For a long time, Amazon has only given sellers the option for the same shipping charges to all parts of the UK. This was particularly painful for businesses selling heavy items, for example, furniture including sofas. As a result of this, sellers have in the past cancelled orders which resulted in negative penalty points from Amazon for order cancellation, or they take the hit by paying hefty shipping charges. For example, a customer in Northern Ireland would be getting free delivery and the seller had to take on the shipping charge of £35.00.
Amazon now has a solution for this!
The good news!
The good news! Amazon listened to the problems and you can now update the template to change shipping prices as needed. This applies to FBM listings only and FBA will continue to provide free delivery throughout the UK.
Which regions are included in this change?
The shipping charges can be changed to the addresses in Inverness (incl. Scottish Highlands) and offshore locations Shetland Islands, Outer Hebrides, Kirkwall, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
However, you cannot exclude shipping to any location and charges must be the same for all addresses within England, Wales and Scotland (excluding the regions detailed above).
How can I update my shipping template?
Simply make changes via Seller Central via Settings > Shipping Settings.
In the past, it has been common practice to:
- Cancel orders to certain regions to avoid extortionate shipping charges
- Include shipping information in bullet points either barring the delivery or asking for an additional cost as seen below.
Here’s one example of a new shipping template
Check out the example below to see how this works. You can also find out more following the official Amazon guide >>
Although we now have the option to add additional costs, it is still best to keep shipping free where possible, as one Retail study suggests that 9 out of 10 consumers say free shipping is the number one incentive to shop online more.
