Bloom lets you figure Shopify shipping rates at the SKU level, so profit calculations use the actual cost to ship each product instead of one blanket rate across your catalog. You can assign a fixed rate per SKU or set tiered rates by order quantity, and choose how those tiered rates get applied: Absolute, Incremental, or Flat. The result is a per-product profit number that reflects what each item actually costs to fulfill.

Key Takeaways

• Shipping costs vary by product, so SKU-level rates give you an accurate per-product margin

• Fixed Rate assigns one shipping cost to a product or product group

• By Quantity sets different rates for different order quantity ranges

• Three calculation methods for quantity tiers: Absolute, Incremental, Flat

• Apply rules to a single product or to a product group

What SKU-level shipping costs are

Shipping costs can vary depending on the product or SKU. In Bloom, you assign specific shipping costs to individual products or groups of products, and your profit calculations use the actual shipping cost associated with each product rather than applying the same shipping cost across all products.

You can configure SKU-level shipping costs two ways:

• Fixed Rate

• By Quantity

How to figure shipping rates with Fixed Rate

With a fixed rate, you assign one shipping cost to a product or product group. You can create a product group and apply the same shipping rate to every product in the group, or add individual products and assign a shipping rate to each one separately.

Example: if Product A has a fixed shipping cost of $8, Bloom will use $8 as the shipping cost whenever that product is included in an order.

Fixed Rate is useful when the shipping cost stays the same regardless of how many units are purchased.

How quantity-based shipping works

If shipping costs change based on the number of units ordered, set different rates for different quantity ranges. You can create a product group and configure quantity-based rates, or add products individually and configure rates per product.

Each rate row has three fields:

• From Qty

• To Qty

• Shipping Rate

Example setup:

Bloom provides three calculation methods for applying these ranges.

Absolute, Incremental, and Flat: which calculation method to use

The three methods use the same quantity tiers but calculate the final shipping cost differently. Pick the one that matches how your carrier bills you.

Absolute

The rate from the final matching quantity range is applied to all units.

Example:

• Qty 1 to 2 = $8

• Qty 3 to 5 = $4

For 3 items: 3 × $4 = $12.

This works well when the per-unit shipping cost drops once an order reaches a particular quantity.

Incremental

The shipping cost is calculated progressively across the quantity ranges.

Example:

• Qty 1 to 2 = $8

• Qty 3 to 5 = $4

For 3 items: $8 + $8 + $4 = $20.

Use this when each quantity tier represents a different per-unit shipping cost and you want the calculation to build progressively.

Flat

A single flat shipping charge is applied based on the quantity tier that matches the order, regardless of the number of units within that tier.

Example:

• Qty 1 to 2 = $8

• Qty 3 to 5 = $6

For 4 items: shipping cost = $6. The $6 charge applies to the entire order because 4 items fall within the 3 to 5 quantity range.

Why SKU-level shipping costs matter for product profit

Shipping can have a significant impact on product profitability. Two products with the same selling price can have very different margins if their shipping costs differ.

Illustrative example:

• Product A: $50 revenue minus $5 shipping

• Product B: $50 revenue minus $15 shipping

Both generate $50 in revenue, but Product B has a higher fulfillment cost and therefore a different margin after fulfillment. Assigning shipping costs at the SKU level lets Bloom show how much profit each product actually generates.

Benefits of configuring Shopify shipping rates at SKU level

• More accurate product profitability. Account for the actual shipping cost of individual products.

• Better margin visibility. Identify products where shipping costs significantly reduce margins.

• Support for different shipping models. Handle fixed and quantity-based shipping costs.

• Flexible product setup. Apply rules to individual products or product groups.

• Accurate order-level calculations. Reflect shipping costs based on the products and quantities in an order.

• Better business decisions. Understand which products are genuinely profitable after shipping and other costs.

Frequently asked questions

How can I calculate my shipping cost?

Assign the actual shipping cost of each product or product group in Bloom (Fixed Rate or By Quantity), and Bloom calculates the order-level shipping cost from the products and quantities in each order. This gives you shipping costs that reflect what you actually pay to fulfill, instead of averaging one rate across the catalog.

Set up SKU-level shipping in Bloom to see which of your products are genuinely profitable after fulfillment.

How do I figure Shopify shipping rates at the SKU level?

In Bloom, you assign shipping costs to individual products or product groups using either a Fixed Rate or a By Quantity rule. Bloom then uses that SKU-specific cost in your profit calculations instead of applying a single blanket shipping rate across your catalog.

How do I set shipping rates on Shopify?

To set shipping rates per product for profit tracking in Bloom, open the shipping in cost settings and assign either a Fixed Rate or a By Quantity rule to a single product or to a product group. Fixed Rate applies one cost per unit regardless of quantity. By Quantity lets you define cost tiers (From Qty, To Qty, Shipping Rate) and pick Absolute, Incremental, or Flat as the calculation method. Bloom then uses that SKU-specific rate in your profit calculations.

What's the difference between fixed rate and quantity-based shipping?

Fixed Rate assigns one shipping cost to a product or product group, used regardless of how many units are purchased. By Quantity sets different shipping rates for different order quantity ranges (for example, $8 for 1 to 2 units and $4 for 3 to 5 units).

What do Absolute, Incremental, and Flat calculation methods do?

Absolute applies the rate from the final matching quantity range to all units (3 items at $4 = 12).Incrementalcalculatesprogressivelyacrosstiers(8 + $8 + $4 = $20 for 3 items). Flat applies a single charge based on the matching tier, regardless of how many units within that tier (4 items in the 3 to 5 tier = $6 total).

Can I set different shipping rates for a group of products?

Yes. You can create a product group and apply the same Fixed Rate or quantity-based rates to every product in that group, or add products individually and configure rates per product.

Why do SKU-level shipping costs matter for product profit?

Two products with the same selling price can have very different margins if their shipping costs differ. A $50 product with $5 shipping is more profitable than a $50 product with $15 shipping. SKU-level shipping gives Bloom the real fulfillment cost per product, so your profit figures reflect what each item actually earns.

How do I calculate shipping rates?

Pick the model that matches how you are charged. If every unit of a product costs the same to ship, use Fixed Rate (for example, $8 per unit of Product A). If the per-unit cost changes with order size, use By Quantity with one of three methods: Absolute (final matching tier rate applied to all units, so 3 items at $4 = $12), Incremental (progressive across tiers, so $8 + $8 + $4 = $20 for 3 items), or Flat (one charge for the whole order based on the matching tier, so 4 items in the 3 to 5 tier = $6 total).