What shipping policy means
A shipping policy is the published promise about getting the item to the customer.
It sits alongside the terms and conditions and the refund policy, and it answers the questions customers actually ask before buying: do you deliver to my area, how much is it, how long does it take, and what happens if it does not arrive.
It also decides something less visible but more important: when risk passes. Until risk passes, a parcel lost or damaged in transit is your problem. After it passes, it is the customer's. A policy that says nothing about this leaves the question to be argued at the worst moment.
For consumer sales the sensible and generally expected position is that the seller carries the risk until delivery, and a policy that tries to pass risk at dispatch will not sit well with consumer protection expectations.
How it is used
A workable Nigerian shipping policy covers a fixed list.
Where you deliver, by state or region, and anywhere you do not.
Delivery timelines, stated as working days and separated by destination, since Lagos and a delivery to a smaller town outside a state capital are not the same promise.
Dispatch time, which is different from delivery time and is the part you control.
Costs, including how they are calculated and whether there is free delivery above a threshold.
Carriers used, and whether tracking is provided.
What happens on a failed delivery attempt, including redelivery charges and how long an item is held.
What happens if a parcel is lost or damaged in transit, including how to report it and the timeframe for doing so.
International shipping, if offered, including that customs duties and clearance charges are the customer's responsibility.
And how to contact you about a delivery, with a route that a person actually monitors.
Key features
- Published alongside terms and conditions and the refund policy
- States delivery areas, timelines, costs and carriers
- Separates dispatch time from delivery time
- Should state when risk passes, which for consumer sales is normally on delivery
- Covers failed delivery, lost parcels and damage in transit
- Should be visible before checkout, not after payment
How this works in Nigeria
Delivery is where Nigerian e commerce reputations are made and lost, and the policy is what manages expectations.
The realities are specific. Delivery outside major cities takes longer and costs more. Address quality is variable, so a policy should ask for a landmark and a working phone number and say what happens when the courier cannot reach the customer. Payment on delivery is common, which raises its own questions about refused parcels and who bears the return cost.
On lost and damaged goods, the customer's contract is with you, not with the courier. A seller who tells a customer to take it up with the logistics company has misunderstood the relationship. Pursue the carrier yourself and resolve the customer separately, and say so in the policy.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 sits over all of this, giving consumers rights to information and to fair and reasonable terms. A policy that disclaims all responsibility once a parcel leaves your premises is exactly the kind of term that attracts scrutiny.
Social commerce sellers should publish a short version too. A pinned highlight or a link in the bio stating areas, timelines, cost and what happens if an item does not arrive prevents most of the public disputes small sellers end up in.
Shipping policy vs refund policy vs terms
Three documents that overlap at the edges and answer different questions.
The shipping policy answers how the item gets to the customer. Areas, timelines, costs, tracking and what happens in transit.
The refund policy answers what happens when the customer wants their money back. Return windows, condition, who pays return delivery and how refunds are processed.
The terms and conditions form the overall contract, and normally incorporate both by reference, along with price, acceptable use, liability and dispute resolution.
The overlap is the damaged or missing parcel, which is a shipping question that produces a refund. Both documents should point at the same answer, and the commonest small business error is a shipping policy and a refund policy that contradict each other on exactly that point.
Limits and risks
A policy cannot remove statutory consumer rights. Terms disclaiming responsibility for goods that never arrive are exposed under consumer protection law, however clearly they are published.
It also has to be presented before purchase. A policy the customer sees for the first time in a dispatch email may not form part of the contract at all.
Delivery timelines are promises you have to keep. Publishing two to three working days and routinely taking seven generates more complaints than an honest five to seven would.
And carriers fail. A policy cannot make a courier reliable, so the practical protection is choosing carriers carefully, providing tracking, and handling failures quickly rather than arguing about whose fault it was.
Worth knowing
State plainly that you handle lost and damaged parcels with the courier yourself. Telling a Nigerian customer to chase the logistics company is the single most common cause of a delivery complaint becoming a public one, and the customer's contract is with you regardless.
Questions people ask
Do I need a shipping policy?
If you sell physical goods, yes. It sets expectations on areas, timelines and costs, decides how lost and damaged parcels are handled, and prevents most delivery complaints before they start.
What should a shipping policy include?
Delivery areas, dispatch time separate from delivery time, timelines by destination, costs, carriers and tracking, failed delivery handling, lost and damaged parcel procedure, international shipping and customs, and a contact route.
When does risk pass to the customer?
For consumer sales the expected position is on delivery. A policy attempting to pass risk at dispatch sits badly with consumer protection expectations, so the seller normally carries the risk until the customer receives the goods.
Who is responsible if the courier loses my customer's parcel?
You are, as far as the customer is concerned. Their contract is with you, not with the courier. Resolve the customer and pursue the carrier separately, and say so in the policy.
Can I refuse a refund because the courier was at fault?
No. The customer paid you for delivered goods. Consumer protection law gives rights against the seller, and pointing at the logistics company does not discharge them.
Does an Instagram seller need one?
Yes, in short form. A pinned highlight or a bio link stating delivery areas, timelines, costs and what happens if something does not arrive prevents most of the public disputes small sellers face.