Does offering free shipping mean I cover the costs myself?

[mysticmoon77]

if i offer free shipping say to my home contry, does that mean i have to cover the cost of shipping myself 

[sniper2804]

Yes. You can raise product prices to cover shipping costs.

[Rick]

Hi @mysticmoon77 

Thanks for reaching out here - welcome to the Shopify Community!

I can see that you are wondering about offering free shipping on your store, and if that means you have to cover the shipping cost yourself - I'd be happy to provide some context on this.

Generally, if you have free shipping on your store to any destination then yes, you as the merchant will be responsible for covering the cost of shipping. By offering free shipping, you are essentially absorbing the shipping expenses as part of your overall business costs. This can be a useful marketing strategy to attract customers and increase sales by eliminating shipping fees for them. Customers are more likely to place an order on a store if the shipping cost is free.

However, it's important to consider the impact of shipping costs on your profit margins and pricing strategy when offering free shipping. One thing you could consider is including the cost of shipping within the product price itself, and offer 'free shipping' to your customers. The customer will still see free shipping, however the product pricing would be slightly higher to offset your own expenses. It's important to ensure that your pricing remains competitive and reasonable compared to other sellers though. 

We have some information here on our help center that explains how to set up free shipping on your store. You may also find this blog post here interesting, as it discusses how free shipping can increase sales on your store. Are you planning on dropshipping products on your store, or will you be selling products from your own inventory? I'd love to hear more about your plans, so feel free to share some more info here!