Calculator · Guide 6 of 7
Shipping Cost Calculator with a Free-Ship Threshold
Estimate per-order freight, monthly courier spend, share of AOV, and a sensible free-shipping bar.
Per order
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Monthly total
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Share of AOV
Free-ship bar
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Enter weight, per-kg rate, and packing to estimate courier cost.
Free-ship bar ≈ order value where freight is about 8% of AOV.
Quick answer
Shipping cost for one order is (weight in kg x rate per kg) plus packaging. Multiply by monthly orders to see the real courier bill before you advertise free shipping. Add average order value and the tool shows freight as a % share of sales plus a free-shipping bar. Use your courier's billed weight (actual or volumetric), not a guess from a kitchen scale alone. Then check whether your selling price still leaves profit with the pricing calculator.
How to use the shipping cost calculator
- Pick a preset close to your product — a light parcel, an apparel order, or a heavy/bulky item — or start blank.
- Enter package weight using your courier's billed weight (actual or volumetric, whichever is higher).
- Add courier rate and packaging cost from your latest invoice slab.
- Enter monthly orders to see the real monthly courier bill, not just one parcel.
- Add average order value (optional) to see freight's share of sales and a suggested free-shipping bar.
Once the numbers look right, publish the delivery rule on your Free Online Store and Set delivery in order flow.
Why shipping math matters for WhatsApp sellers
A buyer in Indore asks for free delivery on a Rs 499 kurti. You say yes to close the chat. The courier later bills Rs 90 plus a mailer. Your "good margin" just became a thin win - or a quiet loss.
Indian online sellers often mix local hand-delivery, Delhivery/Blue Dart slabs, and India Post. Rates change by zone and weight bracket. Guessing from last week's bill is how monthly P&L surprises happen.
This calculator gives a planning number: per order and month. It is not a courier rate card. Use your latest invoice slabs, then decide free shipping, paid shipping, or a cart minimum.
Next step: publish clear delivery notes on a Free Online Store, then Set delivery in order flow.
Weight, rate per kg, and packaging
Three inputs drive most small-seller freight math:
- •Weight (kg). Use the weight the courier bills - often the higher of dead weight and volumetric weight for soft toys, pillows, and light boxes.
- •Rate per kg. Pull from your partner slab for a typical destination. For planning, a blended average across your top pin codes is fine.
- •Packaging (Rs). Mailer, tape, label, and filler. Track one week of spend and divide by parcels for a realistic average.
Monthly orders turn a small per-parcel miss into a large cash leak. Sixty orders at Rs 20 under-estimated is Rs 1,200 gone without a drama - just thinner bank balance.
Keep stock ready so packages do not sit and get rebooked. See inventory management for small businesses and the inventory tracker template.
Offering free shipping without killing margin
Free shipping converts. Blind free shipping destroys. After you know per-order cost:
- •Bake freight into the product price for your best sellers and keep the label "free shipping."
- •Or set a free-shipping minimum (for example above Rs 999) and charge shipping on smaller carts.
- •Or quote shipping openly on distant pin codes and keep free only for nearby cities.
Pair freight with selling price using the pricing calculator and check remaining margin with the profit margin calculator.
For catalogue and delivery promises in one place, follow how to sell products online.
A simple flow from quote to dispatch
Treat shipping like a short weekly habit, not a surprise at month end.
Step 1
Weigh packed sample
Step 2
Apply rate + packaging
Step 3
Set ship policy on store
Step 4
Confirm order + address
Step 5
Pack, book, update buyer
Status discipline after booking lives in order management that keeps buyers happy. Before launch week, tick the online store launch checklist.
Use cases — who should run this shipping calculator
Use it any time you are about to promise free or flat-rate delivery in a chat, ad, or store banner.
Kirana / local grocery delivery
Same-city home delivery
Enter a light parcel weight with a local delivery rate and your average basket value. Decides whether free delivery above a cart minimum is safe or quietly eating margin.
Preset: Light parcel · edit rate to your local rider cost.
Salon retail add-ons
Shipping haircare products
Enter a small product's weight and packaging with a modest order value. Unlocks the decision to absorb freight into the product price or add it as a line item for online add-on orders.
Preset: Light parcel · adjust AOV to your product price.
Home bakery
Surat cookie boxes
Weighed a packed tin at 0.8 kg, used Rs 70/kg plus Rs 30 packaging, and found each "free" gift box cost Rs 86. Raised box price by Rs 50 and kept free local delivery for festival week.
Preset: Apparel order · edit weight and rate to match.
Apparel reseller
Jaipur kurtis
Far pin codes were eating COD returns. Calculator showed remote orders at nearly double near-zone cost. Free shipping now starts only above Rs 1,299; smaller carts see a clear shipping line.
Preset: Apparel order · check share of AOV.
Craft seller
Pune resin art
Light but bulky packaging meant volumetric weight. After switching the input to billed weight, monthly totals matched courier invoices within a few hundred rupees.
Preset: Light parcel · use volumetric weight, not scale weight.
Wholesale / B2B spice packs
Kochi bulk cartons
Enter heavy carton weight and volume rate to see per-order and monthly freight. Decides the minimum order size before offering free delivery to repeat B2B buyers.
Preset: Heavy / bulky item · adjust monthly orders to your volume.
Shipping cost mistakes to avoid
Ignoring volumetric weight
Soft goods in big boxes cost more than the kitchen scale suggests.
Forgetting packaging
Mailers and tape look cheap until you ship hundreds of orders.
One rate for all India
Remote zones and COD change the real number; blend or split policies.
Free shipping with no floor
Low-ticket free ship often loses money; set a cart minimum.
Next step: set a shipping rule buyers can read
Run the numbers, write free-shipping or paid-ship rules on your Futkar store, then pack with clear order statuses.
Set delivery in order flowRelated tools while you plan shipping
Online Store Launch Checklist
Delivery notes and launch steps before you go live.
Open checklist → TemplateOrder Tracking Sheet
Track AWB, status, and COD beside each order.
Open template → GuideOrder Management
Confirm, pack, ship, and close without lost chats.
Read → CalculatorDiscount Calculator
See sale price after offers before you add freight.
Open →FAQs
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