Short answer. shipping states the shipping cost for a product to a country (and optionally a region and a service) as country:region:service:price, required for Shopping ads and free listings in 29 countries unless the account’s shipping settings cover the product. When the price sub-attribute is submitted, Google ignores the account shipping service settings for that location and product, so it is the exception mechanism, not the default.
| Attribute | shipping |
|---|---|
| Requirement | Required for Shopping ads and free listings in 29 countries when not covered by account-level shipping settings; optional otherwise. |
| Format |
|
Google’s rules for shipping
- Prefer account-level shipping settings for the catalogue; use the attribute for exceptions.
- A submitted price sub-attribute overrides account settings (including delivery times and minimum order value) for that location.
- Match what checkout actually charges.
Common mistakes, and the error each one becomes
- No shipping information anywhere for a target country. → Missing value [shipping]
- Costs that differ from checkout. → Missing shipping costs
Where the value comes from on a connected store
| Shopify | Not written per product; set shipping in Merchant Center or sync Shopify’s rates through the Google & YouTube channel. |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | Not written per product (shipping zones are rules, not one number); set a shipping policy in Merchant Center per country. |
The free feed check reads this attribute from any feed file and reports the defects above; every check is listed.
Questions merchants ask
Should I use the attribute or the account settings?
Account settings for almost every store: one policy, one place to change it. The attribute is for products with their own rates.
How do I state free shipping?
A price of 0 with the currency, e.g. DE:::0.00 EUR, or an account policy with zero cost. An absent value is not free shipping; it is missing information.
Which countries require shipping information?
Google’s shipping page lists 29, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and most of Europe.
Sources
- Shipping [shipping] — Google Merchant Center Help
- How to fix: Missing shipping costs — Google Merchant Center Help