Free shipping threshold calculator
Enter your typical order, what shipping costs you and your gross margin. See the lowest threshold that pays for its own shipping, a suggested amount, and the break-even sum, with every step of the arithmetic shown.
How does the free shipping calculator work?
It runs the method from our guide with your numbers: the lowest threshold is your typical order plus the extra spend whose profit pays for the shipping you'd give away, which is your shipping cost divided by your gross margin. It suggests the first round number at or above that, then works out how many shoppers must top up for every order already over the line.
- Typical order. The amount most of your recent orders land near; your order history shows it.
- Lowest threshold. Typical order + shipping ÷ gross margin. Below it, a shopper who adds just enough to qualify costs you more than they add.
- Within reach. About one more popular item above your typical order. The further away the line, the fewer shoppers try for it.
- Break-even. Shipping ÷ what each top-up leaves you: the number of shoppers who must top up for every order that was already over the line.
- Your orders. The share of orders already over the line, against the share just under it, shows whether enough shoppers are left to make up the difference.
The guide to offering free shipping over a set amount in Wix works through the same sums with the tea shop's numbers, then shows where the threshold goes in Wix's shipping settings and where to tell shoppers about it.
What if most orders already clear the line?
Then the threshold mostly gives away shipping you used to charge. Raise it, or keep free shipping for a smaller group: a code for your email list, or a pop-up prize. A free shipping prize does the most for shoppers whose carts sit below your threshold, so set the coupon behind it to all orders or to a minimum below the line. How prize codes work covers the coupon settings, and this break-even calculator for discounts runs the same kind of sum for a percentage or an amount off.
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Free shipping thresholds, answered
What's the lowest free shipping threshold that pays for itself?
Your typical order plus your shipping cost divided by your gross margin. Below that, a shopper who adds just enough to qualify costs you more than they add. From there, aim for about one more popular item above your typical order, and check how many orders already clear the line, since each of those stops paying for shipping.
Can free shipping over a set amount lose money?
Yes. Every order that was already over the line stops paying for shipping, so the threshold pays only when enough shoppers top up to reach it, or when it brings in orders you wouldn't otherwise have had. With the guide's tea shop, it takes 7 top-ups for every order already over $45.
What gross margin should I enter?
Your own: the share of a sale left after the cost of the goods. If the items shoppers add to reach the line earn a different margin from the rest of your store, use theirs, since the profit on what they add is what pays for the shipping.
Does the calculator count orders the offer brings in?
No. Like the guide, it counts only shoppers who would have ordered anyway: the ones who top up and the ones already over the line. New orders the offer brings in are extra, and nobody can know how many in advance, so it leaves them out.
How do I set free shipping over an amount in Wix?
In Shipping, delivery & fulfillment, add or edit a Flat Rate or Rate by weight rate in each region, and select the checkbox to offer free shipping when customers purchase a certain amount (Wix help). The guide to offering free shipping over a set amount in Wix walks through every step.
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