Shipping and delivery policy template for UK Shopify stores

"Where is my order?" is the most expensive sentence in online retail. Left alone for a week, it turns into a refund request, then a bank call, then a £10 chargeback fee on an order you already shipped.

A shipping and delivery policy template stops that sequence early. It tells the buyer when the parcel leaves, how long it takes and what you do if it goes missing, and it gives you a dated page to cite when a reviewer asks what you promised. This guide gives you a shipping and delivery policy template for a UK Shopify store, with the reasoning, the wording and a plan to publish it this week.

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

• A shipping and delivery policy template should state your dispatch time, delivery time, carriers, delivery areas, costs, tracking, what happens to lost or damaged parcels and how to contact you. Use numbers, not adjectives.
• Item not received is the dispute this shipping and delivery policy template protects against. The policy explains the promise; carrier proof of delivery shows you kept it.
• For consumer sales, the goods stay at your risk until they reach the buyer, so a shipping and delivery policy template should not say a parcel is the buyer's problem once the carrier collects it.
• Match your shipping and delivery policy template to the proof you can produce. If you promise a signature on orders over £100, book a service that records one.
• Say plainly what you do when a parcel is late or lost: trace it, then reship or refund within a set number of days.
• Publish the shipping and delivery policy template in the footer, link it from product pages and the order confirmation email, and keep a dated copy of every version.
• General information, not legal advice. Some points are not covered in the sources we reviewed, such as Shopify's exact checkout settings for showing policy links and DPD's proof options. The post flags each one.

From dispute to decision

Stage	What the buyer says	What your policy shows	What still needs proof
Order placed	"When will it arrive?"	Stated dispatch and delivery times	Order confirmation with the promised dates
Parcel in transit	"It is late"	Your delay steps and contact route	Tracking history
Parcel marked delivered	"I never got it"	Your lost parcel process and delivery wording	Carrier delivery proof and address match
Parcel truly lost	"Where is my refund?"	Your reship or refund commitment	A dated reship or refund record
Bank review	"Merchant did not deliver"	A dated policy the buyer could see	Tracking, delivery proof, messages

What should a shipping and delivery policy template include for a UK Shopify store?

A solid shipping and delivery policy template covers dispatch times, delivery times, carriers and services, delivery areas, costs, tracking, risk of loss, what to do if a parcel is late, lost, damaged or marked delivered but missing, and how to contact you. Each part should be short, specific and consistent with your product pages.

Think of the shipping and delivery policy template as the rulebook for the most common dispute you will face. A reviewer who has never seen your store reads it to decide whether you did what you said. Vague words give them nothing to measure.

Here is the structure we recommend, with the dispute each section prevents:

Section	What it covers	Dispute it prevents
Dispatch time	When you hand the parcel to the carrier	"Order is late" before it has left
Delivery time	How long the carrier takes after dispatch	"It should have arrived by now"
Carriers and services	Which carriers, which service levels	"I wanted a signature" or "no tracking"
Delivery areas	Where you ship, where you do not	"You did not tell me you could not ship here"
Costs	Delivery charges, thresholds for free delivery	"I was overcharged"
Tracking	When and how tracking is sent	"I have no idea where it is"
Delays	What you do when a parcel is late	"You ignored me"
Lost or damaged	Reship or refund steps	"Item not received"
Delivered but missing	How you investigate	"Marked delivered, I never got it"
Contact	How to reach you and reply time	Contacting the bank first

Pair your shipping and delivery policy template with the rest of your pages. Our terms and conditions template covers cancellation and refunds, and this delivery policy covers the movement of the parcel. The two should link to each other and never contradict.

Why does a shipping and delivery policy template matter for item not received chargebacks?

Because item not received and delayed delivery are the disputes a shipping and delivery policy template answers. A dated policy tells the reviewer what you promised, and your tracking and delivery proof show whether you kept it. It supports a case; it does not replace carrier evidence.

Shopify's help centre explains that Shopify is not liable for chargebacks and that you respond with evidence. For the card side of the process, read our Shopify chargebacks UK guide. The sources we reviewed do not say how heavily any bank weighs a merchant's delivery policy, so treat the shipping and delivery policy template as one exhibit among several, and expect delivery proof to carry more weight.

A good policy helps in four ways:

1. It manages expectations. A buyer who read "dispatch in 2 working days, delivery in 1 to 3 working days after dispatch" is less likely to complain on day 3.
2. It gives the buyer a first stop. A clear contact route and reply time means "where is my order" goes to you before it goes to the bank.
3. It defines your promise. A reviewer asking "what did the merchant agree to?" gets a dated answer.
4. It sets up your own process. Writing "we trace within 3 working days and reship or refund by day 7" forces you to build that process.

