Shipping Policy Template and Examples for Online Stores

Use this shipping policy template to tell shoppers what delivery costs, when orders leave your store and how you resolve delivery problems. It suits Australian online stores that arrange parcel delivery for their customers. Fill in the store’s actual terms before publishing, then make the policy agree with checkout.

What a Shipping Policy Must Cover

Tell shoppers which delivery service they are buying and who they contact when something goes wrong. Gather your shipping settings and carrier estimates before writing it. Include these details:

• Countries and postcodes you serve, including any excluded addresses.
• Shipping charges and the conditions for free shipping.
• Order processing time, dispatch cut-off and business-day definition.
• Carrier services and estimated transit time after dispatch.
• Tracking messages and contact details for delivery enquiries.
• Your process for late, lost or damaged parcels and incorrect addresses.

Show shipping fees before the shopper commits to the order. The ACCC’s price display guidance requires businesses to disclose the types of fees and when they apply upfront. When a delivery charge depends on the address, explain that dependency early and show the calculated charge before payment. A policy hidden in the footer cannot repair an unexpected checkout fee. Read the guide to drip pricing for the wider price-display rules.

Shipping Policy Template

The following shipping policy template has fields for your own carriers and delivery terms. Square brackets mark information you must replace. Remove services you do not provide, and add the international wording below only for destinations you serve.

We ship to [delivery areas]. We cannot deliver to [excluded addresses or areas].

Orders are prepared within [processing window] business days after payment. Our dispatch cut-off is [time and time zone]. Business days are [working days], excluding public holidays at our dispatch location.

Standard delivery uses [carrier and service]. Shipping costs [rate in AUD and GST treatment]. Estimated delivery is [transit window] business days after dispatch for [covered destinations]. For [other destinations], the estimate is [other transit window].

Free standard shipping applies when [eligible order value after discounts] reaches [threshold in AUD]. It applies to [eligible destinations] and excludes [excluded destinations or products]. Express delivery costs [rate in AUD and GST treatment] for [eligible addresses].

We email your tracking link after dispatch. Contact us at [support email or phone] with your order number if delivery is late or tracking shows a problem.

If a delay affects your order, we will explain what happened and provide the next delivery estimate or available solution. We will tell you when to expect our next update.

We handle enquiries with the carrier for deliveries we arrange. If your parcel is lost or arrives damaged, contact us so we can assess the problem and arrange the appropriate solution. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law apply regardless of this policy.

Check your delivery address before payment. Contact us promptly if it needs correction. If an address error or uncollected parcel causes a return, we will discuss the next steps and any applicable redelivery charge with you.

For a Shopify store, publish the completed wording through the policy editor. Shopify’s Help Center describes this manual process:

1. Open Settings, then Policies in Shopify admin.
2. Select Shipping policy under Written policies.
3. Turn off Use automated policy if it is enabled and you want to maintain this wording manually.
4. Paste the completed template into the policy editor and review its formatting.
5. Save to publish the policy.

Shopify links saved policies in the checkout footer. Add a storefront menu link through Content, then Menus so shoppers can read delivery terms before checkout. Open the saved policy from your store and confirm that its fees match a checkout for each shipping zone. If the wording keeps changing automatically, check whether Use automated policy is still enabled.

Shipping Policy Example for a Small Store

This completed example is for a fictional small homewares store shipping Australia-wide. Its rates and delivery windows are illustrative store terms, not Australia Post quotes. All example prices are in AUD and include GST.

We ship standard parcels to all Australian states and territories, including PO boxes. We do not ship overseas.

We dispatch in-stock orders from Melbourne within two business days after payment. Our business days are Monday to Friday, excluding Victorian public holidays.

Standard shipping costs $12 per order with Australia Post Parcel Post. It is free on orders of $120 or more after discounts. Free shipping applies to Australian delivery addresses only.

Allow an estimated three to eight business days after dispatch. Remote deliveries can take longer, and we show the applicable estimate at checkout. We do not promise delivery by a particular day unless we confirm that promise for your order.

We email tracking after dispatch. Reply to your order confirmation if a parcel is late, damaged or marked delivered without arriving. Include your order number and any photos of damage.

We contact the carrier and keep you updated. If we cannot deliver your order, we arrange a suitable solution, including a replacement or refund where appropriate. This policy does not limit your rights under Australian Consumer Law.

The example separates two business days of processing from transit time. A shopper can therefore see that the delivery estimate starts when the parcel leaves the store. Replace that distinction with an accurate total estimate if your checkout displays order-to-door time.

