Glossary
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shipping-costs
E-commerce shipping fees: definition, checkout postage rates, weight and zone flat-rate models, vs customs, Shopify free shipping, and tips.
Updated on
June 4, 2026
Shipping costs (frais de livraison, frais de port) are the amount charged to the customer to transport their order to the shipping address (or pick-up point). Displayed at checkout, they are added to the product subtotal. Distinct from customs fees and the actual cost paid by the merchant to the carrier, they strongly influence conversion.
Shipping costs should be thought of as a commercial element in their own right, not just a simple technical line at checkout. They influence the perception of the final price, the margin, and the purchasing decision at the most sensitive moment of the customer journey.
Summary
Definition of shipping costs in e-commerce
Delivery costs represent the transportation price paid by the buyer to receive their order. In France, they are also referred to as postage costs or "contribution to shipping costs".
What these fees usually cover (client side):
To fully understand this concept, this notably includes Transport: home, relay point, or express parcel delivery, Chosen option: standard vs express (different rates), and Geographical area: metropolitan, overseas territories, EU, international.
What they do not always cover:
To fully understand this concept, this mainly includes Customs duties and import taxes (often a separate line or DDP) and Gift wrapping or insurance (additional options).
Useful distinctions:
To fully understand this concept, we notably find Delivery vs shipping costs: costs = customer rate; shipping = complete logistics process, Customer fees vs merchant cost: €4.90 displayed at checkout vs €6.20 invoiced by Colissimo (margin or loss), Delivery fees vs customs duties: transport vs import taxation, Paid postage vs free delivery: €0 customer but cost absorbed by merchant, Flat rates vs dynamic calculation: shop flat rate vs real-time carrier rate, and Delivery fees vs delivery time: price vs duration (two distinct levers at checkout).
Why shipping costs influence conversion
Shipping costs arrive at the end of the customer journey: the client has already chosen their products. A bad surprise can cause them to abandon the order.
For an online store, we find in particular Cart abandonment: high or hidden fees until checkout (purchase friction), Average cart value: free shipping threshold pushes to add an item, Margin: under-priced shipping = loss; over-priced = fewer sales, Competition: implicit comparison with Amazon Prime or marketplaces, Value perception: €5 shipping on a €15 product vs. an €80 product does not feel the same, International: high shipping costs hinder cross-border sales, and Customer Service: "Why did I pay €12 for shipping?" if the delivery estimate is not met.
Early transparency (cart progress bar, estimator) reduces abandonment. Displaying "Calculated at the next step" without a range frustrates buyers accustomed to seeing the total before payment.
How to set up a consistent shipping fee schedule
Common delivery fee models:
Concretely, this includes Flat rate: €4.90 for all orders in France (simple, predictable), Free above €X: €0 from €60 (AOV leverage), By weight bracket: 0-1 kg €3.90, 1-5 kg €6.90, By order price bracket: degressive shipping cost if shopping cart is high, By zone: France €4.90, EU €9.90, world €19.90, Carrier calculated: Colissimo/DHL rate calculated via API based on weight/address, Flat + options: standard €4.90, express +€8, pickup point -€1 and Free shipping on product: "shipping included" metafield on premium items.
Metrics to track:
Concretely, this includes Actual shipping cost / order (€ and % of turnover), Gap between customer fees vs carrier cost, Checkout abandonment rate at the delivery stage and Share of orders with free shipping (threshold reached).
Use case: Shopify fashion store, average basket €68, actual Colissimo cost €5.80. Before: flat rate shipping €3.90 (eroded margin €1.90/parcel). After redesign: standard €5.90, Mondial Relay €3.90, free from €75. Result: average basket rises to €74 (customers add an accessory to cross the threshold), neutral shipping margin, checkout abandonment -12%. Shipping estimator visible in the cart via app.
Setting up shipping rates on Shopify
Shopify manages shipping rates in Settings > Shipping and delivery (Shopify Help Center).
In Shopify, we notably find Shipping zones: France, EU, international with distinct rates, Flat rate: fixed amount per zone or profile, Weight-based: weight brackets (fill in product weights), Price-based: conditional free shipping per cart amount, Carrier calculated shipping: real-time rates (eligible Shopify plan + carriers), Shipping profiles: different rates for large volumes / fragile products, Markets: shipping costs per country (international delivery) and Apps: cart estimator, Boxtal, Sendcloud for carrier comparison.
Merchant Checklist:
In Shopify, we notably find Calculate actual average shipping cost (last quarter), Align checkout rates or voluntarily absorb the difference (acquisition), Test checkout: small cart, large cart, DOM-TOM, Belgium, Display delivery time + price per option (standard / express / pickup point), Delivery policy page: clear rate grid and Recalculate after carrier rate increases (Colissimo, Chronopost).
Dropshipping: the supplier often bills shipping separately; the merchant sets their margin or includes shipping in the product price (dropshipping).
Best practices and common mistakes
Early transparency: cart estimator or bracket "from €4.90".
Calibrated free threshold: above the current average cart, margin preserved.
Multiple choices: pick-up point cheaper than home delivery (price flexibility).
Clear communication: "Free delivery" vs "€0 (threshold of €75 reached)".
Realistic zones: do not offer €4.90 worldwide if the actual cost is €25.
Quarterly review: carrier costs and average parcel weight.
Shipping bundle: include shipping in the product price if the cart is very low (cosmetics).
Typical mistakes:
Surprise shipping fees at the final checkout screen.
Total free shipping without calculating margin (revenue up, profit down).
Product weights not filled in with weight-based rates.
Confusing shipping fees and customs duties in the checkout wording.
Free shipping threshold too low (80% of orders free, shipping unprofitable).
International shipping at domestic rates (systemic loss).
No update after a change in Colissimo rates.
What you need to know about delivery fees
To keep in mind, we notably find Shipping costs = transport rate invoiced to the customer at checkout, Models: flat rate, weight, price, zone, carrier calculated, conditional free, Distinct shipping, customs, merchant cost, delivery time, Issues: conversion, AOV, margin, competition, transparency and Shopify: zones, profiles, rates, Markets, estimator apps.
Associated terms, FAQ, and going further
Associated terms
Notions related to this topic notably include Shipping: logistics process including pricing, Free shipping: postage at €0 for the customer, Customs duties: import taxes separate from transport, Checkout: display step and payment of postage, and Cart: early postage estimator location.
FAQ
Shipping fees and delivery costs: same thing?
Yes in common French e-commerce usage. Both refer to the transport cost billed to the customer, separate from the product price and taxes.
Should shipping fees be displayed before checkout?
Recommended. An estimator on the product page or cart reduces abandonment. If impossible, indicate a range ("from €4.90") rather than nothing.
How to set a free shipping threshold?
Calculate average cart value, product margin, and actual shipping cost. Set the threshold slightly above the current average cart value to encourage an addition, while verifying that the extra margin covers the offered shipping.
Should shipping fees and carrier cost be identical?
Not necessarily. You can subsidize shipping (customer rate lower than actual cost) for acquisition, or markup slightly to cover packaging and warehouse labor.
Go further
Notions related to this topic notably include Shipping strategies, Optimizing logistics costs, Shopify shipping calculator, Fulfillment guide, and Return to the Qstomy e-commerce glossary.
Sources: Shopify Help Center (Shipping rates), e-commerce logistics pricing practices.
Enzo
June 4, 2026