The limit is honest. A shipping and delivery policy template cannot override consumer law, and it cannot make a missing parcel arrive. What it can do is shorten the gap between a problem and a fix, which is where most disputes are won or lost.

What does UK law say about delivery, risk and lost parcels in a shipping and delivery policy template?

For consumer sales, the goods stay at the trader's risk until they are delivered to the buyer. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 explanatory notes describe risk passing on delivery. So a shipping and delivery policy template should explain how you handle lost parcels, not push the loss onto the buyer.

This section is general information, not legal advice, and it draws on the legislation.gov.uk explanatory notes we reviewed. Ask a qualified adviser to check your final wording.

Point	Plain-words summary	What to do in your policy
Risk in transit	The goods are at your risk until delivered to the consumer	Do not write "once handed to the carrier it is your responsibility"
Delivery time	Consumer law has a default delivery time unless you agree another one	State your delivery times in specific working days
Cancellation	Most distance buyers have 14 days after receiving the goods	Link to your returns and cancellation terms
Lost or damaged goods	You remain responsible in transit for consumer sales	Offer trace, reship or refund
Delivery charges	Must be shown before the buyer pays	Show the delivery cost on the product page and at checkout

We did not review the section of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that sets a default delivery period, so check it with an adviser before you rely on a particular number of days. The safest approach is to state your own dispatch and delivery times clearly and meet them.

The risk point deserves a moment more. In an item not received dispute, a clause saying "we are not responsible once the carrier has the parcel" will not help you. It reads as a store hiding behind small print and it conflicts with the way the rules treat consumer sales. Better wording says: "If your parcel is lost or damaged in transit, contact us and we will trace it, then reship or refund."

Shipping and delivery policy template: a full copy-and-adapt version

Copy the shipping and delivery policy template below into a document, replace every square-bracket placeholder, delete clauses that do not fit your store, and have the final wording checked. It is written in plain English because buyers, bank reviewers and trading standards officers all read plain English more easily.

SHIPPING AND DELIVERY POLICY
Version [NUMBER], effective [DATE]

1. Where we deliver
We deliver to [UNITED KINGDOM MAINLAND / UNITED KINGDOM INCLUDING NORTHERN IRELAND / OTHER COUNTRIES]. We do not deliver to [EXCLUDED AREAS, FOR EXAMPLE: PO boxes, certain islands, certain countries]. If your address is outside our delivery areas, we will tell you at checkout.

2. Dispatch time
We dispatch orders within [NUMBER] working days of receiving payment. Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. If we expect to dispatch later than this, we will email you before the due date.

3. Delivery time
Delivery usually takes [NUMBER] working days after dispatch with [CARRIER AND SERVICE]. Delivery times are estimates, not guarantees, because carriers can be delayed. If your order has not arrived within [NUMBER] working days of dispatch, contact us.

4. Delivery costs
Delivery costs are shown at checkout before you pay. Standard delivery is £[AMOUNT]. Orders over £[AMOUNT] qualify for free standard delivery. Express delivery is £[AMOUNT]. [Extra charges may apply to remote areas, which we show at checkout.]

5. Tracking
We send tracking details by email when your order is dispatched. If you do not receive them within [NUMBER] working days of your order, check your junk folder and then contact us.

6. Signature and safe place
Orders over £[AMOUNT] are sent with [SIGNATURE / PHOTO PROOF OF DELIVERY]. Other orders may be left in a safe place if the carrier judges it appropriate. If you want a particular delivery instruction, add it at checkout and we will pass it to the carrier where the service allows.

7. If your order is late
If your order has not arrived by the end of the estimated delivery time, email [EMAIL] with your order number. We will contact the carrier and reply within [NUMBER] working days.

8. If your order is lost
If the carrier cannot locate your parcel within [NUMBER] working days of you contacting us, we will either send a replacement or refund you in full, whichever you prefer. Your order is at our risk until it is delivered to you.

9. If your order is marked delivered but you have not received it
Please check with neighbours and any safe places. Then contact us within [NUMBER] days. We will ask the carrier for proof of delivery and reply within [NUMBER] working days. Where the carrier cannot show the parcel reached your address, we will send a replacement or refund you.

10. If your order arrives damaged
Take a photo of the packaging and the item, and email it to [EMAIL] within [NUMBER] days. We will send a replacement or refund you. This does not affect your legal rights.