Delivery Times and Delays

State when each delivery estimate starts and distinguish an estimate from a promised arrival date. Allow for your packing time before using a carrier’s transit estimate. Identify destinations that need longer windows instead of applying one metro estimate to every address.

The ACCC’s delivery delay guidance says businesses must provide a solution when paid goods cannot arrive on time or within a reasonable time. A refund or replacement can be appropriate. An unexpected carrier delay does not automatically mean the business broke the law, but shoppers must receive accurate information and a chance to resolve the problem.

When a promised checkout date is missed, acknowledge that promise in your reply. Explain the cause, the revised estimate and the proposed solution. Give the shopper a definite next-update window. A policy cannot remove consumer rights by saying all carrier delays are the shopper’s responsibility. A short delay does not create an automatic refund entitlement in every case.

For example, if the store agrees that an item will arrive before an event, a later arrival can defeat the agreed purpose. Assess that fact when deciding the remedy. Keep the promise recorded with the order rather than replacing it with a generic policy estimate.

International Shipping Terms

An international shipping policy must name the countries served and explain the charges the customer will face. Use a separate destination list instead of “worldwide shipping” when you serve only selected countries.

We ship from Australia to [country list] using [carrier and service]. Orders leave our store within [processing window] business days. Estimated transit is [window for each country] business days after dispatch, excluding customs clearance time.

For [destinations where charges are collected on arrival], you pay applicable import duties, local taxes and carrier clearance charges on arrival. These charges are separate from our shipping fee. For [destinations with prepaid charges], checkout shows the applicable charges collected before dispatch.

Free standard shipping applies to orders of [threshold in AUD] or more after discounts, delivered to [eligible destinations]. International destinations [excluded country list] are excluded from this offer.

Choose the duty clause that matches the service you actually use. A blanket “the recipient pays on arrival” clause is unsuitable for an Australia Post US postal shipment using its sender-paid duty process. Australia Post’s US tariff guidance explains the required payment arrangement. US Customs and Border Protection confirms that the low-value duty-free exemption is suspended. Do not promise that a small retail purchase enters the US duty-free.

For a store using the applicable sender-paid service, a USA clause can read like this:

We ship from Australia to the USA with Australia Post International Standard. Estimated transit is five to nine business days between major metro areas after dispatch, excluding customs clearance time. Other delivery addresses can take longer.

We pay applicable US import duty before the parcel enters the USA. Checkout shows any duty amount we collect from you before payment. Our Australian free-shipping offer excludes USA deliveries.

The transit window follows Australia Post’s USA destination estimate for low-value, low-risk items pre-cleared through customs. The store’s processing time is additional. Use the estimate applicable to your dispatch location and destination instead of promising that every US parcel takes that long.

For New Zealand, write a standalone sentence such as “We ship to New Zealand using [carrier and service]”. Follow it with the delivery window and duty terms. A shopping agent connected to that policy can find the country answer directly without guessing what “international delivery available” means.

Lost, Damaged and Undelivered Parcels

For delivery you arrange, keep the store responsible for handling the shopper’s complaint while you pursue the carrier claim. Use a store commitment such as “We take responsibility for loss or damage before delivery and arrange the appropriate solution”. Avoid treating a dispatch scan as proof that the shopper received the goods.

Ask for the order number and check the delivery address against the carrier record. For a damaged parcel, ask the shopper to retain the packaging and send photos where possible. If tracking says delivered, check the delivery evidence and any authorised safe-drop instructions. Assess those facts before deciding what happened.

A carrier’s compensation limit does not set the shopper’s consumer rights. The ACCC’s consumer remedy guidance explains that store terms cannot deny rights to remedies for faulty goods. Keep claims deadlines and evidence requests separate from those rights. Handle your carrier reimbursement separately from the solution you owe the customer.

Put change-of-mind conditions and the return process in your returns policy. Use the returns policy template to keep both policies consistent without repeating all return terms here.

Writing It for Shoppers and AI Assistants

Write delivery rules as complete sentences that a shopper or AI assistant can quote without losing a condition. Keep the free-shipping threshold beside its destinations and exclusions. Put the carrier service beside the transit estimate, and say whether processing time is additional.

AI assistants may quote an old figure if that is what your policy still says. Update every published version when rates or delivery arrangements change. If an agent uses a stored copy of the policy, update that copy too. Link your FAQ page to the full shipping policy instead of maintaining a second set of delivery terms.

Before publishing, run a checkout for each supported country and one excluded destination. Confirm that eligible shoppers receive the stated shipping option, excluded shoppers cannot order delivery there and charges match the policy. Then ask your connected assistant whether the store ships to New Zealand and when a late parcel needs store help. Each answer must preserve the policy’s destination conditions and contact route.