Shopify Shipping Insurance: What's Included, When to Buy
Shopify shipping insurance covers labels you buy in Shopify for shipments from the United States. On the Grow, Advanced or Plus plan with Shopify Payments active, each eligible label includes up to $200 of insurance at no extra cost; for anything above that, or on other plans, you buy coverage on the label, up to $5,000 per shipment. Claims are filed from the order in your admin and handled by Shipsurance, the insurance administrator.
All of the rules below come from Shopify’s Help Center page on shipping insurance, read on October 23, 2026.
Who gets $200 included
Three conditions apply to any Shopify shipping insurance: the shipment leaves from the United States, you buy the label in Shopify, and your products comply with Shipsurance’s terms of service. The included $200 then depends on your plan and payments:
| Your store | Labels bought in Shopify | Labels for Managed Markets orders |
|---|---|---|
| Grow, Advanced or Plus, with Shopify Payments | Up to $200 included | Up to $200 included if Managed Markets is active |
| Basic plan, or Shopify Payments not active | Not included; you can buy coverage | Not included; you can buy coverage |
Included insurance doesn’t stack across services: each eligible shipment is covered for up to $200 in total, however many services it touches. When you buy a label, the SHIPPING INSURANCE section of the label screen shows whether insurance is included.
In practice, if most of your orders are under $200 and you’re on Grow or higher with Shopify Payments, nearly every parcel is covered without you doing anything. If you’re on Basic, nothing is covered until you add it per label, and that decision belongs in your packing routine.
Buy coverage for higher-value orders
For an order worth more than $200, the SHIPPING INSURANCE section on the label offers Insure full shipment value or Insure custom amount. If you’re not eligible for included insurance, you enter the coverage you want there. Coverage is sold in steps of $100 at these rates:
| Shipment | Premium |
|---|---|
| Domestic | $0.89 per $100 of coverage |
| International | $1.29 per $100 of coverage |
Shopify’s example: items worth $250 plus $20.50 of international shipping make $270.50 to insure, which takes three $100 units at $1.29, so $3.87. For a store without included insurance, such as one on the Basic plan, a domestic $650 order would take seven units at $0.89, $6.23. Premiums and label charges appear as separate lines on your Billing page.
Two services can’t be insured: USPS First Class Mail, and UPS shipments to Puerto Rico. If you void an unused label within 30 days of buying it, the insurance is canceled too, and you get a premium credit that can be used only for future shipping insurance. After cancellation, you can no longer claim on that label.
Our rule of thumb: insure the full value whenever losing the parcel would cost you more than a day’s margin, and always for items you can’t replace from stock. At $0.89 per $100 domestically, insuring a $500 order costs $4.45.
File a claim
Claims for lost, damaged or stolen shipments can be filed for most shipments from 24 hours after the order has shipped and up to 120 days from the shipping date.
- In the admin, go to Orders and open the order.
- Click the menu button and choose File claim.
- In Claim details, select the claim type, the date you discovered the damage or loss, and the reason.
- In Claim amount, enter what you’re claiming. It can’t exceed the coverage you have.
- In Payout details, choose how Shipsurance pays you and add the details it asks for.
- In Contact information, enter the email Shipsurance should use if it needs more information.
- Select I have read and understand the disclaimer above and click File claim.
You get an email with a claim ID and a link to the Shipsurance portal, where you track the claim; the status also shows on the order. Shopify doesn’t handle claims itself. For help with an open claim, contact Shipsurance at shopifyclaims@shipsurance.com or 1-866-852-9956.
Our suggestion before filing is to collect photos of the damaged item and the packaging, the tracking history showing the parcel stalled or was delivered, and the customer’s message. We would take the photos before the customer sends anything back, since the packaging is part of the evidence.
What the insurance doesn’t change
If a label has both Shopify insurance (included or bought) and the carrier’s own coverage, claims for loss, damage or theft go to Shipsurance, not the carrier. Extra insurance doesn’t combine with carrier coverage. And the products themselves have to comply with Shipsurance’s terms of service, so read those terms if you ship anything fragile, high-value or regulated; Shopify’s page refers to them without listing the exclusions.
For buying and printing the labels themselves, read Shopify shipping labels; for buying many at once, buy shipping labels in bulk. Other delivery guides are in the shipping and returns hub.
FAQ
Does Shopify include shipping insurance? Labels bought in Shopify include up to $200 of insurance per eligible shipment if your store is on the Grow, Advanced or Plus plan with Shopify Payments, and the shipment leaves from the United States.
How much does Shopify shipping insurance cost? Bought coverage costs $0.89 per $100 for domestic shipments and $1.29 per $100 for international ones, in $100 steps, up to $5,000.
Who handles Shopify shipping insurance claims? Shipsurance administers the insurance and handles claims. You file from the order in your admin, and Shopify doesn’t support the claim itself.
Can I insure shipments from outside the United States? Shopify’s shipping insurance requires the shipment to leave from the United States, and Shopify notes that it’s available only in specific regions.