U.S. Shipping Policy Generator

What is a shipping policy?

A shipping policy is a document that outlines the rules and practices of the shipping service you offer to customers. It includes information about where you ship, how long it takes you to ship, and what your shipping service costs. It also defines who is responsible for shipping mishaps, like when a package goes missing or gets damaged during transit.

Who needs a shipping policy?

A shipping policy is a must-have for any ecommerce business that sells and ships tangible goods to customers.

What types of tangible goods? Anything and everything, basically. These days you can go online and order anything from a 4-foot tall house plant, a week’s supply of organic produce, or a luxury electric vehicle. These all have unique shipping requirements that need to be defined for customers.

Businesses that offer digital goods (such as a downloadable illustration, or e-book) should also have a shipping policy but modified to the technical logistics of sharing and downloading content.

What are the benefits of having a shipping policy on my ecommerce site?

A shipping policy is intended to protect your business from certain liabilities and shield your reputation from unruly customers.

If a customer complains about something relating to shipping their order, you can remind them of your shipping policy with a link to the policy’s page on your website. As long as you make that policy explicitly clear and easy to find, they have no recourse.

If they bypass you and leave a negative review somewhere online, you can respond to their complaint armed with your official policy that contradicts whatever assumption they had about your shipping service.

A shipping policy will also save your customer support team from the burden of answering basic questions that customers can find answers to themselves.

Lastly, being upfront about your shipping rules builds trust with your customers. If they can easily find the answers they need on your website, they’ll feel more comfortable going through the checkout process.

How do I use the U.S. Shipping Policy Generator?

Answer a brief questionnaire about your business and your shipping practices. The generator will turn those answers into a concise and customized document that outlines your shipping rules for customers.

Once completed, we’ll email you a link to some options for displaying your policy on your website: HTML, code snippet, or plain text. Copy your preferred option to your clipboard and paste it onto your website.

While it captures the most pertinent information of a shipping policy, you may need to modify the finished document to cover your unique shipping practices. We also suggest giving it some personality to tailor it to your brand’s voice.

Remember, this is a free resource and should not be considered legal support for your business. Be sure to consult with a legal advisor to ensure you are adequately protected.

Where should I display my shipping policy?

Your shipping policy should be easy to locate in your website’s footer and displayed clearly on your product and checkout pages.

Remember to update your shipping policy to reflect any changes in your shipping offers, rates, or carrier partnerships. If your shipping carriers have been impacted by recent storm damage or driver shortages, you may also want to maintain a status section to inform customers of longer-than-usual delays.

Importantly, shipping policies reduce the support burden on your customer service team and are quick to answer your customers’ questions so they aren’t held up during checkout. The best placement for a shipping policy is where it will answer your customers’ questions before they even ask.