The shipping [shipping] attribute lets you provide shipping speed and cost for a product. Use this attribute when the account shipping settings for your product are not defined in Merchant Center or when you need to override the shipping settings that you set up in Merchant Center, for example, if you need to override your shipping settings for bulky or fragile products.
[shipping] attribute is not available for use with Buy on Google. Shipping price must be set up at the account-level in Merchant Center. Learn more about setting up shipping for Buy on GoogleShipping covers the cost charged by a shipping carrier or other cost directly related to shipping. A charge is considered to be a shipping cost if it’s described by the words "handling", "delivery", "shipping", "logistics", or "carrier". Shipping can include cross-border charges if the cost is included under a shipping term on your website. Shipping should also include insurance costs related to any of the five terms above.
Shipping also covers speed, or the time from when a customer places an order to when they receive it. Shipping speed includes both handling time (sometimes referred to as processing time) and transit time. Handling time is the time from when an order is placed to when it is handed off to the shipping carrier. Transit time is the time from when an order has been handed off to a shipping carrier to when the customer receives it.
Shipping speed and cost are the most common reasons for users abandoning their shopping choices, so showing accurate information can help the performance of your ads and free listings.
The shipping [shipping] attribute can also be used to specify the countries to which your product ships for programs that don’t require shipping costs.
When to use
Not available for Buy on Google
Shipping costs are required for free enhanced listings. They can be provided via the shipping [shipping] attribute or an account-level shipping service. Learn more about setting up shipping services.
Shipping costs are required for Shopping ads for any of the following countries:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Czechia
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- The United Kingdom
- The United States
Use this attribute to specify additional countries your product ships to.
Also use this attribute when shipping costs for your product are not defined in Merchant Center or when you need to override the shipping settings that you set up in Merchant Center, such as for bulky or fragile products.
This attribute uses sub-attributes to define country, delivery area, service, price, handling time, and transit time.
These are the various sub-attributes:
-
Country
[country](Required)
The country that the product can be delivered to. Submit an ISO 3166-1 country code (for example: CH). - Delivery area (Optional)
To specify where your product can be delivered, submit 1 (and only 1) of the following:- Region
[region](Optional)
Submit a state, territory, or prefecture. This is supported for the United States, Australia, and Japan. Submit a subdivision code from the ISO 3166-2 code tables (US, AU, or JP) without country prefix (for example, NY, NSW, 03). - Postal code
[postal_code](Optional)
Submit a postal code range. This is supported for the United States and Australia.
Submit any of the following styles:
A ZIP or postal code (for example: 94043)
A range of postal codes (for example: 94002-95460)
A range of postal codes using a prefix with a wildcard ( * ) (for example: , 94*)
A range of postal codes using 2 prefixes with wildcards ( * ) (for example: 94*-95*) - Location ID
[location_id](Optional)
Submit a numeric criteria ID of your location defined by Google Ads API (AdWords API) (for example, for California use 21137). This is supported for the United States (state), Australia (state), and Japan (prefecture). -
Location group name
[location_group_name](Optional)
Submit a location group that you set up and name through your Merchant Center settings. Use those group names here (for example: West Coast, Outback). This is supported for the United States and Australia. Learn more about setting up location groups
- Region
- Service
[service](Optional)
Submit a service class or shipping speed. Price[price]
Submit a fixed shipping cost, and use a period [.] as the decimal separator (for example: 3.00 USD). Avoid commas [,] to ensure the price is interpreted correctly.- Handling time (Optional)
To specify how long a product may spend in handling submit the following sub-attributes:- Minimum handling time
[min_handling_time]
The minimum number of days between when an order is placed and when it is handed off to a shipping carrier. - Maximum handling time
[max_handling_time]
The maximum number of days between when an order is placed and when it is handed off to a shipping carrier.
Refrain from using both the shipping sub-attributes for handling time and the standalone attributes for handling time. If both sets of attributes are provided for a product, the shipping sub-attributes will override standalone handling time attributes. The shipping sub-attributes are recommended for ads and free listings, while the standalone attributes are recommended for products sold through Buy on Google.
Use business days. For example, if a customer orders on Tuesday and the shipment leaves the warehouse on Friday at the latest, the maximum handling time is 3 days.
