A Shipping Policy is a document or page that details your company’s procedure for shipping out consumer goods. Any business or company that sells goods or products that are shipped to customers after purchase should have a Shipping Policy.
A Shipping Policy provides vital information to consumers concerning how long before their package ships, how long shipping will take, what it will cost, what methods are available for shipping, and more.
Customers want a clear, concise Shipping Policy that provides them with everything they need to know about having a product shipped to them after purchasing.
Why You Need A Shipping Policy
Having a Shipping Policy in place will give your customers an idea of what to expect when they purchase a product from you that will be shipped to them after purchase.
This includes:
- What a customer can expect to pay for shipping
- How long a shipment may take to arrive
- What shipping options and pricing you have available for customers to choose from
- What shipping carriers your company uses
While a Shipping Policy is not a legal requirement, unlike some other business policies, it is a good idea to have one in place. Having a Shipping Policy offers your customers valuable information that could help them make an informed decision about purchasing from your company.
Without a Shipping Policy, it may take your customers too long to figure out shipping costs, carriers you use, or how long a shipment will take to reach them. If this is the case, many customers will decide not to go through with a purchase and may go to a competitor who has a clear Shipping Policy in place, thus losing business and revenue for your company.
What Your Shipping Policy Should Include
Here are a few important sections and pieces of information to include in your Shipping Policy.
- Shipping Prices: An overview of the different price options for varying levels of shipping services. (Standard shipping, overnight, expedited, etc.)
- Carriers: A list of the carriers your company uses to ship products to customers. (USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.)
- Options for Payment: The different types of payment your company accepts for shipping costs and how those payment methods are processed.
- Restrictions and Guidelines: This should include the types of residences you will or won’t ship to, whether or not you can ship to a P.O box, and other relevant information.
- International Shipping Options: Your company’s policy for shipping outside of your country, to different territories, across continents, etc. (International pricing, customs and tax guidelines, extra costs, etc.)
Let’s look at these and a few others, more in-depth and with examples from actual shipping policies.
Shipping Methods and Prices
Pricing for different shipping methods is the number-one piece of information a customer will search for in your company’s Shipping Policy. Customers want to know how they can have their purchases shipped, and what each method will cost them.
Congratulation!