When you are a Lightspeed Retail POS merchant who sets up their store to sell online with Lightspeed eCom, you need to add shipping options to deliver orders locally or around the globe. You can connect the most popular carriers in your country, or even shipping services of different countries if you run an international brand.

From the Online tab > Settings > Shipping and pickup page in Retail POS, you can create and manage shipping options, get live-time rates from the most popular carriers, customize shipping zones and their rates. This article covers shipping methods only, but you can also set up in-store pickup or create a local delivery.

Some shipping services, like DHL Express, are integrated with eCom via apps from the Lightspeed eCom App Market.

Before you begin

Before you create your first shipping method, dive a little deeper into understanding how shipping works and what is the best shipping strategy for your business.

These articles will help you wrap your head around shipping:

• Understanding shipping, local delivery, and pickup in Lightspeed eCom →
• (For multi-outlet stores) Deciding on rules that apply to all delivery/pickup methods in your store →

Adding shipping methods for eCom

You create shipping methods from the Online tab > Settings > Shipping and pickup page. Since there are a variety of options based on how you want to ship, how far, and for what price, there are no one-fit-it-all instructions. You can create as many shipping options as you want. Each one can have different rates, destination zones, and carriers.

To set up a shipping method for your eCom store:

1. From your POS, go to the Online tab > Settings > Shipping and pickup.
2. Click Add Shipping.
3. Click the carrier company. If you don't see the one that matches your requirements, enter a custom carrier name in the Other carriers field and click Set Up.
4. Click on the rates you wish to go with. You can choose between carrier-calculated automatic live-time rates (if available), free, conditional free, flat, and custom rates.
5. In the Shipping name at checkout, enter the name that your customers will see at checkout.
6. (for multi-outlet stores) In the Outlet associated with this shipping method, select which location and its stock level will be connected to this shipping method. In case you do not select any outlet, that method will take into account the inventory level of all outlets connected to eCom and will always be available at checkout, even if you restrict other methods.
7. Set up any rates if you have any.
8. (optional) Click Add description for customers to provide any info you find relevant to communicate for this method.
9. (optional) Click Limit availability by order subtotal to allow this method only for orders above a specific amount.
10. (optional) Click Show estimated delivery date at checkout to display the estimated delivery date next to delivery options at checkout. A clearly stated delivery date lets customers understand when they can expect to receive their order, resulting in a higher number of successful sales.
11. Click Set shipping region‍ to specify the area you ship to. By default, the shipping method is available worldwide.
12. (optional) If the shipping setting has the Shipping markup‍ field, you can add markup to cover shipping costs. The markup is a flat fee that will be added to the shipping cost at checkout.
13. (for live rates) In the Default package size section, you can specify an average package size that will be applied to calculate shipping rates for products with no dimensions specified. To precisely calculate shipping costs for each of your products, specify their dimensions in product details.
14. Click Save & Finish.
15. (for multi-outlet stores) Click Back to go on the Shipping and pickup page. Scroll down and click Outlets’ availability for pickup, delivery, and shipping to decide on how to display shipping methods at checkout based on the stock levels of outlets they are associated with. Either limit shipping availability based on actual inventory, or allow shoppers to choose any shipping method as long as at least one outlet connected to eCom has items in stock.

Learn more about shipping rules for multi-outlet stores →

Specifying your shipping origin for real-time rates from integrated carriers

Carrier-calculated live-time rates automatically appear for customers’ orders at checkout and are available for UPS, USPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Royal Mail, and Australia Post. To use live rates, you have to specify the shipping origin with a zip code for your eCom orders.

The shipping origin address is the location from which you ship your orders. Integrated carriers use it as a ship-from address for calculating real-time shipping rates to deliver orders to buyers’ locations. Make sure that you enter the correct address to get precise shipping quotes from the carrier enabled in your eCom store.

For your eCom store's shipping origin, you can choose one of the following options:

• Your company's address specified in the Online tab > Settings > General > Store Profile in Retail POS.
• Any other location that has a different address. For example, a warehouse.

When you set up real-time rates from carriers in your eCom store for the first time, you are asked to specify your shipping origin. The option you choose is then saved in your store's settings and is automatically used for any future real-time rates you set up. You can edit your shipping origin later if you want.

To edit the Shipping Origin address:

1. From your POS, go to the Online tab > Settings > Shipping and pickup.
2. Under the Settings block, find the Shipping Origin section.
3. Click Change Address.
4. Select your option and edit the address if needed.
5. Click Save.