A shipping policy template helps businesses more easily make one of these policies for your website or app for free, without needing to write and format everything yourself.
Termly offers a free shipping policy template that you can download and customize to meet the needs of your unique ecommerce business.
In this article, learn how to use our free shipping policy template, why you should post one if you sell goods, and what goes into one.
- How To Use Termly's Shipping Policy Template
- Sample Shipping Policy Template for Online Stores [Full Text and Download]
- Who Should Use a Shipping Policy Template?
- What Is a Shipping Policy?
- Ecommerce Shipping Stats and Facts
- Who Needs a Shipping Policy?
- What Are The Benefits of Having a Shipping Policy?
- What Should Your Shipping and Delivery Policy Include?
- Where Should You Display Your Shipping Policy?
- Tips to Make The Most Of Your Shipping Policy
- Shipping Policy Examples
- Shipping Policy FAQ
- Conclusion
How To Use Termly’s Shipping Policy Template
To use our shipping policy template, follow these easy steps:
- Decide what format you want to download and edit the template in (HTML, Word Doc, Google Doc, or PDF) by clicking ‘Full View’ below for the HTML version, or choosing one of the ‘Additional Template Download Options’ pictured below the preview image.
- Read through the entire template,
- Fill in the blank sections and [brackets] with relevant, accurate details about your business, and remove any clauses that do not apply to you. If necessary, add clauses you might need.
- Once satisfied, download the final policy as a Word Doc, PDF, Google Doc, or copy and paste the HTML snippet and add it to your website.
- That’s all it takes!
Sample Shipping Policy Template for Online Stores [Full Text and Download]
You can download our free shipping policy template below in Word Doc, PDF, or Google Doc format. You can also just copy & paste the HTML directly to your website.
Before using it, read through the entire shipping policy template – fill in all of the [brackets], remove any sections that do not apply to your app, and tweak any language as needed.
Shipping Policy Template HTML
You can copy our shipping policy template HTML code or download it using the options below.
Additional Template Download Options
Who Should Use a Shipping Policy Template?
We recommend anyone who needs a shipping policy should at least start with a template, because making one from start to finish can take up a lot of time, resources, and energy.
If you ship physical goods to consumers, it’s worth publishing this policy on your website and having it available freely for consumers.
Shipping Policy Template vs Generator
While several people can benefit from using a template, some websites might be better off using a Shipping Policy Generator that offers more guidance and support.
| Using a Generator Makes Sense When You: | Using a Template Makes Sense When You: |
|---|---|
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What Is a Shipping Policy?
A shipping policy outlines all details about how your store fulfills and ships purchases to your customers and usually accounts for both international and domestic orders.
It informs your customers about:
- Fulfillment speeds
- Shipping and processing timelines
- Costs
- International shipping options
You can also include links to other relevant procedures in your shipping policy, like your:
- Return and refund policy
- Money back guarantee
- All sales final policy
- No refunds policy
- Exchange policy
Your online store’s shipping policy should also outline your processes for missing or damaged packages and list any restrictions and exclusions.
If you don’t already have one for your website, try our shipping policy template for free, linked below.
Ecommerce Shipping Stats and Facts
As a business owner, you’ve likely noticed that online shopping has increased significantly since 2020, and recent statistics back this up.
Data experts predict that the number of packages shipped globally will reach 256 billion by 2027 (Pitney Bowes Inc).
Just look at some of these other findings from the Parcel Shipping Index by Pitney Bowes Inc:
- 159 billion – the number of packages shipped around the world in 2021.
- 5,000 parcels are shipped every second.
- $491 billion – total global parcel revenue for 2021.
- 16% annual increase in American carrier revenue.
But despite the increase in online sales, 69% of items still get abandoned by shoppers in their digital shopping carts. (Baymard Institute)
Another study by the Baymard Institute proposes that the high cart abandonment rate could be linked to poorly designed shipping interfaces online, which typically lack clarity about a store’s shipping policy.
Take a look:
- 63% of stores do not mention in-store pickup as an option in their shipping interface
- 45% of websites use unnecessary jargon in the checkout process, confusing consumers
- 65% of websites don’t prominently display ‘guest checkout’ options, scaring away users who might not want to create an account
This suggests a growing need from consumers for businesses to share links to shipping policies, which would help solve some of the issues mentioned in the study.
Who Needs a Shipping Policy?
If you sell goods that get shipped to a consumer, you should have a shipping policy posted on your website or app.
Even though it’s not required by law, posting a shipping and delivery policy on your website helps answer customer questions, prevents misunderstandings, and keeps your consumers and customer service team informed.
