Here’s what I recommend to every client when they set up shipping on Shopify for the first time.
Option 1: Free shipping over a minimum order value (like “Free shipping on orders over $50”). This strategy works beautifully because it increases average order values while still offering customers a clear path to free delivery.
Option 2: Flat rate shipping (like “$5.99 flat rate shipping”). This provides a simple, predictable cost for customers who don’t meet your free shipping threshold.
These two shipping rates cover most situations without overwhelming you or your customers with choices. Let me show you how to set up free shipping on Shopify and flat rates step by step.
Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Free Shipping on Shopify
Let’s start with the most popular shipping configuration. Here’s exactly how to set up free shipping on Shopify based on order value.
Step 1: Access Your Shopify Shipping Settings
From your Shopify admin dashboard, click Settings in the bottom left corner. Select Shipping and delivery to open your settings page.
This is where all your Shopify shipping rates are configured and managed.
Step 2: Locate Your Shipping Profile
You’ll see a section labeled “Shipping.” Under it, you’ll find “General shipping rates” (your default shipping profile). Click Manage next to General shipping rates.
This opens the profile where you’ll set up shipping for your store.
Step 3: Create or Edit a Shipping Zone
Shipping zones determine where your free shipping offer applies. Most stores start with a domestic zone.
If you already have a shipping zone (like “Domestic” or “United States”), click on it to edit. If not, click Create shipping zone, name it (e.g., “United States”), and select the countries or regions it covers.
Step 4: Add a Free Shipping Rate
Within your shipping zone, click Add rate to create a new shipping rate in your shipping settings.
Choose Set up your own rates from the options. This lets you manually configure your shipping rates.
Name your rate: Call it something clear, like “Free Shipping,” so customers understand what they’re getting.
Set the price to $0. This makes the rate free when conditions are met.
Add a condition: This is the key to setting up free shipping based on order value. Click Add conditions based on and select Order price.
Set your minimum: Enter your free shipping threshold. Common amounts are $50, $75, or $100. Choose based on your average order value and shipping costs.
Click Done to save this free shipping Shopify rate.
Step 5: Add a Backup Flat Rate
Customers who don’t meet your free shipping minimum need an alternative. Let’s add a flat rate to your shipping settings.
Still within the same shipping zone, click Add rate again. Choose. Set up your own rates.
Name this rate: Something like “Standard Shipping” or “Flat Rate Shipping.”
Set your price: Choose an amount that covers your average shipping cost. Common flat rates are $4.99, $5.99, or $7.99.
Don’t add conditions. This rate should be available to everyone, so leave conditions blank in your settings.
Click Done to save this rate.
Step 6: Save Your Shopify Shipping Settings
Click Save in the top right corner to apply all your shipping rates.
You’ve now successfully configured free shipping with a flat rate backup option.
How to Set Up Flat Rate Shipping Only
Maybe you prefer simplicity over free shipping incentives. Here’s how to set up shipping on Shopify with just a flat rate.
Step 1: Access Settings > Shipping and delivery to reach your settings.
Step 2: Click Manage next to General shipping rates.
Step 3: In your shipping zone, click Add rate and choose Set up your own rates.
Step 4: Name your rate (e.g., “Standard Shipping”), set a flat price (e.g., $5.99), and leave conditions blank.
Step 5: Click Done, then Save.
That’s it. Your shipping rates now show a simple flat fee at checkout.
Setting Up International Shipping Rates
Once you’ve mastered domestic Shopify shipping settings, you might want to ship internationally. The process is similar, but you’ll create separate zones.
To set up shipping on Shopify for international orders:
In your shipping settings, click Create shipping zone. Name it (e.g., “International” or “Canada”). Select the countries or regions this zone includes.
Click Add rate within this new zone. Set your international shipping rates—typically higher than domestic to reflect increased costs.
For international zones in your shipping settings, consider:
- Flat rates that cover average international costs
- Higher minimum thresholds for free shipping on Shopify offers
- Zone-specific pricing (Europe vs. Asia vs. Australia)
Save your changes to activate international shipping rates.
Understanding Transit Times in Your Shopify Shipping Settings
Transit times tell customers when to expect delivery. Adding these to your shipping settings sets proper expectations and reduces “where’s my order?” inquiries.
To add transit times when you set up shipping on Shopify:
When creating or editing a rate in your shipping settings, look for the Transit time dropdown. Select an option like “2-3 business days” or “5-7 business days” based on your actual fulfillment speed.
Be realistic with transit times in your shipping rates. Overpromising and underdelivering damages trust. It’s better to quote 5-7 days and deliver in 4 than to quote 2-3 days and deliver in 5.
How Free Shipping Increases Average Order Value
Understanding how to set up free shipping on Shopify is valuable, but understanding why it works is even more important.