11. Orders with several parcels
If your order ships in more than one parcel, each parcel has its own tracking number. We tell you when each one is dispatched. [Your order is considered delivered when all parcels have arrived.]

12. Changes to your address
Contact us as soon as possible. We can change the address before dispatch. After dispatch we will try to ask the carrier, but we cannot promise it.

13. Customs, duties and taxes
[For deliveries outside the United Kingdom, you may have to pay import duties or taxes. We do not control these. / For deliveries to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, we ship via an authorised carrier and no customs declaration is needed for our consumer parcels.]

14. Changes to this policy
The version in force when you placed your order applies to that order. Previous versions are available on request.

15. Contact
Email [EMAIL] or call [PHONE]. We reply within [NUMBER] working days.

A few notes on the template:

• Clause 6 should match the services you actually book. A promise you cannot prove is worse than none.
• Clause 8 and clause 9 are the clauses that matter most in item not received disputes. Keep their timelines short and keep them.
• Clause 11 matters if you ship in several parcels. Our post on split and partial shipment disputes covers why.
• Clause 13 should list only what applies. Delete the option you do not use.

How do you write delivery times in your shipping and delivery policy template that nobody can argue with?

Use working days, state where the clock starts, and separate dispatch from delivery. "Dispatch within 2 working days, delivery 1 to 3 working days after dispatch" leaves nothing to argue about. "Fast delivery" or "3 to 5 days" leaves a reviewer free to decide you broke it.

Delivery times are the part of the shipping and delivery policy template that buyers quote back to you, so write them first. Here is how to write them:

Weak wording	Problem	Stronger wording
"Fast delivery"	Nothing to measure	"Dispatch within 2 working days, delivery 1 to 3 working days after dispatch"
"3 to 5 days"	Days from when? Working or calendar?	"3 to 5 working days after dispatch"
"Guaranteed next day"	You cannot guarantee carrier performance	"Next working day delivery if ordered before [TIME], estimate only"
"Ships soon"	Meaningless	"Ships within [NUMBER] working days"
"Worldwide delivery"	Customs and carrier limits vary	List the countries you actually serve
"Free delivery"	Which service? On what spend?	"Free standard tracked delivery on orders over £[AMOUNT]"

Add a bank holiday sentence. "Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays" prevents a dispute that begins on Tuesday after Easter Monday.

Then show the delivery time in three places: the product page, the checkout and the order confirmation email. A buyer who sees "arrives by Thursday" on the page and "3 to 5 days" in the policy will believe whichever is more convenient. A reviewer who sees two answers will trust neither.

Which carriers give your shipping and delivery policy template the best proof of delivery?

Pick the service that matches the order value. Royal Mail photographs Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 deliveries where no signature is needed. Evri offers a Digital Signature add-on with photographic proof, at 60p when we checked, and the price may change. We have not verified DPD's proof options.

The service you book determines the evidence you can produce later, so write the delivery section of your shipping and delivery policy template after you decide what you will book. Our guide to proof of delivery for Shopify chargebacks explains the strength of each kind of proof.

Service level	What the carrier can show	Best for
Tracked, no signature, no photo	Delivered scan only	Low-value orders
Tracked with photo on delivery	Photo of the parcel at the address	Mid-value orders
Signature on delivery	Name or mark of the person who accepted	High-value orders
Digital signature add-on	Photo plus a recorded signature or confirmation	High-value orders
Untracked	Proof of postage only	Cheap goods you would refund anyway

Whatever you choose, keep the proof. Save the carrier's proof of delivery for every high-value order the day it is delivered, not only when a dispute arrives. Carriers can remove tracking detail after a period, and we did not verify retention periods for each carrier, so save early.

Use this checklist when you set up your shipping and delivery policy template and carrier services:

• Decide the value above which you require a signature or photo
• Book the service levels your policy promises
• Check that tracking emails go out automatically at dispatch
• Save proof of delivery for higher-value orders as soon as it appears
• Write the tracking and proof steps into your shipping and delivery policy template
• Test a parcel to your own address and read the proof the carrier gives
• Record who handles carrier claims and how long you will wait

What should your shipping and delivery policy template say about late, lost and missing parcels?

In a shipping and delivery policy template, say what you do, by when. "We trace within 3 working days, then reship or refund" turns a worry into a process. Your lost parcels section is the clause a bank reviewer will read most closely, so write it with real timelines and keep to them.

