How do I charge for postage?
Postage on a bernard shop is deliberately simple: one flat charge per order, whatever's in the basket, with an optional "free over" line — say £3.50 per order, free when the basket passes £40. That's the whole system, and for a small shop it's usually the honest shape: buyers see one clear number, never a surprise at the last step.
Set it by asking
Tell Bernard — or the AI you've connected — what you want:
"Charge £3.50 postage per order, free over £40."
The charge applies at checkout and shows plainly before anyone pays. To change it later, just ask again; to drop the free-over rule, say so.
Picking the number
Charge what a typical parcel actually costs you to send — postage isn't where a small shop makes its money, and buyers can smell padding. If most of your orders are one print in a tube, price the tube-and-stamp and round sensibly. The free-over threshold is your nudge for bigger baskets: set it a little above your average order and let it do quiet work.
One flat rate can't cover every case — a very heavy piece, or posting abroad — so for now, fold unusual costs into those items' prices, or note on the page that faraway buyers should get in touch first.
When an order does come in, the postage you charged is itemised with it — Someone bought something — what do I do now? walks through what happens next.
The prompt
“Set my shop's postage to [amount] per order, and make it free over [amount].”
The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Connect bernard to your AI over MCP — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI — then paste the prompt above.
Questions people ask
- Can I charge different postage for different countries or heavier items?
- Not yet — today it's one flat charge per order, which suits most small shops (charge what a typical parcel costs you). Postage by weight and by destination are on the list; until then, price awkward items with their postage in mind.
- Do digital things get charged postage?
- No. Postage applies to physical orders only — a download or a course enrolment never adds a postage line at checkout.
- Does changing postage touch my live shop straight away?
- The new charge applies at checkout as soon as it's saved, and the shop pages that mention it are redrawn as a draft for you to approve — the usual rule: you see it before your visitors do.