A shipping-policy recovery plan should restore both the customer-facing promise and the operational settings that support it. Preserve an approved copy of the policy, document where it appears, map shipping zones, rates, fulfillment locations, carrier or app dependencies, and define who can authorize emergency changes. The plan should also cover customer communication when the business cannot meet a stated shipment time.
Define the recoverable baseline
Save a dated copy of the approved shipping policy, its public URL, menu placement, product-page or cart links, translations, and any structured content that repeats its terms. Record the current processing-time language, delivery estimates, geographic restrictions, carrier assumptions, fees, and exception handling. Shopify's store-policy guide explains that a Shopify shipping policy can have a dedicated policy URL and may be linked from product pages, the cart, checkout footer, and store menus. Each visible location belongs in the recovery inventory.
Map policy promises to operations
Document shipping zones, rates, product profiles, fulfillment locations, cutoff rules, packaging assumptions, carrier integrations, and app-calculated rates. Shopify's shipping-rate guide explains that zones define where products ship, rates determine customer charges, and the settings shown at checkout depend on order and destination details. Record a safe test matrix covering representative destinations, products, order values, and weights.
Plan for missed shipment commitments
For U.S. orders covered by the rule, the FTC says a merchant must have a reasonable basis for a shipment representation. If shipment cannot occur within the promised time, the seller generally must seek the customer's consent to delay or provide cancellation and a prompt refund. Review the FTC business guide with qualified counsel for the business's exact obligations. The recovery plan should identify who detects a mismatch, who pauses or corrects promises, who communicates with affected customers, and who approves refunds or delay notices.
Store recovery materials safely
Keep the approved policy, configuration exports or screenshots, app list, contact roster, and restoration checklist in a versioned location separate from the live editor. Do not store production credentials in the checklist. Identify the account owner, backup administrator, fulfillment lead, customer-service lead, and legal reviewer. Set a change log that records the old text, new text, operational reason, approver, and publication time.
Rehearse restoration and verification
In a safe environment, restore the policy and compare it with the approved hash or version. Check every public link, translation, representative checkout case, rate, fulfillment origin, and confirmation message. Verify that the restored policy does not promise a service the checkout or fulfillment process cannot deliver. Document timing and gaps, then update the plan. A recovery is complete only when the public policy, checkout behavior, operational capability, and customer-response procedure agree.
Sources
- Adding store policies — Shopify Help Center
- Setting Up Shipping Zones and Rates — Shopify
- Business Guide to the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule — Federal Trade Commission