How do I set up shipping on Shopify without overcharging customers?

Start by deciding your strategy: free shipping (price it into the product), flat rate (simple and predictable), or carrier-calculated (real-time rates at checkout). For most new stores, flat rate or free-over-a-threshold is the easiest to manage and converts well. Set up shipping zones for the regions you actually serve and assign rates per zone.

The common mistakes: one global rate that loses money on heavy or far items, and surprise shipping costs at checkout (the top cause of cart abandonment). Weigh your products, sanity-check the rates against real carrier costs, and be upfront about shipping on the product page. A free-shipping threshold also nudges average order value up.