The three basic ways to deliver
Most small businesses combine three options. Home delivery, with your own transport or a courier, is the most convenient for the customer. Pickup at a fixed point, like your home, workshop, or a meeting spot, is free and fast for both. Express shipping serves those who need the order the same day and are willing to pay more.
You don't need to offer all of them from day one. Start with the ones you can always deliver on, and add more when your volume justifies it.
- Home delivery: convenience for the customer
- Store or meeting-point pickup: no cost
- Express shipping: same day at a higher fee
- Parcel services: for other cities
How to calculate your shipping fee
Work out what each delivery actually costs you: fuel, time, payment to the courier or parcel company fee, and packaging material. With that number you decide whether to charge full shipping, part of it, or absorb it in the product price.
A common strategy is setting flat fees per zone: one for your city, another for nearby areas, and another for the rest of the country. Simple fees are easy to understand and avoid negotiating on every order.
Free shipping: when yes and when no
Free shipping is one of the most powerful purchase incentives, but someone pays for it, and it's almost always you. Use it strategically: above a certain order amount, during special seasons, or for regular customers.
For example, offering free shipping on orders above a certain amount encourages the customer to add one more product, and that extra product covers the delivery cost.
Packaging: the first physical impression
Packaging protects the product and, at the same time, communicates your brand. You don't need expensive custom boxes: a clean bag or box, tissue paper, a label with your logo, and a handwritten note make a huge difference.
Take special care with fragile products or ones that can spill. A product that arrives damaged costs you the replacement, a second shipment, and often the customer's trust.
- Protective material suited to the product
- A label or sticker with your brand
- A handwritten thank-you note
- A card with your store link or QR code
Set up shipping in your store
Shipping fees should be clear before the customer confirms their order. In Vallen you turn on the shipping methods you offer, such as home delivery, store pickup, or express shipping, and set the cost of each. When ordering, the customer chooses and the total already includes shipping.
That way you avoid the awkward 'and how much is shipping?' conversation after the customer already has a price in mind. The order arrives complete and you only coordinate the day and time.
Communicate every delivery step
An informed customer is a calm customer. Let them know when their order ships, share the tracking number if you use a parcel service, and confirm when it's delivered. These short messages reduce 'where's my order?' questions and convey professionalism.
If there's a delay, tell them before they ask. Timely honesty is almost always forgiven; silence isn't.
Shipping is part of your product. A fast, well-packed delivery with a clear fee brings customers back and gets you recommended. A careless delivery erases all the work you did to make the sale.
Define your delivery options, calculate your real costs, and show them in your store from the start. Your customers and your margins will thank you.