- Minimum handling time
- Transit time (Optional)
To specify how long a product may spend in transit, submit the following sub-attributes:- Minimum transit time
[min_transit_time]
The minimum number of days between when a product is handed off to a shipping carrier and when it is delivered to the customer. - Maximum transit time
[max_transit_time]
The maximum number of days between when a product is handed off to a shipping carrier and when it is delivered to the customer.
- Minimum transit time
Format
Follow these formatting guidelines to make sure Google understands the data you're submitting.
| Type |
Unicode characters (Recommended: ASCII only) |
|---|---|
| Supported values |
For AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, NZD, SGD, USD: For AED, BRL, CNY, DKK, HKD, ILS, MYR, NOK, PLN, SAR, SEK, TRY: For ARS, CZK, MXN, THB, TWD, UAH, ZAR: For KRW: For HUF For CLP: For COP: For VND: |
|
Repeated field |
Submit the shipping [shipping] attribute up to 100 times per product |
| File format | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Text feeds |
Format the name by including which sub-attributes you’re submitting. Include For example, to submit country, postal code, price, handling time, and transit time: Name
If you name the sub-attributes you are using, you can give them to us in any order. However, if you provide sub-attribute values but do not name them, we’ll assume that your attribute values include sub-attributes in this order:
Format the value by submitting the value of each sub-attribute listed in the same order as in the name and separated with a colon ( Name To submit multiple locations, submit the attribute (with the same name) multiple times. For example: Name Name If you don’t want to provide an optional sub-attribute for a particular product, then still add a colon ( Name Name |
| XML feeds |
Include the optional sub-attributes if you need them. To specify a shipping cost for different delivery locations, submit the shipping
|
To format your data for Content API, see the Content API for Shopping.
Minimum requirements
These are the requirements you'll need to meet to show your product. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in the Diagnostics page in your Merchant Center account.
- Submit complete and correct shipping information, including speed and costs.
- Shipping speed and cost are two of the most common reasons why shoppers abandon a product, so you’ll want to be sure your shipping settings are accurate and up-to-date to make your ads and listings effective.
- Include all relevant shipping charges. Include all charges for a purchase that include the words "shipping", "delivery", "handling", "logistics", or "carrier".
- Overestimate if you can’t provide an accurate shipping cost. Match or overestimate the cost users would pay.Note that overestimating excessively may negatively impact your product performance.
- Use the rate for shipping directly to an individual. Don’t use other rates such as the rate for shipping to a store or a rate that requires a membership to be applicable.
- Display product details on your landing page to all users. Make sure a user who clicks your ad can see details about your product, even if you don’t ship to the user’s location.
- Comply with local laws when submitting shipping information.
Best practices
These best practices can help you go beyond the basic requirements to optimize your product data for performance.
- Use account shipping settings in Merchant Center. With these settings you can create simple flat rates or complex, custom models. Use the shipping
[shipping]attribute as a last resort to override the settings you create in Merchant Center. - Submit a shipping price that can be represented in your country of sale’s currency (according to ISO 4217). For example, instead of 1.0012 USD, submit 1.01 USD. If your price can’t be represented in your country of sale’s currency, then we’ll round it to a value that can.
- If you submit the attribute multiple times, avoid submitting conflicting information. For example, don’t submit two different prices for the same region or the same service class.
- Submit shipping promotions through the promotions feed. For example, if you're offering free shipping for a two-week summer sale, upload a shipping promotion in the merchant promotion feed and enter the dates that it is valid for. Using the code will give consumers free shipping when they check out on the website. Learn more about Promotions
- Prominently state all additional charges that aren't related to shipping but relevant for the purchase during checkout. For example, list import duties, recycling fees, credit card fees, and service charges. Don’t submit this information as part of the tax or price attributes, instead bundle them with the Merchant Center shipping cost in the shipping attribute, or using the Merchant Center shipping services.
- Submit shipping costs for any region you ship to. If you don’t submit a shipping cost for a region that you ship to, either in your product data or through your account shipping settings, your product or account could be disapproved.
- Align your Shopping campaigns in Google Ads with your shipping settings and the availability of your product. Learn how to personalize ads for geographic locations
Additional guidelines
Review each section closely to determine if the requirements apply to your country or product. If you don't follow requirements that apply to you, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in Diagnostics in your Merchant Center account.
- Submit the shipping cost for either a user’s address or for a collection point. If you submit shipping, you may submit the shipping cost to a collection point for specific carriers based on country. Make sure that users understand that you support one of these carriers on your website.
