Lifetimely: How to Set Up Shipping Rules
At a glance: Set the real shipping cost of each order by shipping method, number of items, order weight and destination country, so your profit reports reflect what you actually pay to ship.
⚠️ Note: "Shipping costs" here means what you paid your shipping provider. This is different from what your customers paid for shipping, which Shopify calls "shipping charged."
How it works
Shipping rules let you set your own shipping rates on the Shipping costs page. Each rule has one or more conditions (shipping method, number of items or order weight), applies to all countries or the countries you choose, and sets a cost per order or per item.
Rules are checked from top to bottom, and the first rule an order matches sets its cost. Orders that match no rule use your other shipping cost settings.
⚠️ Important: Rules also apply to past orders. There are no effective dates, so when you add or change a rule, Lifetimely recalculates the shipping cost of matching historical orders and your past profit reports update.
Why use them?
- Accurate profit per order: an Express parcel of 5kg costs more than a Standard parcel of 200g, and your reports reflect that.
- Your real rate card: enter your rates once instead of one average cost.
- No integration needed: ideal if you ship in-house or use a 3PL Lifetimely doesn't connect to.
How to set up a shipping rule
- Go to Cost & Expenses and open the Shipping costs tab.
- In the Shipping rules section, click Add rule.
- Enter a Name, e.g. "GLS small parcels".
- Under Applies when, set your first condition. Click Add condition to add more. An order must match every condition to get the rule's cost:
- Shipping method: is any of the methods you select, or its code starts with a prefix you enter, e.g.
inpost_ - Number of items: is between a min and max. Every unit counts, so two of the same product are 2 items.
-
Order weight: is between a min and max, in kg
Leave either side of a range empty for no limit.
- Shipping method: is any of the methods you select, or its code starts with a prefix you enter, e.g.
- Under Countries, choose All countries or Specific countries.
- Under Cost, choose Per order or Per item and enter the amount.
- Click Save rule.
💡 Tip: Before you save, the bottom of the window shows how many of your orders match the conditions you've chosen.
Managing your rules
- Priority: use the arrows next to each rule to change its order. The top matching rule wins.
- Orders, last 6 months: shows how many orders each rule matched in the last 6 months, and what share of your orders that is.
- No rule matches: the last row shows orders that matched none of your rules. These use your other shipping cost settings.
- Edit or delete: use the pencil or trash icons at the end of each row.
Priority order
Shipping rules apply only when no higher-priority source has a cost for the order. Costs from 3PL integrations, Shopify Shipping labels and uploaded order costs always take priority over rules.
| Priority | Method |
|---|---|
| 1 (highest) | Integration with Shopify Shipping, ShipStation, ShipBob, ShipHero or Australia Post |
| 2 | Google Sheets or CSV import (matched by Order ID) |
| 3 | Shipping rules |
| 4 | Shipping Charged (when "Use Shipping Charged" is selected) |
| 5 | Product-specific shipping costs (set in the Product Costs tab) |
| 6 (lowest) | Country-level flat rates |
Frequently asked questions
What if an order matches no rule?
Lifetimely falls back to the next source in the priority order. To cover every order, make sure your rules leave no gaps, for example between weight ranges.
Will changing a rule affect my past reports?
Yes. Rules apply to all matching orders, including historical ones, so adding or editing a rule updates the shipping cost of past orders too.
Where does the order weight come from?
From your product weights in Shopify. Make sure they are set, or weight conditions won't match correctly.
Can I set different rates per carrier?
You can match by shipping method, including by code prefix (e.g. inpost_ ). Dedicated carrier-based costs (e.g. DHL vs. UPS) are coming soon.
Do shipping rules work for Amazon stores?
No. Amazon stores support Shipping Charged and country-level shipping costs. See Shipping Costs Explained for details.