How Exact Shipping Works

Want to charge your buyers the real shipping cost instead of a flat rate? The easiest way is right inside Thryft Ship Payments — there's a setting built exactly for it. Exact Shipping lets you collect the true shipping amount after the sale, without sending anyone off to Venmo or PayPal.

When to use it

For most sellers we recommend flat or tiered shipping — it's simpler, and it's a single checkout for your customer. But we know some of you really want to charge the exact amount, so Exact Shipping is here for you. It's especially handy for mixed or heavier items, where a flat rate would over- or under-charge the buyer.

Turn it on

Head to Settings → Accept Payments → Payment, Shipping & Checkout Options and choose Exact Shipping. (You'll need Thryft Ship Payments turned on.) You can also pick it as your international method.

Works with any checkout

Exact Shipping works whether your customer checks out through the Sales Assistant or you send them a manual Thryft Ship link. It also works two ways, depending on who creates the order.

If you create the order

You build the order yourself — add the items and send your buyer the Thryft Ship link to pay. With Exact Shipping on, you don't set a shipping price up front. You'll see a note confirming that a blank shipping line gets added after checkout, so you can fill in the real carrier rate later.

If your customer creates it on your form

Your customer checks out through your link and pays for their items. There's nothing for them to do about shipping yet — you'll add the exact cost next, and they'll pay it after.

Adding the exact cost, step by step

1. Once items are paid, a blank shipping line appears

After your buyer pays for their items, the order carries a Shipping line marked Owed $--.-- (any materials markup is already paid). That blank placeholder is your cue that a real rate still needs adding — it only shows up after the items are paid.

2. Find it under "Shipping still owed"

On your Orders page, these orders collect in the Shipping still owed section — items paid, shipping balance still owed. When you're ready to ship, click Add exact shipping cost.

3. Enter Exact Shipping mode

This works just like Shipping mode. For each order, confirm the package and enter the weight, then hit Confirm & review. It rapid-fires through every order in the section, so you're not clicking around one by one.

4. Review the rates and apply

We pick the cheapest rate for you (you can change any of them), then click Apply exact shipping. The system fills in the shipping amount owed on each order automatically — no typing.

5. The cost is added — your buyer can pay

Each order now shows the exact shipping added, and your buyer can pay it.

6. Your buyer pays the shipping

Send your Thryft Ship link back out (or tell them to head there). They see a simple "Finish paying your order" with just the shipping balance, and pay it.

7. It moves to "Ready" — time to ship

Once they pay, the order automatically moves to your Orders with Shipping Rates (Ready) section, marked All paid. Now just Purchase Labels and ship.

Materials markup

Want to charge a little extra for packaging and supplies? Add a materials markup — it shows as its own line and is paid together with the items.

Good to know

• Every item has to be paid first. If an item is still marked "Not Reviewed," the order stays in Pending — it won't move to "Shipping still owed" until every item is properly paid.
• Works internationally. Exact Shipping can be chosen as your international shipping method too.

Common questions