You can have beautiful products, fast checkout, and killer ads —
but if your shipping logic is broken, your profits quietly die behind the scenes.
Most merchants never notice it happening until customers complain, or courier invoices roll in.
Let’s uncover the five most common mistakes (and how to fix each one without writing a single line of code).
1. Flat-Rate Shipping for Everything
The mistake:
Using one flat rate across all orders — $5, $10, whatever.
The result:
- You lose small-order sales because shipping feels expensive.
- You lose profit on large or heavy orders because shipping costs more.
The fix:
Use rule-based conditions that scale with order value, weight, or region.
Example:
IF cart_total > $100 → Free Shipping
ELSE → Standard $7.95
That keeps small orders profitable and large ones rewarding.
2. Offering Irrelevant Methods at Checkout
The mistake:
Showing every shipping method to every customer — “Local Pickup,” “Express,” “Nationwide,” all at once.
The result:
- Confused customers.
- Abandoned carts.
- Support messages asking, “Which one do I choose?”
The fix:
Hide irrelevant options with location-based rules.
IF distance > 30km → hide Local Pickup
IF country ≠ US → hide Domestic Shipping
Clean, context-aware checkout = higher conversion rate.
3. Ignoring Regional Surcharges
The mistake:
Forgetting to charge extra for remote or high-cost delivery zones.
The result:
You pay the courier’s $10–$20 surcharge yourself every time.
The fix:
Pass those costs automatically:
IF postcode in [list of remote zones] → add $15 surcharge
You’re not gouging customers — you’re protecting your margins.
4. No Product-Level Shipping Logic
The mistake:
Charging the same for a fragile glass lamp and a pack of T-shirts.
The result:
Lost profit, breakage risk, or both.
The fix:
Assign shipping behavior per product type:
IF product_tag = “fragile” → add $10 handling fee
IF product_tag = “light” → allow Free Shipping
That’s impossible in Shopify natively — but instant with RuleHook.
5. Free Shipping Without a Strategy
The mistake:
Offering free shipping on every order.
The result:
Your conversion rate goes up, but your profit margin dies.
The fix:
Make customers earn free shipping.
IF cart_total ≥ $75 → Free Shipping
ELSE → Standard Rate
That drives up AOV while keeping your costs under control.
How RuleHook Fixes All of This Automatically
RuleHook gives you the flexibility Shopify never built:
- Set conditions (cart value, product tags, location, user type).
- Apply actions (change cost, rename, or hide methods).
- Preview everything instantly.
You design your shipping logic like a flowchart — no code, no theme edits, no guesswork.
Why It Matters
Shipping logic isn’t backend fluff. It’s a profit control system.
Every wrong rule costs you real money.
Every smart condition adds clarity, trust, and margin.
RuleHook exists to make that control effortless — so you can focus on growth, not guesswork.
👉 Try RuleHook free and fix your shipping once and for all.