"Free shipping" usually means free for the customer, not free for you. Be clear about which one you mean, because Shopshot tracks both separately.
What "free" refers to
Term | Meaning | Where it lives |
Shipping Charged | What the customer paid for shipping (0 if you offer free shipping) | Comes from Shopify Orders |
Shipping cost | What you paid the carrier to fulfill the order | Your Shipping Costs setup |
Offering free shipping sets Shipping Charged to zero, but you almost always still pay a carrier, so Shipping cost is not zero. Recording the real cost is what keeps your margin honest.
If your shipping truly costs you nothing
If a specific order genuinely costs you nothing to ship (for example a digital product), set a Shipping Zone rate of 0 for the relevant region, or use a product-level shipping cost of 0 for that item, so the order resolves a real zero rather than falling through to another source.
Common questions
I offer free shipping, so should shipping cost be zero? No. Free shipping means Shipping Charged is zero. Your Shipping cost is what you still pay the carrier, and it should reflect reality.
How do I see whether shipping is a net cost? Check Shipping Cost Recovery in Business Metrics. Below 100% means shipping is costing you more than you charge.
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