We recommend creating a shipping policy for:
- Retail businesses
- Ecommerce stores
- Specialty stores
- Boutiques
- Independent shops
- Small businesses
What Are The Benefits of Having a Shipping Policy?
A good shipping policy benefits both your business and your consumers in the following ways:
- Answering customer questions
- Reducing cart abandonment
- Increasing your internal organization
- Building trust and transparency between you and your consumers
How Do Shipping Policies Help Answer Customer Questions?
A standard shipping policy can help conveniently answer several common customer questions for you and your users.
By posting a shipping policy, your customers can look up answers to frequently asked questions, like:
- How much shipping might cost them,
- How long it takes for the package to arrive,
- If you deliver to their location,
- What happens to missing or damaged packages.
Without a visible ecommerce shipping policy linked to your website or app, you’ll be the one responsible for fielding all those questions.
How Can Shipping Policies Help Increase Conversions?
For customers, purchasing something from an online store that doesn’t have shipping information available feels very risky.
If they can’t easily find answers to common shipping questions, it might lead to that cart abandonment previously referenced from the Baymard Institute.
They may be more likely to buy products from a store like yours that does make their shipping policy available.
How Can Shipping Policies Help With Your Internal Organization?
Shipping policies help streamline your internal processes, leading to higher efficiency.
By establishing your shipping and handling protocols in a written document, your team knows how to answer customer inquiries more accurately and what guidelines to follow to ensure all customers receive their orders promptly.
How Do Shipping Policies Help Build Trust and Transparency?
Customers expect to find a shipping policy somewhere on your website or app, and posting one helps you establish yourself as a legitimate, trustworthy business.
Not linking to a shipping policy on your ecommerce store might leave users feeling like your website needs to be more professional, updated, or secure.
What Should Your Shipping and Delivery Policy Include?
A good shipping policy should include all details about your shipping and handling practices so consumers can find answers to their questions before they place an order.
Let’s review the most common clauses to consider including.
Shipping Rates and Costs
Your shipping policy should include information about your shipping rates.
Give enough detailed information so customers know how much it might cost them to place an order on your website. But ensure it’s organized in a readable, understandable format.
Below, see an example from the shipping policy for the clothing store American Eagle, where cost estimates are organized in a neat table.
Shipping Methods
List all shipping methods you make available to consumers in a clause in your shipping policy.
For example, your company might provide any of the following:
- Standard shipping
- Second-day shipping
- Next-day shipping
- Saturday delivery
- Buy online, pickup in-store options
- Dropshipping
Thoroughly list all that you provide.
You should also include details about what shipping carriers your company uses, like:
- United States Postal Service (USPS)
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- DHL
- FedEx
- Hermes Europe
- Deutsche Post
Below, I’ve included two screenshots from the clothing retailer ASOS, who mails packages internationally.
This first example comes from their shipping policy applicable for consumers in the U.S.
Next is a screenshot of their separate shipping options for customers who live in Europe.
If you ship internationally, use ASOS as an inspiration and separate the shipping delivery methods based on your customer’s location.
Delivery Estimates and Times
Include a clause in your shipping policy informing customers approximately how long it takes for you to process orders and how long it might take for them to receive their items.
Your customers want to know how long it will take before their package arrives, especially if they’re purchasing something for a reason, like a holiday or a birthday gift.
Below is another example from American Eagle.
The information is thorough, detailed, and organized in an easy-to-read format.
Shipping Restrictions or Exclusions
Depending on what kind of items you sell, you might need to list shipping restrictions and exclusions.
Air transport restrictions and regulations also impact what items can be shipped overnight.
The screenshot below shows an easy to read sample of this kind of clause from the shipping policy from Macy’s.
Missing or Lost Packages
Outline your protocol for lost or missing packages, including ones that never arrive, in a clause within your shipping policy.
This lets customers know what to expect ahead of time, and gives you something to point to if they have questions or concerns.
Below, is another example from Macy’s shipping policy. The highlighted text shows how long customers have to report issues with their delivery, including missing or incorrect items.
International Shipping Information
The details surrounding international shipping can get complicated, so it’s a good idea to make a specific international shipping policy clause for your users who live in other parts of the world.
Mention who is responsible for customs and import duties, international taxes, any other additional fees, and mention which carriers you use.
Even if you don’t ship internationally, you should still say so directly in your policy.
Below, see a shipping policy sample from Darn Tough Vermont.
The sock company makes it clear that they can’t ship to addresses outside of the U.S. but still provide a way for international consumers to potentially find their products.
Return, Refund, and Exchange Policy Information
Include a link to your return, refund, and exchange policies within your shipping policy.
Customers typically want to know about these processes before placing an order, especially if they’ve never purchased from you.