- Norway and Sweden: PostNord, DHL, Bring, Schenke
- Finland: Posti.fi, DHL, Bring, Schenke, Matkahuolto
- Submit the shipping cost for a user’s address, a collection point, or store pickup.
- Match availability on your landing page with the delivery settings in your product data. If you don’t deliver your products across the entire country of sale, only submit shipping cost for the regions that you deliver to.
- Prominently state on your landing page that additional customs-related fees may apply. For example, add a disclaimer during checkout so users are aware of these fees before they place the order. Don't submit import or export-related information as part of the tax or price attributes. Learn more about export requirements
- Submit shipping cost as 0 (if shipping cost is required for your country of sale) when advertising an intangible product such as a software subscription, digital content, or downloadable software. You can submit shipping cost through the shipping
[shipping]attribute or through your account shipping settings.
Examples
To format the name, include "shipping", and then in parentheses add the names of the sub-attributes that you’re submitting separated by a colon ( : ).
For example, to submit country, postal code, and price:
| Name | shipping(country:postal_code:price) |
Format the value by submitting the value of each sub-attribute listed in the same order as in the name and separated with a colon ( : ). For example:
Name shipping(country:postal_code:price)
Possible value US:80302:6.49 USD
Possible value US:30*:12.75 USD
You can also just submit the price. For example:
Name shipping(price)
Possible value 6.49 USD
If you don’t include sub-attributes in the name, still submit values for all 4 sub-attributes in this order: country, region, service, price. For example:
Name shipping
Possible value US:CA:Express:6.49 USD
If you don’t want to provide an optional sub-attribute (like service) for a particular product, then still add a colon ( : ), but leave the text blank. For example:
Name shipping
Possible value US:::6.49 USD
Name shipping(country:region:price)
Possible value US::6.49 USD
Text
You can submit up to 100 shipping values per item to indicate different costs for individual locations. To submit multiple locations, submit the attribute (with the same name) multiple times. For example:
Product data for an orthopedic dog bed
| Attribute | Value |
Title [title] |
XXL Orthopedic Dog Bed |
Shipping [shipping] |
US:94002-95460:0 USD |
Shipping [shipping] |
US:900*-901*:0 USD |
Shipping [shipping] |
US:902*-930*:15.99 USD |
XML
To submit multiple delivery groups for an XML feed, include an additional attribute for each delivery group. You can submit up to 100 shipping [shipping] attributes for each product.
<g:shipping>
<g:country>US</g:country>
<g:region>CA</g:region>
<g:service>Express</g:service>
<g:price>0 USD</g:price>
</g:shipping>
<g:shipping>
<g:country>US</g:country>
<g:region>OR</g:region>
<g:service>Ground</g:service>
<g:price>4.99 USD</g:price>
</g:shipping>
<g:shipping>
<g:country>US</g:country>
<g:region>WA</g:region>
<g:service>Ground</g:service>
<g:price>6.49 USD</g:price>
</g:shipping>
For the United States and Australia, you can submit ZIP or postal codes through the postal code [postal_code] sub-attribute. There are several different ways you can submit these values.
Submit single ZIP or postcode
Include the entire code. For example: 94043
Submit a range of codes
Include 2 full codes separated by a hyphen ( - ). For example: 94002-95460
Submit a range of codes using a wildcard
Include any number of digits followed by an asterisk ( * ). This example would include all codes starting in 94. For example: 94*
Submit a range of codes using 2 prefixes with wildcards
Use 2 prefixes with asterisks ( * ) and a hyphen ( - ) to create a more narrow range. Use the same number of digits for both prefixes. For example: 94*-95*
Include free shipping by submitting a value of 0 USD in the currency of your country of sale for the shipping price [price] sub-attribute. If your product is intangible, such as with a one-time download or a software subscription, you would also set the shipping to 0. For example:
Product data for a one year subscription for Google Security software priced at 29.90 USD
| Attribute | Value |
Title [title] |
Google Security Software Basic Edition (1-year subscription) |
Price [price] |
29.90 USD |
Google product category [google_product_category] |
Software > Computer Software > Antivirus & Security Software |
Brand [brand] |
|
Shipping [shipping] |
US:::0 USD |
Image link [image_link] |
http://www.example.com/image1.jpg |