Lost parcels are the core of most delivery disputes. Treat the lost parcels clause of your shipping and delivery policy template as a promise you will keep, because the dispute you are trying to avoid starts the moment you break it.

Situation	Suggested promise	Why
Parcel is late	Reply within 1 working day, contact the carrier	Shows you care and acts quickly
No movement for several days	Trace within 3 working days	Gives the carrier time to find it
Parcel lost	Reship or refund within 7 days of the report	Resolves before the buyer calls the bank
Marked delivered but not received	Ask the carrier for proof, reply within 3 working days	Gives you evidence before deciding
Damaged parcel	Photos, then replace or refund	Keeps the claim simple

The marked delivered but missing case needs particular care. The parcel may be with a neighbour, in a safe place, or genuinely lost. Your lost parcels clause should ask the buyer to check the usual places and then contact you, and it should say you will request proof of delivery from the carrier. A buyer who is treated as a liar will go to the bank. A buyer who is helped will often find the parcel.

Never accuse the buyer. State what the tracking shows, what you will do next and by when.

Here is a first reply you can send when a buyer says a delivered parcel has not arrived:

Hi [FIRST NAME],

Thanks for letting me know about order [ORDER NUMBER]. I am sorry it has not turned up.

The carrier shows delivery on [DATE] at [TIME] to [ADDRESS]. Could you check with neighbours and any safe places, such as a porch, bin store or side gate?

I have asked the carrier for proof of delivery and I will reply by [DATE] with what they say. If we cannot find it, I will send a replacement or refund you, whichever you prefer.

[YOUR NAME]
[STORE NAME]

Shipping to Northern Ireland, Ireland and the EU: what should the policy say?

Say where you deliver, who pays any charges and what happens to refused or returned parcels. For GB to Northern Ireland, GOV.UK says B2C parcels sent by a carrier authorised under the UK Carrier Scheme need no customs declaration, duty or presentation. Other destinations need their own wording.

GOV.UK's guidance was updated on 1 July 2026 for low value import duty changes, and the Windsor Framework arrangements have been in place since 1 May 2025. Business-to-business parcels, excise goods and goods with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements have extra requirements, so a policy for a store shipping alcohol, tobacco or food products needs more than the template above.

Destination	What to state	What to check
GB to Northern Ireland, consumer parcels	Delivery times and carrier	The carrier is authorised under the UK Carrier Scheme
Ireland and the EU	Who pays duties and taxes, and delivery time	Customs and VAT rules at the time you ship
Rest of world	Countries served, delivery time and customs	Carrier restrictions
Excluded areas	A short list at checkout	That checkout blocks them

For the full picture on cross-border disputes, read Northern Ireland, Ireland and EU shipping disputes. If you add a customs sentence to your shipping and delivery policy template, keep it short and accurate, and update it when the rules change.

Where should you show your shipping and delivery policy template so it counts as evidence?

Publish your shipping and delivery policy template at a stable address, link it in the footer on every page, link it from the product page where it matters and include it in the order confirmation email. A buyer cannot be said to have seen a policy they could not find, so visibility before payment is the point.

We did not review the current Shopify settings for displaying policy links at checkout, and those settings change. Check your admin or ask Shopify support rather than relying on an old guide.

Use this checklist when you publish:

• Policy page live at a stable, public address
• Footer link on every page, including mobile
• Delivery times repeated on product pages
• Delivery costs shown before payment
• Order confirmation email links to the policy and the tracking steps
• Dispatch email includes tracking and the delivery estimate
• A dated archive of every version, saved outside the store
• A screenshot of the checkout showing the delivery information

Then keep a dated copy. In a dispute, the question is which policy applied on the order date, not which one is live today. Save a PDF with the effective date each time you change the page.

Is a shipping and delivery policy template worth the extra service cost? Two worked examples

Upgrade the service on higher-value orders, and reship quickly on genuine losses. Run the sums with your own numbers, because the answer depends on your order value, win rate and goods cost.

Both examples are illustrations with invented numbers. The arithmetic is checked.

Example 1: is the signature add-on worth it? A store ships 300 orders a year over £100.00. A signature or photo add-on costs 60p an order (the Evri figure we saw, which may change), so £0.60 × 300 = £180.00 a year. The store sees 6 item not received disputes a year at £130.00 each. Without the add-on it wins 2 of 6. With it, it wins 4 of 6. We assume Shopify's UK fee for card chargebacks is £10, charged by the bank and returned if you win.

