To give free shipping on 3 or more items, add the condition Cart quantity Is at least 3 to a shipping discount and set the rates to Free. Shopify’s own free shipping discount has a minimum quantity too, but it counts every item in the cart and makes every eligible rate free. RM: Advanced Free Shipping can count only the items from one collection, make only Standard free, and combine the count with other conditions such as country or cart value. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days, with a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify.

What the customer gets

In this example the store sells $20 T-shirts. The rates are Standard $8.90 and Express $24.90.

  • 3 T-shirts ($60): the cart quantity is 3, so it qualifies. Standard and Express are both free. The customer pays $60.
  • 2 T-shirts ($40): the cart quantity is 2, so it doesn’t qualify. With Standard, the customer pays $40 + $8.90 = $48.90.
  • 2 of one T-shirt and 1 of another ($60): quantities add up across products, so this is 3 and it qualifies.

Set it up

  1. In the app, click Create Shipping Discount.
  2. Under Discount method, choose Automatic discount, and enter a Title customers will see, such as “Free shipping on 3+ items”.
  3. In Conditions, click Add condition. It starts with Cart total. Change it to Cart quantity.
  4. Set the operator to Is at least and enter 3.
  5. In Discount setup, set Delivery type to Shipping, Which rates to All shipping rates and Discount value to Free.
  6. Click Create discount.

The Which rates menu open in Discount setup, showing All shipping rates, Cheapest shipping rate and Choose specific rates, with Discount value Free

Variations

  • Count only items from one collection: use Item count from collection instead of Cart quantity. Set Is at least 3 and pick the collection, such as “T-shirts”. A cart with 2 T-shirts and a tote bag doesn’t qualify. If you pick several collections, they count as one combined group.
  • Free Standard, Express at full price: set Which rates to Choose specific rates and select Standard. 3 T-shirts with Express then cost $60 + $24.90 = $84.90.
  • Half-price shipping on 2, free on 3: create two discounts. One has Cart quantity Is at least 2 with Percentage 50 (Standard becomes $4.45). The other has Is at least 3 with Free. Shopify gives each rate the bigger saving.
  • 3 items or $75, whichever comes first: open the ⋯ menu on Conditions and choose Add rule group. Put Cart quantity Is at least 3 in group 1 and Cart total Is at least 75 in group 2. Either group passing gives free shipping.
  • 3 items, and only in the US: add Shipping country Is one of United States in the same rule group as the quantity.

Good to know

  • To leave gift cards and free gifts out of the count, use Item count from collection with a collection that doesn’t include them. Cart quantity counts every item, including gift cards, digital products and free Buy X Get Y items.
  • To target items by product tag, create a smart collection on the tag and use Item count from collection.
  • Shipping is discounted per rate, not per item. Once the cart qualifies, the whole rate is free, so everything else in the cart ships free too.
  • To check the edge cases, turn on Test mode, check out with the shipping first name ABC123, and try 2 items and then 3.

Install RM: Advanced Free Shipping from the Shopify App Store.