Made-to-order shipping policy generator for Shopify
Most shipping policy templates assume your products are already on a shelf. Tell it how long your products take to make, and you get a policy written for made-to-order that pastes straight into Shopify.
Written against the US FTC Mail Order Rule and UK and EU consumer law. Free, no signup.
Jump to your policyGenerate your policy
Your shipping policy
Made to order
Some of our products are made to order. We start making those after you place your order, so they take longer to reach you than items we keep in stock.
Each product page shows whether an item is made to order and how long it currently takes to make.
Production time
Production takes 10–15 business days, counted from the business day after you place your order.
Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
Around busy periods such as the holidays, production can take longer. The time on the product page is always the current one.
Shipping time
When your order is finished, we ship it and email you the tracking details. Delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that, and faster shipping options shorten the delivery, not the production time.
From placing your order to delivery, expect about 12–20 business days in total.
Orders with in-stock and made-to-order items
If your order includes items we keep in stock, we ship those straight away. Made-to-order items follow in a separate shipment once they're finished, and you'll get tracking details for each one.
If production runs late
If we can't ship your order within the production time above, we'll email you before that time is up with a new ship date, or tell you why we can't give one yet. You can cancel for a full refund at any point before your order ships.
If the new date is more than 30 days after the original one, or we can't give a date, we'll cancel and refund your order unless you tell us you're happy to wait. If your order is delayed a second time, we'll only keep it if you confirm you still want it.
Refunds go back to your original payment method within 7 business days.
Changes and cancellations
You can change or cancel your order free of charge until production starts. Once we've started making it, we can't change or cancel it, because it's being made for you.
None of this affects your right to cancel if we're late. Need to change your delivery address? Tell us before your order ships.
Damaged, faulty or lost orders
If your order arrives damaged, faulty or not as you ordered it, email us with your order number and a photo. The sooner you tell us, the sooner we can fix it. We'll repair it, remake it or refund you.
If your tracking hasn't moved for 5 business days, or it says delivered and you can't find your parcel, let us know. We'll take it up with the courier and send a replacement or refund you.
Nothing in this policy affects your legal rights for items that are faulty, damaged or not as described.
Questions about your order
Email us at [your email address] with your order number, and we'll tell you where your order is in production.
Copied. In your Shopify admin, paste it into Settings → Policies → Shipping policy.
Your policy now promises 10–15 business days of production. Customers decide on the product page, so that number belongs there too, and it has to stay true when the queue gets longer.
See how Orderkraft shows itA starting point, not legal advice. Check it against the rules where you sell. Last reviewed October 2026.
Your policy makes promises. Orderkraft helps you keep them.
-
Lead time storefront block
See how it works -
Split shipments
Your policy promises that in-stock items ship straight away and made-to-order items follow. Orderkraft holds the made-to-order lines back until production is done, so nobody splits orders by hand.
See how it works -
Production status on the order page
Your policy promises to tell customers where their order is in production. That's a quick answer when the status sits on the Shopify order page, not in a spreadsheet.
See how it works
Add it to your Shopify store in three steps.
- Fill in the form. Use the production and shipping times you can hit on an ordinary week. A policy that promises your fastest week will be wrong most weeks.
- Click Copy policy. The headings come along when you paste.
- In your Shopify admin, open Settings → Policies, paste it into Shipping policy, and save. Shopify links it from your checkout.
What a made-to-order shipping policy needs that a normal one doesn't.
Production time and shipping time, as two numbers
"Ships in 3–5 days" is a promise about a box on a shelf. Your customers are waiting for something to be built first. Say how long making it takes, then how long the carrier takes, and the total. A customer who knows the sofa is in production for three weeks doesn't email you on day four.
What happens when it runs late
Materials arrive late. A busy month backs up the queue. Write down now what you'll do when that happens: tell the customer before the promised date, give a new one, and let them cancel for a full refund if it no longer works for them. In the US that isn't optional. The FTC rule spells out the notice, when a long delay means cancelling unless the customer agrees to wait, and a 7-business-day refund.
Rules for mixed orders
If you sell stocked and made-to-order products, some orders will contain both. Decide whether the stocked items ship now or wait, and put it in writing, so nobody is surprised by two parcels or by a candle that took three weeks.
The 30-day line
In the US, the FTC Mail Order Rule says you must ship within the time you state, or within 30 days if you state nothing. In the UK and EU, goods have to arrive within 30 days unless the customer agreed to a longer time before buying (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 28; EU Consumer Rights Directive, article 18). Most Canadian provinces let customers cancel once delivery is 30 days past the date you gave. Either way, the time belongs on the product page, before checkout, as well as in your policy.
Rights your policy can't take away
"All sales final" doesn't hold everywhere. UK and EU customers can cancel within 14 days of delivery, and made-to-order alone doesn't change that. Only goods made to their specification or clearly personalised are exempt (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28). In the UK, EU and Australia, a parcel lost or damaged on its way is your problem, not the customer's. And nowhere can a policy switch off a customer's rights when an item is faulty. A good policy says all this plainly, which also saves you the argument later.
Your policy says how long it takes. Orderkraft keeps the product page in line with it.
We make Orderkraft, the made-to-order app for Shopify. It shows a lead time on every made-to-order product page, calculated from your production and dock-to-stock time, so it changes when your production time does. With split shipments, in-stock items ship straight away and made-to-order items follow when they're finished.
14-day free trial, billed through Shopify.
Questions about made-to-order shipping policies.
What should a made-to-order shipping policy include?
Production time and shipping time as two separate numbers, and when the production clock starts. What happens when an order has both in-stock and made-to-order items. What you do when production runs late, and how the customer can cancel if it does. When an order can still be changed, what happens if a parcel is lost or damaged, and the cancellation rights your customers have by law. A standard shipping policy assumes the item is on a shelf and only covers the last part of the trip.
Where do I add a shipping policy in Shopify?
In your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Policies, and paste it into Shipping policy. Shopify links your policies from checkout, so customers can read it before they pay.
Can my made-to-order lead time be longer than 30 days?
Yes, if the customer knows before they buy. In the US, the FTC Mail Order Rule says you must ship within the time you state, or within 30 days if you don't state one, and you need a reasonable basis for the time you give. In the UK and EU, goods have to be delivered within 30 days unless you and the customer agreed on a longer time before they bought. In most Canadian provinces, customers can cancel if delivery is more than 30 days past the date you gave. So put the time on the product page, not only in your policy. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can UK and EU customers cancel a made-to-order item?
Usually, yes. They can cancel within 14 days of receiving it, even if you made it after they ordered. The exception is for goods made to the customer's specifications or clearly personalised, like an engraved ring or curtains made to measure. Picking a colour or fabric from your standard options generally doesn't count. Your policy has to tell them about the right, or the 14 days can stretch to a year. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should I ship in-stock items separately from made-to-order items?
Usually, yes. Someone who orders a stocked cushion with a made-to-order sofa doesn't want the cushion sitting in your warehouse for three weeks. Splitting means paying for a second parcel, and some brands would rather not. Either choice is fine, as long as the policy says which one you made.
Is a shipping policy enough to stop "where is my order?" emails?
No. Most customers never read it. It is what you point to when they ask, and it sets the rules for when you're late. The production time has to be on the product page, where the buying decision happens, and it has to match what your production floor can actually do.
Is this generator free, and do you store what I type?
It's free and needs no signup. The policy is put together in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or saved.
New to running made-to-order on Shopify? Start with how made-to-order works in Orderkraft. Setting up lead times? Read how to show lead times on your storefront, or browse the other free tools for made-to-order stores.