Case	Wins	Losses	Recovered sales	Fees lost	Add-on cost	Net
Without add-on	2	4	2 × £130.00 = £260.00	4 × £10.00 = £40.00	£0.00	£220.00
With add-on	4	2	4 × £130.00 = £520.00	2 × £10.00 = £20.00	£180.00	£320.00

The difference is £320.00 minus £220.00, which is £100.00 a year in favour of the add-on. The win rates are invented. If the add-on does not change your win rate, the £180.00 is a pure cost. Test on your own data before committing across all orders.

Example 2: reship, refund or defend a lost parcel? A £60.00 order is lost in transit. The goods cost you £22.00, and a reship costs £4.00 in postage. The original sale and postage are treated as sunk.

Choice	Revenue kept	Extra goods cost	Postage	Fee	Net result
Reship	£60.00	£22.00	£4.00	£0.00	£60.00 − £22.00 − £22.00 − £4.00 = £12.00
Refund	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00 − £22.00 = minus £22.00
Lose a chargeback	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£10.00	£0.00 − £22.00 − £10.00 = minus £32.00

Reshipping beats refunding by £34.00 and beats losing a chargeback by £44.00. If you cannot prove delivery, a fast reship is usually the cheapest choice, and it keeps the customer. Both sums ignore your time and any chance the original parcel turns up, so treat them as a guide.

Situation	Suggested move	Reason
Tracking shows no delivery event	Reship or refund	You cannot prove arrival
Delivered with signature or photo, address matches	Fight	Strong, specific proof
Delivered scan only, order over £100	Fight, add policy and message evidence	Medium proof, enough at stake
Small order, no proof	Reship or refund	Your time costs more than the order
Buyer cooperative, item found	Close it	Done

Day-by-day plan: publish your shipping and delivery policy template in seven days

You can have a solid shipping and delivery policy template live in a week, working an hour or two a day. The plan below includes a carrier check, a contradiction audit and a dated archive, which are the steps stores skip.

Day	Task	Output
Day 1	Collect everything you say about delivery today: product pages, checkout, emails, footer	A list of current promises
Day 2	Decide your rules: dispatch time, delivery time, carriers, signature threshold, lost parcel timelines	A one-page decisions sheet
Day 3	Fill in the shipping and delivery policy template and delete clauses that do not apply	A first draft
Day 4	Book the services your policy promises and run a test parcel	A real proof of delivery sample
Day 5	Run the contradiction audit across product page, checkout and email	A fix list
Day 6	Publish the policy, add links, save a dated archive	A live page and a dated PDF
Day 7	Place a test order and capture screenshots of the checkout and the emails	A screenshot folder for future disputes

Put a quarterly reminder in your calendar to repeat day 5. A shipping and delivery policy template rots when carriers, prices and products change and nobody updates the page.

How do you cite your shipping and delivery policy template in a chargeback response?

Name the clause, quote the sentence and give the date the version went live. Keep it to two or three lines. The reviewer is checking whether you followed your own rule, and a short, specific citation shows you did.

Use this wording in a response to an item not received or late delivery dispute. Adjust it to the facts:

Our shipping and delivery policy template, version [NUMBER], published [DATE], was available at [URL] at the time of the order and is linked in the order confirmation email sent on [DATE].

Clause [NUMBER] states: "[QUOTE THE SENTENCE]".

The order was dispatched on [DATE] with [CARRIER], tracking [NUMBER]. The carrier recorded delivery to [ADDRESS] on [DATE] at [TIME], with [signature of NAME / photo of the parcel at the address]. Supporting records are attached as exhibits [NUMBERS].

Do not paste the whole shipping and delivery policy template into a response. Quote the one clause that answers the complaint and attach the dated page as a supporting exhibit. We did not verify file types or size limits on the response form, so check them when you respond.

Put the strongest proof first. For most item not received disputes that is the delivery proof, then tracking, then the order record, then the policy.

What's different for UK merchants

This section is general information, not legal advice.

