Overview
Free shipping rules let you offer automatic free shipping at checkout when a customer’s cart matches conditions you define. When enabled, creates a Shopify automatic shipping discount (shown in Shopify Admin → Discounts as Kivaro Free Shipping). Eligible customers see your custom checkout message and selected delivery methods become free. This guide covers setup, all available conditions, and practical examples—including the newer Cart line items and Cart weight conditions.Free shipping rules are available on the Pro plan. If you don’t see the feature, upgrade your plan or contact support.
Before you start
Confirm your Shopify shipping setup
Make sure your store has shipping rates and delivery methods configured in Shopify (for example Standard and Express). Free shipping applies to delivery options at checkout.
Set variant weights (for cart weight rules)
Cart weight conditions use variant weight from Shopify. Enter weights on product variants in Products → [product] → Variants. If a variant has no weight, it counts as 0 g unless you enable Don’t apply when product weight is missing.
Enable free shipping
Add at least one rule
Click Add free shipping rule, configure conditions, set a checkout message, and save.
How rules work at checkout
- Rules are evaluated when a customer reaches checkout shipping.
- Each rule has up to 10 conditions, combined with AND (all must match) or OR (any one is enough).
- When you have multiple rules, choose When multiple rules exist:
- OR — the first matching enabled rule applies.
- AND — every enabled rule must match before free shipping applies.
- Delivery methods on a rule limit which shipping options become free. Leave empty to apply free shipping to all shipping methods in the delivery group.
- Checkout message is shown to the customer when the rule applies (max 255 characters).
Condition types
| Condition | What it checks at checkout |
|---|---|
| Minimum subtotal | Merchandise value (before or after product discounts) |
| Shipping zone | Domestic or international (based on shipping country vs your store country) |
| Postcode | Exact postcodes or ranges on the shipping address |
| State / territory | Australian states and territories |
| Country | Shipping country |
| Cart line items | Products in the cart by title, SKU, variant, and quantity |
| Cart weight | Total weight of shippable cart lines in grams |
Cart line items
Match products in the customer’s cart at checkout using product title, SKU, variant title, and optional quantity rules.Configuration options
-
Match mode
- All of line items — every shippable line in the cart must match your filters
- At least one of line items — any shippable line can match
-
Product title, SKU, variant
- Operators: Equals, Not equals, Starts with, Ends with, Contains (case-insensitive for title and variant; SKU matching follows the operator you choose)
- Enter at least one of product title, SKU, or variant for the condition to be valid
- SKU max 40 characters; variant title max 255 characters
-
Quantity
- Any — line matches regardless of quantity (default)
- Equals — the line quantity must equal the number you enter
- Non-shippable items (digital goods, items that don’t require shipping) are ignored.
Example configurations
Free shipping when the cart contains a gift box| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Match mode | At least one of line items |
| SKU | Equals GIFT-BOX |
| Quantity | Any |
| Checkout message | Free shipping on gift boxes! |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Match mode | At least one of line items |
| Product title | Contains Tea |
| Quantity | Equals 12 |
| Checkout message | Free shipping on bulk tea orders |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Match mode | All of line items |
| SKU | Starts with VIP- |
| Quantity | Any |
| Checkout message | Complimentary VIP shipping |
Cart weight
Compare the total cart weight in grams against a threshold using standard comparison operators.Configuration options
- Operators: Less than or equal to, Less than, Greater than, Greater than or equal to, Equals
- Unit: Enter weight in grams (e.g.
500for 500 g,5000for 5 kg) - Weight source: Shopify variant weight on each shippable cart line, converted to grams (kilograms, pounds, and ounces are converted automatically)
- Non-shippable lines are excluded from the total
- Items without weight count as 0 g by default
Don’t apply when product weight is missing
Enable Don’t apply when product weight is missing when you want the condition to fail if any shippable item in the cart has no variant weight in Shopify. Use this when you only want free shipping for carts where every product has a known weight.| Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Unchecked (default) | Missing weights count as 0 g; lightweight carts may still qualify |
| Checked | Condition does not match if any shippable line lacks variant weight |
Example configurations
Free standard shipping for parcels up to 500 g| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | Less than or equal to |
| Cart weight | 500 |
| Don’t apply when product weight is missing | Unchecked |
| Delivery methods | Standard Shipping only |
| Checkout message | Free standard shipping on orders under 500 g |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | Greater than or equal to |
| Cart weight | 2000 |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Cart weight |
| Operator | Less than or equal to |
| Cart weight | 5000 |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | Less than or equal to |
| Cart weight | 10000 |
| Don’t apply when product weight is missing | Checked |
Combined rule examples
These examples mix conditions merchants commonly use alongside cart line items and cart weight.Sydney metro — spend $75+
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule name | Sydney metro free shipping |
| Match conditions using | AND |
| Condition 1 | Minimum subtotal — $75 (after product discounts) |
| Condition 2 | Postcode ranges — 2000-2234 |
| Checkout message | Free shipping to Sydney metro on orders over $75 |
Free express when cart has fragile SKU and is under 3 kg
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Match conditions using | AND |
| Condition 1 | Cart line items — SKU Equals FRAGILE-001, match At least one, qty Any |
| Condition 2 | Cart weight — Less than or equal to 3000 |
| Delivery methods | Express Shipping |
| Checkout message | Free express shipping on fragile items under 3 kg |
Victorian orders over $100 OR carts containing subscription box
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Match conditions using | OR |
| Condition 1 | Minimum subtotal $100 AND State VIC (use two conditions with AND inside the rule, or split into separate rules—see tip below) |
| Condition 2 | Cart line items — SKU Equals SUB-BOX-MONTHLY |
Domestic lightweight catalogue orders
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Match conditions using | AND |
| Condition 1 | Shipping zone — Domestic |
| Condition 2 | Cart weight — Less than or equal to 2000 |
| Don’t apply when product weight is missing | Checked |
| Checkout message | Free shipping on lightweight domestic orders |
Checkout result
When a rule matches, customers see your message and eligible delivery methods show $0 shipping. You can verify the underlying discount in Shopify Admin → Discounts.Tips and troubleshooting
Free shipping isn't showing at checkout
Free shipping isn't showing at checkout
- Confirm Enable free shipping rules is on and you clicked Save in app settings.
- Check that Kivaro Free Shipping still exists under Shopify Admin → Discounts.
- Verify the rule is enabled and at least one condition actually matches the test cart.
- If you limited Delivery methods, make sure the customer selected one of those methods.
Cart weight seems wrong
Cart weight seems wrong
- Weights come from variant weight in Shopify, not package dimensions in the app.
- Products without weight count as 0 g unless you enabled Don’t apply when product weight is missing.
- Only shippable lines are included in the total.
Cart line items condition never matches
Cart line items condition never matches
- Enter at least one of product title, SKU, or variant.
- Check match mode: All requires every shippable line to match; At least one is usually easier for promotional SKUs.
- SKU and title must match what’s stored in Shopify (operators are case-insensitive for title and variant).
Difference from Shipping Rules line items
Difference from Shipping Rules line items
Shipping Rules Fulfillment order line items run when you fulfill orders and create labels. Cart line items here run at checkout against the live cart. Use shipping rules for label automation; use free shipping rules for customer-facing checkout discounts.
Related guides
- Shipping Rules Configuration — automate packages and services at fulfillment time
- Complete Setup Guide — full app configuration overview