How much should I charge for delivery in my online shop?

If every sale starts with “How much is delivery to Prilep?”, start with one real parcel. Weigh it in its box, measure it and ask your courier for a quote to the places you serve. Check whether collection from your address, cash handling and returned parcels carry separate charges.

Suppose a candle sells for 900 MKD and costs 500 MKD to make. The box costs 40 MKD and the courier charges 160 MKD. For this example, two candles fit in the same 40 MKD box and still ship for 160 MKD. Weigh the larger parcel before assuming the same rate for your own shop.

The last line works out as 1,800 − 1,000 − 40 − 160 = 600 MKD. Fees, taxes and other overheads still come out of that amount. If a pair needs extra protective material or pushes the parcel into a higher courier band, use those costs before promising free delivery.

With a threshold of 1,800 MKD, your example wording could be “Delivery is 160 MKD. Orders of 1,800 MKD or more ship free.” Name the area the offer covers. Test a basket below the threshold and one exactly on it. Enter the address and make sure the last total agrees with the promise on the product page.

For the candle example, make up three sample parcels: one candle, a pair, and a gift set. Include the tissue, protection and the box you plan to send. Record the weight and outer dimensions after sealing each box. Ribbon and protective padding can push a gift box into a different rate even when the products inside are unchanged. Request a quote for each parcel to two places where you already have customers.

A practical message to the courier is “I send a sealed box of this size and weight from Skopje to an address in Prilep. The buyer will pay on delivery. Please quote transport, the collection fee, any address surcharge and the cost if the parcel comes back.” Ask whether the expenses are billed separately or deducted from collections. Keep the response with the date and parcel type so you can update the right shipping rule when a rate changes.

The two candles in the example cost exactly 1,800 MKD. A ten per cent coupon reduces their merchandise value to 1,620 MKD. If eligibility is based on the discounted subtotal and shipping costs 160 MKD, the buyer pays 1,780 MKD. If your offer honours the subtotal before discounts, shipping stays free and the buyer pays 1,620 MKD. Choose the rule your figures support, then check that the shop actually applies it.

A banner saying “above 1,800” makes a different promise from “1,800 and up” to someone whose basket lands exactly on the threshold. Match the wording to the rule you actually configured. A buyer coming from Instagram may have seen a screenshot of yesterday’s offer, so update the story highlight when the threshold changes too. When you test a coupon, enter a town and check the final amount just before confirmation, where the customer will make the decision.

For each parcel write down what you charged for delivery, what the box cost and what the courier billed. If three of the gift boxes were larger than your samples, change the packing method or the rate for that set. A single-candle buyer need not absorb a problem specific to the gift box. If a delivery appears to have been billed twice in error, check with the courier before changing your public price.

Keep one completed order as a reference basket. Whenever you change rates, calculate what the same basket should cost under the new rule and compare it with checkout. This catches an accidental charge per item instead of per parcel. It matters most when a shopper adds a second small candle to qualify for the offer and expects both candles to travel in the same box.

A single rate is easy to explain when most parcels are similar. It becomes expensive if you start selling a glass lantern that needs a double box alongside your small candles. Pack a lantern on its own and then with a candle. If the combination requires two boxes, work out both courier charges and decide what you will charge the customer. Put that information on the lantern page before the buyer reaches the basket.

Also check what happens when the customer switches delivery methods. Collection from your workshop, if offered, should not accidentally retain the courier fee from the previous selection. Test the switch both ways. For oversized parcels that need an individual quote, state when the buyer will learn the amount and how they can agree to it before you send the box.