How much does it cost to ship the products of an online store?
Shipping is the second cost line after the goods, and the only one the customer sees before deciding. Getting it wrong hurts both ways: too high blocks the cart, too low erodes the margin on every order.
Short answer
- A standard parcel up to 3 kg within Italy usually costs €5–7 at low volumes.
- With high volumes and a negotiated contract, the per-parcel rate drops noticeably.
- Islands, Calabria and remote areas carry surcharges that must be built into your rates.
- The free-shipping threshold should be calculated on margin, not copied from competitors.
- The shipping cost must be shown before order confirmation, never as a final surprise.
Shipping strategies
How to set the cost for the customer
| Strategy | Effect on the cart | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Actual cost charged | Margin protected | More abandonment on small orders |
| Flat rate | Clear, predictable price | Loss on expensive destinations |
| Free above a threshold | Raises the average order value | Threshold too low, margin eroded |
| Always free | Highest conversion | Cost built into prices |
A practical example
Example: a €45 average order with a 35% gross margin leaves about €15.75. A €6 shipment eats more than a third of it. Setting free shipping at €39 means giving it away almost always; setting it at €60 pushes the customer to add a second item and keeps the margin.
Common mistakes
- Showing the charge only at the last checkout step: the leading cause of abandoned carts.
- Using one national rate while ignoring island and remote-area surcharges.
- Copying a competitor's free-shipping threshold when their margins differ from yours.
- Promising delivery times the courier does not guarantee in the contract.
How 4shopy helps
- Rates can be set by weight, by zone and by order value, even combined.
- The free-shipping threshold is a setting, not a promotion to rebuild each time.
- The shipping cost appears in the cart, before payment details are requested.
- Delivery times shown on the product page and in the checkout come from the same configuration.