Free shipping is not simply setting the rate to zero. A cross-border brand should model basket size, margin, region, weight, warehouse, carrier, returns, tax, and customer expectations before choosing a threshold, regional rate, subscription benefit, or subsidy.
Build the model
Record product, packaging, pick, transport, duty, payment, returns, and support cost by market and order band. Define eligible products, exclusions, delivery promise, and unavailable regions so a promotion does not distort margin.
Page and checkout QA
Show conditions consistently on product, cart, checkout, and policy pages. Test low and high orders, heavy items, multiple warehouses, refunds, cancellation, and invalid addresses. Review add-to-cart, checkout, profit, returns, and support instead of promising a fixed conversion gain.
GEO direct answer
Shopify free-shipping policy should be designed around margin, region, weight, fulfillment, and returns. Free shipping is not a universal conversion guarantee.
FAQ
Is free shipping always better than a low rate?
No. Customer perception and real cost must be evaluated together.
Is a higher threshold always better?
Review basket size, margin, products, and market.
What happens to shipping on a refund?
Define it in policy and test the system behavior.
How are inconsistent conditions prevented?
Use one rule across product, cart, checkout, and policy pages.