Free shipping over a threshold usually covers the entire cart, but sometimes specific products should not take part in the offer: either their prices should not push the order over the threshold, or they are too costly to ship free. Weight Based Shipping covers both cases and their combination — a product can be kept from triggering free shipping, from receiving it, or both, so free shipping stays disabled for certain products without giving it up for everyone else.
Scenario A Specific items don't trigger free shipping
For example, provide free shipping for the entire order once items in the cart, excluding Accessories, reach a $100 subtotal. No matter how many Accessories are added, their prices do not count toward triggering free shipping, but they still benefit from it if the threshold is met.
In this scenario, the prices of uncounted items are excluded from the threshold calculation. If the subtotal of counted items meets the threshold, free shipping applies to the entire order, including the uncounted items.
Counted Items: Products whose prices count toward the free shipping threshold.
Uncounted Items: Products that do not count toward the threshold
but still ship free once it is met.
Example #1
Cart: Shirt ($70, counted), Pants ($40, counted), Hat ($30, uncounted Accessory).
Counted subtotal: $110 (Shirt + Pants).
Result: $110 ≥ $100, so free shipping applies to Shirt, Pants, and Hat.
Example #2
Cart: Shirt ($70, counted), Hat ($30, uncounted Accessory).
Counted subtotal: $70 (Shirt only).
Result: $70 < $100, so regular shipping applies to Shirt and Hat.
Scenario B Specific items don't receive free shipping
For example, provide free shipping for all items except Accessories once the entire order subtotal reaches $100. Accessories always incur regular shipping costs, even if the threshold is met.
Here, the subtotal of the entire order (including charged items) is used to check the threshold. If met, free shipping applies to regular items only, while charged items still pay for shipping.
Regular Items: Products that ship free once the threshold is met.
Charged Items: Products that always incur regular shipping, even when the threshold is met.
Example #1
Cart: Shirt ($70, regular), Hat ($40, charged Accessory).
Order subtotal: $110 (Shirt + Hat).
Result: $110 ≥ $100, so free shipping applies to Shirt; Hat incurs regular shipping.
Example #2
Cart: Shirt ($50, regular), Hat ($30, charged Accessory).
Order subtotal: $80.
Result: $80 < $100, so regular shipping applies to Shirt and Hat.
Scenario C Specific items neither trigger nor receive free shipping
For example, free shipping is provided only for non-Accessory items once their subtotal reaches $100. Accessories neither count toward the $100 threshold nor receive free shipping, even if the threshold is met.
In this scenario, the mechanics of Scenarios A and B are combined: excluded items (e.g., Accessories) are neither counted toward the free shipping threshold, like the uncounted items of Scenario A, nor shipped free when it is met, like the charged items of Scenario B. Free shipping is triggered only by the subtotal of regular items and applies only to them, while excluded items always incur regular shipping costs.
Regular Items: Products that count toward the free shipping threshold
and ship free once it is met.
Excluded Items: Products that neither count toward the threshold nor ship free.
Example #1
Cart: Shirt ($70, regular), Pants ($40, regular), Hat ($30, excluded Accessory).
Counted subtotal: $110 (Shirt + Pants).
Result: $110 ≥ $100, so free shipping applies to Shirt and Pants; Hat incurs regular shipping.
Example #2
Cart: Shirt ($70, regular), Hat ($40, excluded Accessory).
Counted subtotal: $70 (Shirt only).
Result: $70 < $100, so regular shipping applies to Shirt and Hat.