This helps with the user experience and general navigation.
Where Should You Display Your Shipping Policy?
You should link your shipping policy in multiple places across your website or app so your users can always easily find it.
- Website Footer: Users see the links in your website footer no matter what part of your site they visit, so it’s an ideal spot to link to your shipping policy.
- Shipping Interface and Payment Screens: This helps answer any last-minute questions your users might have before they complete a purchase.
- Help or Privacy Center: Create a help center, frequently asked questions page, or privacy center that houses your shipping policy and any other relevant agreements your customers should have easy access to.
Tips to Make The Most Of Your Shipping Policy
Below, we cover how your company can make the most of your shipping policy to benefit your business and your customers.
1. Make your Shipping Policy Easy to Read
Try to write your shipping policy in a straightforward way because you want as many customers as possible to read and understand it.
For tips on how to do this yourself, check out our guide on how to write a shipping policy.
Or you can download our free shipping policy template, which is already designed by our legal team to be simple to read.
2. Offer Free Shipping or Promotions
With so many ecommerce options out there, a shipping policy can help your business stand out, especially if you offer fast shipping times or low rates compared to your competitors.
For example, you might offer temporarily cheaper shipping as a holiday promotion, which you could display in a banner or website announcement bar at the top of your webpage.
But according to data from JungleScout’s Consumer Trends Report, one of the best ways to incentivize your customers to finalize a sale is to offer free shipping:
- 80% of online customers expect free shipping over a specified dollar amount
- 66% expect free shipping on all orders
If free shipping is a perk you can offer your customers, include it in your shipping policy.
3. Attract More Local Shoppers
You can customize your shipping policy to allow in-store pickup or drop shipping options, attracting more local customers to your business.
If you have a brick-and-mortar location, consider implementing a buy-online, pickup in-person process that you can outline in a clause in your shipping policy. You can even use resources like DoorDash to provide your local customers with yet another delivery method.
4. Don’t Copy Someone Else’s Shipping Policy
No matter what you do, you shouldn’t copy another person’s shipping policy as this is plagiarism, and the specific details likely won’t even apply to your company or customers.
It’s not worth the risk, especially since there are many free customizable shipping policy templates for you to try.
Shipping Policy Examples
Let’s look at some real-life examples of shipping policies to help inspire you when you make one for your website or app.
Target’s Shipping Policy
The shipping information example on Target’s website, pictured below, is a great example of an easy-to-navigate shipping policy and even features unique, eye-catching graphic designs.
Of course, you don’t have to use illustrations and designs to make your shipping policy digestible for your users.
Instead, you can format your policy using the titles of your clauses and a table of contents, and embed links directly within the text so your users can open and read your other relevant policies.
Costco’s Shipping Policy
Your shipping policy should include as many details about your shipping processes as possible. A great shipping information example of this comes from Costco, pictured below.
Costco links to other policies, customer services, and frequently asked questions pages in the sidebar of their shipping page.
They also organize their clauses in the style of frequently asked questions, which is a unique approach and allows them to continue adding to their policy based on customer feedback.
Like Costco, think of your online store shipping policy as a living document that you can add to and change based on your company’s needs and customer feedback.
Shipping Policy FAQ
Check out some answers to frequently asked questions about shipping policies below.
Are shipping policies legally required?
No, shipping policies are not legally required, but it’s a business best practice to have one in place if you ship goods to consumers.
Which states require shipping policies?
Shipping policies are not required by any state. But if you sell goods through the mail, you should create a shipping policy to keep your consumers adequately informed and streamline your shipping and handling processes.
Do you have to have a shipping policy?
You do not have to have a shipping policy, but you could face negative backlash as a result. Customers may be less likely to trust your business, causing you to lose sales.
Not posting a shipping policy could cause internal disorganization with your shipping and handling process.
Conclusion
If your store sends goods to consumers through the mail, you should have a shipping policy.
Shipping policies help set consumer expectations and streamline your business’s shipping and handling processes.
Sharing a link to your policy in useful locations, like your payment page, may even help increase your percentage of finalized sales.
Written by Hanna De La Garza
Hanna De La Garza is a privacy writer at Termly with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Florida. She creates engaging resources on data privacy, consent management, regulatory updates, and more.
Read all posts by Hanna De La Garza
Reviewed by Masha Komnenic CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP
Masha Komnenic is a legal counsel and Termly’s Director of Global Privacy, who received her law degree from Belgrade University. She specializes in implementing, monitoring, and auditing business compliance with privacy regulations (HIPAA, PIPEDA, ePrivacy Directive, GDPR, CCPA, POPIA, LGPD).
Read all posts reviewed by Masha Komnenic CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP
