📦 Free Shipping Policy Generator

Create a clear Shipping Policy for your online store. Prevent customer chargebacks regarding delayed deliveries or international customs fees.

Why Your Store Needs a Clear Shipping Policy

A comprehensive Shipping Policy is your first line of defense against angry customers and devastating payment processor chargebacks.

  • Win Chargeback Disputes: A clearly displayed processing time (e.g., "Allow 7-10 days") helps you win "Item Not Received" disputes.
  • International Customs Liability: Eliminate refund risk by explicitly stating that all import taxes are the buyer's sole responsibility.
  • Reduce Support Tickets: The #1 question e-commerce stores receive is "Where is my order?" A policy answers FAQs instantly.
  • Handling vs Shipping Times: Differentiate between warehouse packing time and carrier transit time to set accurate expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions

While not strictly mandated by law, it is functionally required. Payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, and Square require you to display shipping policies to help resolve "Item Not Received" chargeback disputes. Without a shipping policy, you will lose almost every dispute. Major marketplaces like Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy also require one.
A comprehensive shipping policy should detail: processing/handling time (time to pack the order), shipping methods and costs (standard, express, overnight), estimated delivery times per region, international shipping zones and customs/duties info, order tracking details, restrictions (P.O. boxes, APO addresses), and your lost/damaged package procedure.
Unless you use DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping, the customer is legally responsible for all import duties, customs fees, and local taxes. You must state this clearly in your policy — otherwise customers may refuse packages at customs and demand a full refund. List the countries you ship to and any region-specific restrictions.
Handling time is the time it takes your warehouse or team to pack and hand the order to the carrier (e.g., 1–3 business days). Shipping time is the time the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) takes to deliver it. Separating these in your policy prevents customer complaints like "I ordered yesterday, where is my package?"
Your policy should clearly define the point of liability transfer. Typically, once a package is scanned by the carrier with a tracking number, the carrier is responsible for loss or damage. Your policy should guide customers to file a claim with the carrier and provide your support contact for assistance.
Free shipping is the #1 conversion driver in e-commerce. Consider offering it above a minimum order value (e.g., "Free shipping on orders over $50"). If you can't afford free shipping on all orders, clearly state your shipping rates by region and order weight. Transparent pricing reduces cart abandonment.
The most common mistakes are: not separating handling from shipping time (causing premature complaints), not disclosing customs/duties responsibility (causing international refund disputes), not updating the policy for holiday delays, and not linking the policy from the checkout page (Stripe and PayPal require visibility before purchase).

What the generator asks you

Alongside your company name, address, website name and URL, contact email and country, the form asks for order processing time, the shipping methods you offer, domestic delivery time, whether you ship internationally and how long that takes, a free-shipping threshold and any shipping restrictions. Each answer is written into the matching section, and sections you leave blank (international shipping, free shipping) are left out.

What the finished document covers

  • Order Processing
  • Shipping Methods and Delivery Estimates
  • Free Shipping (if a threshold is set)
  • International Shipping (if enabled)
  • Shipment Tracking
  • Lost, Damaged, or Stolen Packages
  • Shipping Restrictions
  • Changes to This Policy
  • Contact Us

What it does not do

Shipping costs are not a form field, so the policy describes methods and times but not prices. The customs and duties wording for international orders is generic and the country field does not change it. There is no governing-law or severability clause, and the lost-or-damaged section sets out a process but not a legal position on risk of loss. It is a template, not legal advice.

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