The Shipping Settings page allows you to configure where products ship from, where orders can be delivered, and how shipping charges are calculated at checkout.
In this article, you will learn about:
- Enabling shipping
- Managing shipping origins
- Creating shipping zones
- Configuring free shipping
- Using flat-rate shipping
- Connecting shipping carriers
- Configuring office shipping
- Applying product-level shipping settings
To get started, navigate to Settings → Shipping from the left sidebar menu.
Enabling Shipping
If your store sells physical products that require shipping, enable shipping before configuring your shipping options.
Shipping should remain enabled even if every order qualifies for free shipping.
If shipping is disabled:
- Customers will not be asked for a shipping address during checkout.
- Shipping methods will not be displayed.
- Shipping and fulfillment features will not be available for orders.
Shipping Origins
A shipping origin is the location from which a product is shipped.
Shipping origins are used to calculate shipping rates and provide the return address shown on shipping labels.
Adding a Shipping Origin
Click Add Shipping Origin to create a new origin.
Enter the following information:
- Origin Name
- Address Line 1
- Address Line 2, if applicable
- Country
- City
- State
- ZIP Code
- Phone Number
Then click Add Shipping Origin.
Once you have added shipping origins, you will see a list of your shipping origins, to which you can add more shipping origins.
Stores can have as many shipping origins as needed, which is useful when products ship from different warehouses, offices, vendors, or fulfillment locations. At the product level, you can assign each product to one of your configured Shipping Origins, from which this product will ship. To learn more about configuring individual products' shipping origins, read the Product Shipping and Taxes article. The Shipping Origin section displays each origin's:
- Origin Name
- Address
- Available actions
Through this menu, you can edit details of shipping origins
Headquarters Origin
The first shipping origin created for the store is automatically designated as Headquarters (HQ).
The Headquarters origin:
- Is the default origin assigned to newly created products.
- Can be edited.
- Cannot be deleted.
You can update the Headquarters information if the store's primary shipping location changes.
Editing and Deleting Origins
Click Edit Details to update an existing shipping origin.
Additional origins can be deleted. If a deleted origin was assigned to any products, those products will automatically revert to the Headquarters origin.
Shipping Zones
Shipping zones define the countries that share the same shipping methods and rates.
For example, you may create:
- A United States zone
- A Canada zone
- An international zone containing multiple countries
To create a zone, click Add Shipping Zone. To edit an existing zone, click its name.
Within a shipping zone, you can configure:
- Zone name
- Countries included in the zone
- Free shipping
- Flat-rate shipping
- Carrier-calculated shipping
Zone Name and Countries
In the Name section for your zone, you can enter a name of your choosing. Then, you can select the Region that your zone applies to. Zones can include one or multiple countries that you can select through the dropdown. A country should be included in a shipping zone before customers in that country can use the shipping methods configured for that zone.
Shipping Calculations
In this section, you can choose between Connect Shipping Carrier, which will provide real-time shipping cost estimates to customers at checkout, or you can choose Flat Rate Shipping, which will charge customers a flat rate for shipping within that zone, regardless of shipping conditions.
Connecting Shipping Carriers
Carrier-calculated shipping sends the shipment information to a connected carrier and returns available service levels and estimated rates.
To use carrier-calculated shipping, you must connect an account with a supported shipping carrier.
Within a shipping zone, click Connect Shipping Carrier and select the carrier account you want to use.
Carrier Service Levels
After connecting a carrier, select which service levels should be available to customers during checkout.
You can also enter a custom Description if you want customers to see a simpler or more general service name instead of the carrier's original service-level name.
Limiting the number of available services can make the checkout selection easier for customers.
Rate Adjustments
Carrier rates can be adjusted using:
- A percentage adjustment
- A flat-dollar adjustment
These adjustments allow you to increase the calculated shipping amount shown during checkout.
This could either reduce shipping costs if you wish to absorb some for customers, or it could inflate them to compensate for additional fees that you may incur.
Managing Carrier Accounts
Carrier accounts are connected from the Shipping Carriers section of the main Shipping Settings page.
You must already have an account with the carrier and provide the requested account information during setup.
A Stamps.com account can also be connected for supported USPS shipping services.
Flat-Rate Shipping
Flat-rate shipping charges a predetermined amount instead of requesting a calculated rate from a shipping carrier.
Within each zone, you can enter:
- Flat Rate For Home Shipping
- Flat Rate For Office Shipping
Both fields must contain a value when flat-rate shipping is configured.
If the store offers only office shipping, the home shipping rate will not be shown to customers, even though a value must still be entered.
Because rates are configured separately for each zone, domestic and international customers can be charged different amounts by placing their countries in different shipping zones.
Flat Rate vs. Carrier Shipping
Flat-rate shipping and carrier-calculated shipping are mutually exclusive within a shipping zone.
Use flat-rate shipping when you want to charge a consistent predetermined amount.
Use a connected carrier when you want the shipping cost to be calculated using order and shipment information.
Free Shipping
Free shipping can be enabled separately within each shipping zone.
You can select whether you'd like Free Shipping to apply for home and office shipping, only for home, or only for office. You can also enter a minimum order subtotal that customers must reach to qualify.
The minimum is based on the order subtotal before taxes and shipping.
If free shipping and flat-rate shipping are both enabled:
- Orders above the specified minimum receive free shipping.
- Orders equal to or below the minimum use the configured flat rate.
Free shipping can also be used alongside carrier-calculated shipping.
Office Shipping
Office Shipping allows customers to have orders delivered to predefined company office locations rather than entering their own delivery address.
Office Shipping is configured separately from shipping zones at the bottom of the main Settings → Shipping page.
First, press Enable Office Shipping.
Then ou can choose between:
- Only Office Shipping
- Home and Office Shipping
Only Office Shipping
When Only Office Shipping is selected, customers must choose a predefined office location during checkout.
They will not be given the option to enter a separate home or delivery address.
Home and Office Shipping
When Home and Office Shipping is selected, customers can choose between:
- Shipping to a predefined office
- Shipping to another address
Customers with access to Office Shipping will see an office selection dropdown during checkout.
Office Shipping access may also be restricted through Customer Group settings.
Adding Office Locations
Click Add New Office to configure an office location.
You can add multiple offices, each with its own predefined address.
Then you can select your shipping settings for the office location.
- Carrier Shipping: Orders will be delivered to the office using your default carrier above.
- Free Carrier Shipping Only: Same as Carrier Shipping, but customers will not be charged for shipping.
- Local Delivery: Allows you to set a flat for delivery to this location. The orders will not be delivered by the carrier. This means that the store can decide how they want to deliver the items separately.
Product-Level Shipping Settings
After configuring origins and shipping methods, you can manage additional shipping behavior from each product's editor page.
At the product level, you can:
- Select the shipping origin used for that product.
- Apply a product-specific flat-rate override.
When a flat-rate override is enabled for a product, it replaces the applicable home and office flat rates for that product.
If international shipping is enabled, you can enter separate product-level flat rates for:
- Domestic shipping
- International shipping
The selected product origin applies to the product as a whole and cannot be configured separately for individual variants.
Note: Product-level shipping options are covered in the Product Shipping and Taxes article.
That's everything you need to know about Shipping Settings. Next we will go over configuring your store's Payment Settings.