Set up weight-based shipping

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Set up weight-based shipping

Last updated September 30, 2026 20:29

Charge a variable amount for shipping based on an order's total weight.

Set shipping charges based on the total order weight. This shipping option is great for stores selling items that are roughly the same size but vary significantly in weight.

To use weight-based shipping, you must set weights and dimensions for all your products and their variants.

Step 1: Create a weight-based shipping option

To create a weight-based shipping option:

  1. Open the Shipping panel.
  2. Click Add Shipping Option, then click Weight-based.
  3. Enter a name for the shipping option. This is what customers will see at checkout.

Step 2: Add weight ranges to shipping options

Set shipping costs for different weight ranges.

  1. Enter a weight in pounds or kilograms. The weight rounds to the nearest hundredth. For example, if you enter 10.109, the weight rounds to 10.11.
  2. Set the amount you'll charge for products at or under that weight.
  3. Click Add to create another weight tier. This tier will apply to products between the new weight and the previous weight.
  4. Repeat these steps for each weight tier you want to add.
  5. Under Orders over, add the cost for orders that are heavier than your highest weight tier.
  6. When you're done, click Save.

Note: If the last row of “Orders up to” is set to $0, all orders with a total cart weight over that amount will have a $0 shipping cost. We recommend setting a generous cost for the final weight range to cover any large or especially heavy orders.

Step 3: (Optional) Add a handling fee

Add an optional handling fee, which adds an extra percentage of each item in an order to the overall shipping cost.

Step 4: Add shipping zones

Under Select regions you will ship to, choose the shipping destinations this option will be available for. Then click Save to save your changes.

Add product weights?

To correctly charge shipping, set weights for all of your physical products and their variants.

To add dimensions and weight to a product:

  1. Open a product.
  2. Click Fulfillment.
  3. Under Weight and Dimensions, click Add.
  4. Add a value to the Weight field.
  5. Click Apply, then click Save.

Tip: A product's weight doesn't display to customers unless you add it to additional information.

How do I change my site's measurement standard?

To change your site's measurement standard:

  1. If your site is on version 7.1, open the Regional Settings panel. If your site is on version 7.0, open the Language & Region panel.
  2. Under Measurement Standard select Imperial (pounds) or Metric (kilograms) from the dropdown menu.

Error: “Unable to calculate shipping rates”

This means your products or variants are missing weights and dimensions.

To fix this, add weights and dimensions to all products and variants. You can make bulk edits to all product and variant details at the same time by exporting your products to a .csv file.

Tip: To use weight-based shipping, your products must have values in the Weight, Length, Width, and Height columns of your export spreadsheet. You may need to scroll to find these columns.

Can I offer USPS First Class mail for shipping products?

Yes. To offer USPS First Class shipping, create a weight-based shipping option. You can’t use carrier-calculated shipping to automatically calculate rates for USPS First Class mail.

  1. Name the weight-based shipping option USPS First Class.
  2. Calculate the cost per weight tier using USPS's price calculator.

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Set up weight-based shipping