Free shipping Shopify strategies with minimum order thresholds increase average order values by 30% or more. Here’s the psychology: When customers see they’re $15 away from free shipping, they often add another item to avoid the $5.99 shipping fee.
Best practices for free shipping Shopify thresholds:
Set it 20-30% above your current average order value. If your average order is $40, set free shipping at $50-55. This encourages upselling without feeling unreachable.
Calculate your break-even point. Make sure your free shipping threshold covers your actual shipping costs plus some margin.
Test different amounts. Try $50 for a month, then $75. Monitor how it affects both conversion rates and average order values in your Shopify shipping settings.
Promote it clearly. Add a banner to your homepage: “Free shipping on orders over $50!” Make sure customers know about your free shipping Shopify offer.
Common Mistakes in Shopify Shipping Settings
After helping hundreds of merchants set up shipping on Shopify, I’ve seen the same mistakes repeatedly.
Setting free shipping too low. If your threshold doesn’t cover shipping costs, you lose money on every order. Calculate your average shipping expense before you configure free shipping on Shopify.
Forgetting to add product weights. Your Shopify shipping rates might seem fine, but if product weights aren’t entered, you can’t accurately estimate costs later if you switch to calculated rates.
Making shipping confusing. If you offer 7 different Shopify shipping rates, customers get overwhelmed. Keep your Shopify shipping settings simple, especially when starting out.
Ignoring international customers. If you ship internationally but don’t configure those zones in your Shopify shipping settings, international customers will see “Shipping not available” at checkout.
Not testing checkout. Always place a test order after setting up shipping on Shopify to verify that rates display correctly and are calculated properly.
Advanced Option: Carrier-Calculated Rates
For most beginners, the flat rate and free shipping Shopify setup I’ve described is perfect. But it’s worth knowing about carrier-calculated rates in your Shopify shipping settings.
Carrier-calculated Shopify shipping rates pull real-time pricing from USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL based on package weight, dimensions, and destination. This ensures accurate charges but requires higher Shopify plans (Shopify Advanced or Plus) or a monthly add-on fee.
When carrier-calculated Shopify shipping rates make sense:
- You ship large, heavy items with highly variable costs
- You want to pass exact shipping costs to customers
- You’re on an Advanced or Plus plan already
When to stick with flat rates and free shipping on Shopify:
- You’re just starting and want simple Shopify shipping settings
- Your products have similar weights and sizes
- You’re on the Basic or regular Shopify plans
For beginners, I recommend starting with the simple Shopify shipping rates we’ve configured here. You can always upgrade to calculated rates once your business grows.
How to Display Shipping Costs Clearly
Your Shopify shipping settings are only effective if customers understand them. Clear communication prevents cart abandonment.
Where to display your Shopify shipping rates:
Homepage banner: “Free shipping on orders over $50” grabs attention immediately.
Product pages: Mention shipping costs or free shipping Shopify offers near the Add to Cart button.
Cart page: Show how much more customers need to spend for free shipping: “Add $12 more for free shipping!”
FAQ page: Create a dedicated shipping section explaining your Shopify shipping rates and delivery times.
Transparency builds trust. When customers know what to expect from your Shopify shipping settings, they’re more likely to complete purchases.
Your Next Steps
You now know exactly how to set up free shipping on Shopify and configure basic flat rates. These two Shopify shipping rates cover most scenarios for new stores.
Here’s what to do next:
- Access your Shopify shipping settings in Settings > Shipping and delivery
- Create your domestic shipping zone with free shipping over your chosen threshold
- Add a flat rate backup for orders below the minimum
- Set up international zones if you ship outside your country
- Test your configuration by placing a test order
Start with this simple Shopify shipping settings structure. As you learn what your customers prefer and how your costs actually break down, you can refine your Shopify shipping rates over time.
The most important thing? Get your Shopify shipping settings configured and launch your store. Perfect shipping strategies develop through real customer data, not endless planning.
Set up shipping on Shopify today using the steps in this guide, and you’ll have a functional, customer-friendly shipping configuration that lets you start making sales.
Related Articles:
- How to Set Up Shopify Payments: A Simple Guide for Beginners — Configure payments before shipping
- How to Start a Shopify Store: A Complete 10-Step Guide for Beginners — Your full store setup walkthrough
- [The Ultimate Shopify Pre-Launch Checklist: 15 Things to Do Before You Go Live] — Make sure shipping is ready
- What to Sell on Shopify in 2026: 9 Proven Methods to Find Profitable Products — Figure out what you’re shipping
With 14+ years in ecommerce and over 800 stores built, I’ve helped countless merchants configure shipping strategies that increase conversions and protect profit margins. Have questions about your Shopify shipping settings? Drop a comment below.