# Cheap shipping on sample orders in Shopify

To charge $2 shipping on sample orders, put your samples in a collection, add the condition **Product collection Contains (only)** Samples, and set the rate to **Fixed Price** 2. **Contains (only)** means every product in the cart must be from the collection, so a cart with a full-size product pays your normal rates. Shopify's own [free shipping discount](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-types/free-shipping) has no product or collection conditions and can only make shipping free, not set a price. [RM: Advanced Free Shipping](https://apps.shopify.com/better-free-shipping) checks what's in the cart at checkout and discounts the rates you already have. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days, with a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify.

## What the customer gets

In this example, sample sachets cost $3 each and sit in a collection called Samples. The store's rates are Standard $8.90 and Express $24.90.

- **Three sachets ($9):** every item is a sample, so the cart qualifies. Standard drops from $8.90 to $2. The customer pays $9 + $2 = $11.
- **Two sachets and a $38 serum ($44):** the serum isn't in Samples, so the cart doesn't qualify. With Standard, the customer pays $44 + $8.90 = $52.90.
- **A sample order with a $1.50 letter rate:** the rate already costs less than $2, so it stays at $1.50. Fixed Price never raises a rate.

![Example checkout for three $3 sample sachets: Standard drops from $8.90 to $2.00, labeled Sample orders ship for $2, while Express stays $24.90. Total USD $11.00](/images/checkout-samples9.png)

## Set it up

1. In Shopify admin, create a collection called Samples and add your sample products. If your samples share a product tag, make it a smart collection based on that tag.
2. In the app, click **Create Shipping Discount**.
3. Under **Discount method**, choose **Automatic discount**. New discounts start on **Discount code**, and the method can't be changed later. Enter a **Title** such as "$2 sample shipping". Customers see it at checkout.
4. In **Conditions**, click **Add condition**. Change **Cart total** to **Product collection** and set the operator to **Contains (only)**.
5. Search for Samples, or click **Browse**, and select it.
6. In **Discount setup**, set **Delivery type** to **Shipping** and **Which rates** to **Cheapest shipping rate**.
7. Set **Discount value** to **Fixed Price** and enter `2`.
8. Click **Create discount**.

With **Cheapest shipping rate**, only the lowest-priced rate becomes $2. Express stays $24.90, so a sample order can still upgrade at full price.

![Discount setup with Delivery type Shipping and the Which rates menu open, showing All shipping rates (ticked), Cheapest shipping rate and Choose specific rates, with Discount value Free below](/images/which-rates.png)

## Choose the right operator

- **Contains (only):** every product in the cart is from the collection. Use this for sample-only orders.
- **Contains (any):** at least one product from the collection is in the cart. A sample plus a full-size product would qualify, which isn't what you want here.
- **Does not contain:** nothing from the collection is in the cart.

## Variations

- **Free shipping on samples:** set **Discount value** to **Free**. Three sachets cost $9 in total.
- **Pick samples by product instead of collection:** use **Product in cart** with **Contains (any / strict mode)** and select the sample products. It works the same way: at least one selected product, and nothing else.
- **Cap the number of samples:** add **Cart quantity Is at most 5** in the same rule group. A cart of six sachets pays the normal rate.
- **$2 on your Standard rate by name:** set **Which rates** to **Choose specific rates** and select Standard, instead of using the cheapest rate.
- **Free shipping on everything else over $100:** create a second discount with **Cart total Is at least 100** and **Free**. If a large sample order qualifies for both, Shopify gives the customer the one that saves the most, so it ships free.

![A Product in cart condition with its operator menu open, showing Contains, Does not contain, Contains (all) and Contains (any / strict mode), above a Cart total condition](/images/product-operator.png)

## Good to know

- **To allow add-ons on a sample order,** add shipping protection, gift wrap or free-gift products to the Samples collection, or select their collection in the same condition. **Contains (only)** counts every line in the cart. Several collections in one condition are treated as one combined group.
- **To make the cheapest rate work,** remove any $0 [shipping rate](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-rates) from **Settings → Shipping and delivery**. A $0 rate counts as the cheapest, and nothing else gets discounted.
- **To charge in other currencies,** do nothing. The $2 converts automatically at Shopify's exchange rate.
- **To test it,** turn on **Test mode** and check out with the shipping first name `ABC123`, once with only samples and once with a full-size product added.

## Related

- [Free shipping on specific products](/guides/free-shipping-on-specific-products.md)
- [Free shipping on a collection](/guides/free-shipping-on-a-collection.md)
- [Flat rate shipping over an amount](/guides/flat-rate-shipping-over-amount.md)
- [Shipping discount types](/shipping-discount-types.md)

[Install RM: Advanced Free Shipping from the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/better-free-shipping).