Shipping settings are one of those things nobody thinks about until something goes wrong: a customer in the North-East charged the same as someone next door, free shipping accidentally applied to every order, or checkout refusing an address because no rate exists. A careful setup avoids all of it.

1. Enter product weights

Weight-based shipping only works if every product has an accurate weight, including packaging. Do this before setting rates.

2. Set up shipping zones

In Shopify's shipping settings, create a zone for India. Many stores keep one domestic zone with simple rates. If your courier costs vary a lot by region, you can create separate zones for groups of states, though keep it as simple as your margins allow.

3. Choose a rate structure

Flat rate. One price for all orders. Simple and easy to understand.

Weight-based. Price varies by order weight. Fairer for heavy products.

Price-based. Different rates for different order values, often used to create a free-shipping threshold.

Calculated rates. Some courier apps can show live rates at checkout.

4. Use a free-shipping threshold

"Free shipping on orders over Rs 999" is one of the most effective ways to increase average order value, and it removes a common reason for abandoned carts. Set the threshold a little above your typical order value.

5. Connect a courier or aggregator

Most Indian D2C stores use a shipping aggregator that connects to Shopify and gives access to multiple couriers, label printing, pickup scheduling, tracking and COD remittance. Compare them on rates for your typical parcel, pin code coverage, COD remittance speed and support.

6. Decide on cash on delivery

Offer COD if your customers expect it, but consider limits by order value or pin code, and read our guide on reducing COD returns.

7. Show delivery times clearly

Display estimated delivery times on product pages and in the cart. A pin code checker helps. Clear expectations reduce support queries and cancellations.

8. Write a clear shipping policy

Dispatch times, delivery estimates, charges, COD rules and what happens with delays. Link it in the footer and near the buy button. See our guide to legal pages for Indian websites.

9. Test everything

Place test orders to different pin codes, below and above your free shipping threshold, with and without COD. Check that every combination produces the right rate.

International shipping

If you sell abroad, set up separate zones and rates, and be clear about customs duties and delivery times.

Shipping setup is included in our Shopify packages. Ask us if your current settings need a look.