Shipping is where many new online sellers feel most unsure. How do you get a parcel from your shop in Jaipur to a customer in Kochi? What should you charge? What happens if the courier cannot deliver? This guide explains the main options and decisions in plain language, so you can set up shipping that is fair to customers and does not eat your margins.
Your main shipping options
1. Deliver yourself, locally
If your customers are nearby, as with a bakery, a grocery or a restaurant, delivering yourself or through a local delivery person is often simplest. You control timing, you meet your customers, and you avoid courier charges. It works best within a limited distance.
2. Go directly to a courier company
You can open an account with a courier company or use India Post. India Post reaches a very wide range of PIN codes, including many remote ones. Direct accounts with private couriers are often easier to get once you ship regular volumes.
3. Use a courier aggregator
A courier aggregator is a platform that connects you to several courier companies through one account. You book a shipment, compare the options for that route, print a label, and the courier picks up from your door. Aggregators are popular with small sellers because you do not need separate contracts with each courier, and you can choose the courier that works best for each PIN code.
UpMinutes connects with Shiprocket, so you can book shipments and share tracking with customers from your store dashboard rather than copying addresses between websites.
How courier charges are usually worked out
Couriers generally charge based on three things: weight, distance and service type.
Weight, and volumetric weight
Couriers commonly charge for whichever is higher: the actual weight of the parcel, or its volumetric weight, which reflects how much space it takes up. A large box of light cushions can cost more than a small heavy box of spices.
Volumetric weight is usually calculated as length × width × height in centimetres, divided by a number set by the courier (5,000 is commonly used, but check your courier's figure). For example, a box of 30 × 25 × 10 cm gives 7,500, divided by 5,000 is 1.5 kg. If the actual weight is 800 g, you may be charged for 1.5 kg.
The lesson: use the smallest box that protects your product well. Oversized boxes cost money.
Distance and zones
Couriers usually group deliveries into zones: within the same city, within the same state or region, metro to metro, rest of India, and special zones such as the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir. Further and harder-to-reach zones cost more and take longer.
Cash on delivery charges
COD shipments usually carry an extra fee, because the courier has to collect and remit the cash. If a COD parcel is refused, you typically pay for the return journey too, which is called RTO (return to origin). Factor this in when deciding whether to offer COD; our guide to UPI, cards and COD covers ways to reduce returns.
Setting delivery zones in your store
Once you understand your costs, decide where you deliver and what you charge. Most stores use one of these approaches:
- Flat rate everywhere: simple to understand, but you lose money on far zones and overcharge near ones.
- By state or region: for example, one rate within your state and another for the rest of India.
- By PIN code: useful when you deliver locally or only to certain areas. A sweet shop might deliver same-day to nearby PIN codes and ship to others.
- By distance: common for food and local services, with charges rising by kilometre bands.
UpMinutes lets you set delivery zones by PIN code, state or distance, each with its own charge, and you can stop delivering to an area simply by leaving it out.
Let customers check before they order
Few things frustrate customers more than filling a cart, reaching checkout and finding you do not deliver to them. A "Check delivery" box on the product page, where a customer enters their PIN code and sees whether you deliver and what it costs, removes that disappointment. UpMinutes stores include one.
Free delivery: when and how
Customers generally dislike paying separately for delivery. But delivery is never actually free: someone pays. You have three main ways to handle it:
- Build it into the price. Simple, but makes products look more expensive next to others.
- Charge delivery separately. Transparent, but some customers abandon the cart when they see it.
- Free delivery above a threshold. Customers who spend more get free delivery, which encourages larger orders.
To set a threshold, look at your typical order value and your average shipping cost. A threshold a little above your typical order nudges customers to add one more item without losing money on each order. For example, if most orders are around ₹700 and shipping costs you about ₹80, a free-delivery threshold somewhere around ₹999 might be a sensible starting point to test. Adjust it after a few weeks based on what you see.
Show the threshold clearly, ideally in the cart: "Add ₹150 more for free delivery." You can set a free-delivery threshold in UpMinutes alongside your zones.
Packing well
Good packing reduces damage, returns and complaints:
- Use a box or courier bag that fits closely, with padding for anything fragile.
- Seal liquids and oils in a leak-proof bag inside the box.
- Wrap glass and ceramics individually and fill gaps so nothing moves.
- Keep food sealed and labelled with what the law requires for your product. Check FSSAI labelling rules if you sell packaged food.
- Put the invoice inside and stick the shipping label flat on the largest side.
- Weigh and measure the packed parcel, and enter the correct figures when booking.
A small thank-you note costs very little and makes the parcel feel personal.
Delivery times: under-promise
Give customers a delivery estimate that you can comfortably meet, such as "3 to 7 working days for most of India". Mention when you dispatch (for example, "orders placed before 2 pm ship the same day") and any extra time for made-to-order items. During festivals, couriers are busier, so add a buffer. Our festive sale guide covers deadlines.
Keep customers updated
Most "where is my order?" messages can be avoided with timely updates. Send a confirmation when the order is placed, a message with the tracking link when it ships, and a note when it is out for delivery. UpMinutes can send these by WhatsApp and SMS, and tracking from Shiprocket bookings flows through to customers.
Returns and failed deliveries
Decide your policy in advance and publish it: which items can be returned or exchanged, within how many days, in what condition, and who pays for return shipping. For failed deliveries, the courier will usually try again or return the parcel to you; keep an eye on these so you can contact the customer quickly.
A quick setup checklist
- Choose how you will ship: self-delivery, direct courier, aggregator, or a mix.
- Weigh and measure your common products when packed.
- Set delivery zones and charges based on real costs.
- Decide a free-delivery threshold and show it in the cart.
- Add a "Check delivery" box to product pages.
- Write a clear delivery and returns page.
- Switch on order and shipping updates.
Shipping gets easier with practice. Start simple, watch your costs for a few weeks, and adjust. When you are ready, start a free UpMinutes trial and set up your zones in a few minutes, or see everything included on the features page.