Skip to main content
An Incremental rate charges a base price, then adds more for every N units beyond a starting point. It’s the natural shape for “$5 for the first item, $2 for each additional one”.

​
Setting one up

1

Add a rate and pick what to count

Set Calculation parameter to Number of items, Total weight of items, or Total price of items — whatever the increment should be measured in.
2

Set Rate Type to Incremental

Four fields appear.
3

Fill in the four fields

​
How the fields combine

The rate is:
where a step is Per each units. With Base price 5, Incremental price 2, Per each 1: Setting Per each to 2 would instead add $2 for every two extra items.

​
Weight-based increments

The same structure works for weight. With Total weight of items as the calculation parameter, Base price 10, Incremental price 1.50, Per each 1, and Start from 5, a 5kg parcel costs $10 and each kilo above 5 adds $1.50.
Per each is expressed in your store’s weight unit, shown as a suffix on the field.

​
Incremental vs. Ranged

Both produce a rising price, but they behave differently between steps:
  • Incremental is smooth and unbounded — it keeps climbing with no ceiling.
  • Ranged is a lookup table — one flat price per band.
Choose Incremental when cost genuinely tracks quantity. Choose Ranged when you have negotiated carrier prices for specific brackets.
An incremental rate has no upper limit by default. On a very large order it can produce a surprising number — set a ceiling with Setting Maximum and Minimum Shipping Rates.

​
Range + Incremental

To apply an incremental charge only inside a particular band, use the Range + Incremental rate type. You give a Range Start and Range End first, then the base and incremental fields. Outside the band, the rate does not apply.

​
Examples

$5 first item, $2 each additional
Free up to 3 items, then $1.50 each

Ranged Rates

Flat price per band instead of a smooth climb.

Charge shipping per product

The per-product use case, start to finish.

Maximum and minimum

Cap an incremental rate.

Basic shipping rate

The full rate dialog reference.