How does shipping work, and how can I make sure that the buyer pays for shipping?

[The_Goblin_Hat]

I just did my first sale, and I thought I had shipping set to where the buyer pays, but when I looked at the invoice, it stated that the buyer "preferred" a certain shipping method, and I have to pay for shipping. This is no big deal, but I have my store on hold due to this conundrum. How does shipping work, and how can I make sure that the buyer pays for shipping? Do I have to set up free shipping over a certain amount, or will shipping automatically apply at checkout and all I have to do is print out the label? I feel like I have a disconnect with this, or I am just not seeing or understanding how this works. I am familiar with shipping on apps like Ebay and Mercari, but this just puts me through a loop.

Thank you to all who comment 🙂

[Summer2024 · Accepted solution]

Hello @The_Goblin_Hat ! Welcome to Square and welcome to the Square Community! We are so glad to have you. 

I am sorry to hear about the frustrations with setting up shipping! I've provided a small overview below of shipping with Square. You will need to set up a "Shipping Profile" and provide rate information. I have provided details on how to do that below as well. 

The default shipping profile applies to all of your shippable items except those included in a custom profile. To set up a default shipping profile for all items:

1. From your Square Online Overview page, go to Fulfillment > Shipping.
2. Under “Shipping profiles,” select Add shipping profile.
3. Enter a name for the profile and choose Default (all items) as your profile type.
4. Select +Add countries and check any countries you’ll ship to. Select Done.
5. Select Add rate to choose a rate option from the dropdown menu. Complete all other details and select Done.
6. Review your profile and select Save when finished.

Note: You can set up multiple default shipping profiles as long as the location information (e.g. states, prefectures, provinces, countries) are unique to each profile.

A custom shipping profile lets you set up unique shipping rates and regions for specific items. For example, you might sell items that you can’t ship to particular locations due to restrictions. Creating a custom shipping profile for these items lets you exclude any restricted regions. They also work with your default shipping profile to allow more flexibility in how you ship your items.

To set up a custom shipping profile for specific items:

1. From your Square Online Overview page, go to Fulfillment > Shipping.
2. Under “Shipping profiles,” select Add shipping profile.
3. Enter a name for the profile and choose Custom (specific items) as your profile type.
4. Select Choose items and check the items you want to include in the profile. Select Add items when finished.
5. Select +Add countries and check any countries you’ll ship to. Select Done.
6. Select Add rate and enter your details. Per order applies the rate to the entire order if any purchased item is part of the custom profile. Per item applies the rate to each purchased item that’s assigned to a custom profile. Select Done.
7. Review your profile and select Save when finished.

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Shipping Rate Options

Businesses can choose from various rate options based on their needs:

• Flat Rates: Fixed costs per order or item.
• Free Shipping: No charge for shipping.
• Conditional Rates: Based on order weight, total, or item quantity.
• Fallback Rate: A default rate applied if other conditions are unmet.

Stock Locations

Businesses must assign a stock location from which orders will be shipped. This can be set up via the Square Online Overview under "Shipping from."

Item Fulfillment

To ensure items are shipped, assign "Shipping" as a fulfillment method in the Square Item Library.

Shipping Labels

Shipping labels can be printed directly from Square for fulfilled orders.

Please let me know if you have any further questions!