Secured 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. Any business or company that sells goods or products that
are shipped to customers after purchase should have a Shipping Policy.

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
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.

Payment Information

Let your customers know which forms of payment you accept, and if there are any forms of
payment you do not accept.
Shipping Restrictions

If your shipping has other restrictions other than international shipping limits, let your
customers know.

For example, if you cannot deliver to certain states, or to P.O. boxes, make this clear.

Handling Time

It’s important to let your customers know about any handling time that can increase the
overall length of time between the ordering and the arrival of their goods.

For example, if someone orders overnight shipping on an item at 8pm and expect to receive
the item the following day, this can lead to problems if you stop processing daily orders at
2pm, and always take 3 days to process orders before shipping.

Additional Information

This is where you can include any relevant and important information about your shipping
practices or policy that your customers would want to know.