Shipping categories in HeadQ allow you to define different shipping costs and rules based on both product types and destination markets. This gives you full control over situations where certain products (such as heavy machinery, attachments, or hazardous items) have different shipping requirements than lighter or standard items—and where shipping prices also vary between countries.
Each product is assigned to one shipping category, and each category contains its own price, tax rate, and free-shipping threshold. At checkout, HeadQ uses these category rules to calculate the correct shipping cost for every order.
1. Opening the Shipping Settings
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Go to your store’s admin: Store → Settings
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Scroll down to Shipping
Here you will see all existing shipping categories (e.g. Telehandlers, Attachments, Spare Parts, Oil, etc.).
2. Creating a New Shipping Category
Click + New to open the editor.
Fields
Internal name
A short internal label (e.g. Oil & Fluids).
Description
Longer internal note.
Shipping prices by country
Define the shipping cost, tax rate and free-shipping threshold for each market.
Click Create to save the category.
3. Assigning a Shipping Category to Products
There are two methods:
Method 1: Assigning via the Product Page
Use this when editing a single product.
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Go to Products → [Choose product]
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Open the Shipping section
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Select a category from the dropdown
Method 2: Assigning via Shipping Settings (bulk, missing categories)
Use this when organizing multiple products at once or onboarding new catalogs.
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Go to Store → Settings → Shipping
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Select Associate
Here you can:
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See all products assigned and their Shipping category
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See all products without a category
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Assign missing products directly from this view
This method is ideal for ensuring every product in the store has a valid shipping category.
4. Why Use Multiple Shipping Categories? (Practical Examples)
Different products often require different shipping treatments. Categories help you reflect these differences accurately.
Example 1: Heavy vs. Light Products
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Telehandlers
– Large, heavy items → high freight cost (e.g. €1500–€3000) -
Spare Parts
– Small parcels → low cost (e.g. €100–€200)
Using categories ensures the customer pays the correct cost based on the type of product.
Example 2: Items With Special Requirements
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Oil & Fluids → dangerous goods rules
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Attachments → pallet shipments
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Electrical components → specific carrier limitations
Each needs its own pricing and tax logic.
Example 3: Differences Between Countries
Shipping may vary significantly by market:
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Sweden may require SEK pricing and higher freight for bulky goods
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Finland may apply VAT on shipping (e.g. 25.5%)
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Germany may apply 0% VAT on freight
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USA or UK may use flat or zero-cost shipping for certain categories
Shipping categories allow you to maintain these rules cleanly.
5. How Shipping Is Calculated at Checkout
HeadQ uses a simple and predictable rule:
“The highest shipping cost applies.”
If a customer adds products with different shipping categories:
➡️ The checkout will charge the highest shipping cost among those categories.
Example
Cart contains:
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Spare part → €200 shipping
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Telehandler → €2000 shipping
Final shipping cost = €2000
Customers are never charged multiple shipping fees, and heavy items are never undercharged.
6. Free Shipping Thresholds
Each shipping category can define its own free-shipping threshold.
How it works with multiple products:
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If all categories in the cart exceed their free-shipping threshold → shipping becomes free
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If only the cheaper category qualifies → the expensive category still applies
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If the most expensive category qualifies → entire order becomes free shipping
This allows flexible incentives while preserving accurate freight cost for heavy items.