• Risk in transit: for consumer sales, the goods stay at the trader's risk until delivered. A shipping and delivery policy template should offer trace, reship or refund, not blame.
• Distance selling rules: the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply to most online sales to consumers in the UK, including the 14-day cancellation right.
• Fees: Shopify's UK fee for card chargebacks is £10, charged by your bank and returned if you win. We did not review fees for other payment methods.
• Time limits: MoneyHelper describes chargeback as a voluntary card-scheme arrangement, usually claimed within 120 days. UK Finance gives the same period, counted from the transaction or the expected delivery, so keep delivery proof and dated policies for at least that long.
• Section 75: for credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000, the card company is jointly liable with the merchant. UK Finance says the time limit is six years.
• Carriers: Royal Mail photographs Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 deliveries where no signature is needed. Evri offers a Digital Signature add-on at about 60p. We have not verified DPD's options.
• Northern Ireland: GOV.UK says B2C parcels from Great Britain sent by an authorised carrier need no customs declaration, duty or presentation. Excise and SPS goods need more.
• Shopify Protect: it does not cover UK stores, so your shipping and delivery policy template and evidence are your own protection.
• Bank holidays: we did not verify how weekends and bank holidays affect dispute deadlines. Respond early.

Common mistakes

1. Copying a shipping and delivery policy template from a US store, with US carriers, days and rules.
2. Filling a shipping and delivery policy template with "fast delivery" instead of numbers.
3. Telling buyers the parcel is their responsibility once the carrier collects it.
4. Promising a signature or photo and booking a service that does not record one.
5. Saying nothing about what happens to lost parcels, then improvising while a dispute clock runs.
6. Showing different delivery times on the product page, the checkout and the policy.
7. Overwriting an old shipping and delivery policy template without keeping a dated copy.
8. Treating a shipping and delivery policy template as a shield and neglecting carrier proof of delivery.

FAQ

What should a shipping and delivery policy template include?

It should state where you deliver, dispatch and delivery times in working days, carriers and services, delivery costs, tracking, signature or photo rules, what happens if a parcel is late, lost, damaged or marked delivered but missing, and how to contact you. Use numbers and keep it consistent with your product pages.

Does a shipping policy help win a chargeback?

It helps as supporting evidence, not as the main proof. A dated policy shows what the buyer was told about timing and lost parcels. Carrier proof of delivery, tracking and the order record usually carry more weight. We found no source saying how any bank weighs a merchant's policy, so treat it as one exhibit.

Who is responsible for a parcel lost in transit in the UK?

For consumer sales, the goods generally stay at the trader's risk until they are delivered to the buyer, according to the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 explanatory notes. So your policy should offer to trace, reship or refund. Avoid wording that blames the buyer once the carrier has the parcel, and ask an adviser to check yours.

How long should I give for dispatch and delivery?

Use times you can meet. State dispatch in working days from payment, and delivery in working days from dispatch, for example dispatch within 2 working days and delivery 1 to 3 working days after. Add a bank holiday sentence. We did not review the legal default delivery period, so confirm it with an adviser.

Do I need a signature for high-value orders?

Not legally, but it gives you the strongest proof of delivery if the buyer says the parcel never arrived. Choose a value threshold, book a service that records a signature or photo, and say so in your policy. Check the add-on price with your carrier, because Evri's 60p figure may have changed.

What should I do when tracking says delivered but the buyer says no?

Ask them to check neighbours and safe places, request the carrier's proof of delivery, and reply within a stated time. Do not accuse them. If the carrier cannot show the parcel reached the address, reship or refund. If it can, keep the proof for any later chargeback.

Do I have to offer free delivery or free returns?

No. You can charge for delivery, but the cost must be shown before the buyer pays. For returns, the regulations put the cost on the buyer only if you told them before they bought. Whatever you choose, state it clearly in your policy, on product pages and at checkout.

Should I list customs and duties in my policy?

Yes, if you ship outside the UK. Say who pays duties and taxes and what happens to refused parcels. For GB to Northern Ireland consumer parcels sent by an authorised carrier, GOV.UK says no customs declaration, duty or presentation is needed. Rules change, so check GOV.UK before you publish.

How often should I update my shipping and delivery policy template?

Review it every quarter and whenever you change carriers, delivery times, prices or destinations. Keep a dated archive of every version, because in a dispute you need to show which policy applied on the order date, not just the one live today.

Can I use a free shipping and delivery policy template?

Yes, as a starting point. Many free templates use US carriers, vague delivery times or clauses that blame the buyer for transit loss. Fill in your real dispatch times, carriers and lost parcel steps, remove clauses that do not apply, and have the final wording reviewed.

Start free trial

ChargeFix helps Shopify merchants turn order and delivery evidence into a clear response, so your time goes to the order, not the paperwork. Start free trial and pair it with a shipping and delivery policy template that says what you promised.

Sources

• GOV.UK: How to send parcels from a business in Great Britain to a private individual or a business in Northern Ireland
• legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, explanatory note
• Shopify Help Center: Chargebacks and inquiries
• UK Finance: Chargeback and Section 75