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A shopping policy template is a handy document to have when you need to draft up a shipping policy quickly. A well-crafted shipping policy not only provides legal protection for your business, it also ensures that your customer’s expectations are in line with your operations, which fosters trust and a good reputation.

Instead of starting from scratch with your shipping policy, check out all you need to know about our shipping policy template below.

What’s a shipping policy template?

A standard shipping policy template is a document that outlines important details related to any shipping of customer orders. In a nutshell, it contains details, such as shipment process times, costs, delivery times, plus more.

Our sample shipping policy template is designed in such a way that you can keep it short or detailed, depending on how much information you add. The document can also act as a shipping policy and returns policy template since it has a section where you can fill in information about returns, refunds, and exchanges.

Overall, this is an important document, whether you need a shipping policy template Shopify approves of or for other e-commerce websites and online marketplaces.

What does the shipping policy template contain?

So, you now know what defines a shipping policy template and have an idea of why it may be important for your business. Next, let’s look closely at important information that must be included in your shipping policy.

Bear in mind that this piece of content is not offering legal advice, and that you should you consult a professional before putting this policy up on your website.

Shipping methods, delivery estimates, and shipping costs

These are three things a customer will quickly look up before deciding whether to do business with you. Your customer has a set budget and timeline of when they’ll need their order. Therefore, it’s essential to provide information that’s as accurate as possible, so the customer knows exactly what they’re dealing with and how many business days it takes for the package to get there.

For example:

• express shipping
• flat rate shipping
• overnight shipping

And many other methods of shipping that apply to your business.

Also, if you can provide as many details as possible. Let your customer know whether you offer things like bulk shipping or dropshipping. The customers should have most of their questions answered, once they’re done reading your shipping policy. They should know the accurate shipping charges and shipping thresholds for different types of shipping options.

This helps to build trust with your customers as they'll know the exact shipping cost and the time it takes for the delivery. You should also include a list of all the shipping carriers you use when shipping orders to customers.

Shipment processing times

You should let your customers know how long it takes to handle the order. That’s because this will increase the time between when the order is made and delivered. Therefore, it’s important to set expectations for shipping time early on - and add a list of countries along with estimates for delivery.

Shipping restrictions

There could be some shipping methods you don't support, some shipping options that don't work in different countries, some items that you won't ship internationally, etc. It's important to highlight this so that potential customers know ahead of time why they could not complete the checkout process.

A detailed shipping policy is based on customer feedback and tells the customer what you do and you don't do.

International shipping policy

You can use this section to let your customers know if you ship international orders or not. If you currently offer international shipping, be sure to let the customer know they will be responsible for any additional charges incurred before and during shipping.

International shipping can be a complicated process filled with duties and other charges, causing potential delays that may not happen with domestic shipping. So, whether you ship domestically or internationally, this section makes sure you and your customers are on the same page and that they understand international shipping costs before purchasing.

Returns, refunds, and exchanges

Your shipping policy must also have a section that addresses returns, refunds, and exchange of orders. We have designed our online shipping policy template in such a way that you can outline the entire process or provide a link to a preexisting returns page if you have one.

The return policy is crucial for businesses where it's common for someone to return an item because of the wrong size, for example. The returns policy helps your customer service team because you answer questions on how many business days it takes for the return to take place. It is a neat way to manage customer expectations.

Also, cover the return shipping costs: who pays for the return, what the shipping timeframes are and more.

Other information

Our shipping policy template also contains other sections which are helpful when outlining shipping information related to duties, delivery options, customs, and taxes as well as shipment confirmation and order tracking.

It's best to look through different shipping policy examples in your industry and niche to create a comprehensive shipping policy that is ideal for your customers.

Benefits of using a shipping policy template

In brief, our shipping policy template provides you with the following benefits:

• Keeps customers informed. As mentioned earlier, customers must have detailed information about your processes before placing an order. This helps to build trust and avoid disappointment.
• Highlights delivery times. Again, customers must have clear expectations regarding when they will receive their order. They'll have all their shipping questions answered before they have a chance to ask.
• Provide legal protection. If you run into legal issues, your business will be protected. At the very list, you'll explain the shipping process in advance and show what kind of customer experience you promise, for example, on the delivery timeframe.

The bottom line

Shipping policies come in all shapes and sizes, but our shipping policy template is designed to give you plenty of flexibility.

The good news is you’re not forced to use it as it is. Instead, you can add, subtract, or rewrite the information to reflect your business’s operation. However, since you’re not designing the shipping policy template from scratch, this will save you a lot of time and you’ll find the process highly convenient.

A well-thought-out shipping policy helps answer common customer questions and ensures higher customer satisfaction while securing business owners from a mass of potential questions.