> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hoopai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Shipping Zones

> Define geographic shipping zones by country, region, or postal code to control where and how you ship.

Shipping zones let you define the geographic areas where your store ships, and assign different delivery rates to each area. By grouping countries, states, and postal codes into zones, you can offer different shipping prices based on where the customer is ordering from — for example, free shipping for domestic orders and a flat rate for international shipments.

## What is a shipping zone?

A shipping zone is a named geographic grouping — a set of countries, states/provinces, or postal codes — to which you attach one or more delivery rates. Every checkout where the customer's shipping address falls within a zone will display the rates associated with that zone.

If a customer's address does not match any defined zone, no shipping options are shown at checkout. This means you should ensure your zones cover all the regions you ship to. Products that are digital-only will skip shipping zone logic entirely since no shipping address is required.

## Accessing shipping zone settings

Navigate to **Payments > Settings > Shipping & Delivery**. This is the central hub for all shipping configuration, including zones, rates, and profiles.

## Creating a shipping zone

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Shipping & Delivery settings">
    Go to **Payments > Settings > Shipping & Delivery** and click **Add Zone**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your zone">
    Enter a descriptive zone name. Use names that make it clear which geographic area the zone covers, such as "Domestic US," "Canada," "European Union," or "Rest of World." This name is internal only and not visible to customers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select countries">
    Click in the country selector and choose one or more countries to include in this zone. You can select individual countries or use groupings (such as all EU countries) if available.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select states or provinces (optional)">
    After selecting a country, you can optionally narrow the zone to specific states or provinces within that country. This allows you to create region-specific rates — for example, a separate zone for Alaska and Hawaii versus the contiguous 48 US states.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add ZIP/postal code restrictions (optional)">
    For even more granular control, restrict the zone to specific postal codes. You can enter:

    * A single code: `10021`
    * Multiple codes separated by commas: `10021,90210,60601`
    * Wildcard patterns using an asterisk at the end: `46*` (matches all postal codes starting with 46)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add delivery rates">
    After defining the zone geography, add at least one delivery rate. Rates define the actual shipping cost customers see at checkout. See the [Shipping Rates](/stores/shipping-rates) guide for the full list of rate types.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the zone">
    Click **Save**. The zone is now active. Any checkout with a shipping address matching this zone will display the associated rates.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Zone rules and constraints

**Exclusive state/province assignment:** Once a state or province is added to a shipping zone, it cannot be included in any other zone. This prevents conflicting rates from appearing at checkout. If you need to reassign a state, you must remove it from its current zone first.

**Country-level vs. state-level zones:** You can have a country in one zone at the country level (to cover all states not otherwise specified) and a different zone that covers specific states within that same country. The more specific zone (state level) takes precedence.

**Order of precedence:** When a customer's address matches multiple zones (for example, a country-level zone and a state-level zone), the most specific match applies — state/province zones take priority over country-level zones, and postal code restrictions take the highest priority.

## Zone examples

**Domestic free shipping zone:**

* Name: "United States (Free Shipping)"
* Countries: United States
* Rate: Free shipping (no conditions)

**International flat rate zone:**

* Name: "International"
* Countries: All countries except United States and Canada
* Rate: Flat \$25 shipping

**Regional special rate:**

* Name: "Hawaii and Alaska"
* Countries: United States
* States: Hawaii, Alaska
* Rate: Flat \$15 (higher than standard US shipping due to distance)

**Local delivery zone:**

* Name: "Local Delivery"
* Countries: United States
* States: New York
* Postal codes: `100*, 101*, 102*` (Manhattan area)
* Rate: Free local delivery

## Testing your zones

After configuring zones, always test the checkout by placing a test order using addresses in each zone:

1. Switch your store to Test Mode (Settings > Payment Mode > Test).
2. Add a product to the cart and proceed to checkout.
3. Enter a shipping address in each of your zones and confirm the correct shipping rates appear.
4. Verify that addresses outside your defined zones show no shipping options (or a clear error message).

<Tip>
  Create a "Rest of World" zone as a catch-all for countries not covered by your other zones. Assign a higher flat rate to this zone to handle any international order that falls outside your primary shipping regions.
</Tip>

<Note>
  Shipping zones only apply to physical product orders. Digital products do not require shipping, so no zone logic is applied to carts containing only digital items.
</Note>