The platform has no geographic zones and no rates by postcode. Each "zone" is simply another shipping method with a regional name, and the buyer picks it by hand at checkout. Free shipping, on the other hand, does have a mechanism of its own: it is granted from a discount or a coupon.
Step by step
To build zones:
- Go to the shipping methods screen (on the new store, EDIT STORE → Content → Payments & shipping; on the classic store, Configuration → Payments and Shipping).
- Create one shipping method for each region you want to price differently: CABA, GBA, Interior, Warehouse pickup, Overseas.
- Enter the surcharge for each one in $ or in %.
- In each one's Notes, spell out which localities it covers, the dispatch time and the terms.
- Save.
To grant free shipping:
- In the side menu, go to Discounts and create a new discount.
- In the What kind of discount? step, choose Shipping discount ("Free or discounted shipping").
- For the value, enter 100. The field help says so: "100 = free shipping. Any other value applies a partial discount."
- Define the condition that triggers it (a minimum purchase amount, for example) and who it applies to.
- Save and activate it.
The three routes to free shipping
Shipping discount (Discounts). This is the main and most flexible route: you can make free shipping conditional on a minimum amount, a price list, certain customers, a date range or a payment method. At 100 the shipping cost drops to zero; at a lower value you apply a partial discount on the shipping cost.
Free shipping coupon. Under Marketing → Coupons, when you create a coupon you choose the Discount type and Free Shipping is one of them. The buyer applies it at checkout and the shipping cost drops to zero. Good for one-off campaigns or as an incentive inside an Auto-seller email.
Volume discount tiers. Under Configuration → Sale Conditions, the tier table has a Free Shipping column with a toggle per tier. This is the mechanism that predates the discount engine: if your business already uses Discounts, that table does not appear and everything is resolved from there.
The free shipping rule
Free shipping is granted only from a discount or a coupon. It is not a property of the shipping method.
And with that comes a concrete warning: putting -100% in the shipping method surcharge does not give free shipping. The shipping method surcharge is calculated on the order total, not on a separate freight cost. A -100% does not cancel the shipping: it cancels the whole order, leaving the total at zero.
If what you want is a shipping method that costs nothing, leave it at $0, which is how it starts. Discounts and coupons are for conditional free shipping, the kind that only kicks in once the buyer meets a requirement.
What does not exist
- Automatic geolocation. The platform does not detect where the buyer is, does not filter zones by postcode and does not block zones based on location.
- Cross-checking against the address. If the buyer picks "CABA" and their delivery address is in the interior, nothing catches it. Sorting that out is on you.
- Rates by distance, weight or exact destination. Each zone is a fixed surcharge in $ or in %.
If you cannot find it
- You do not see the "Free Shipping" column in the discount tiers: your business uses the Discounts engine, and that table was replaced. Build free shipping from Discounts with the Shipping discount effect.
- You do not see "Discounts" in the menu: the engine is not active on your business, or you are a sales rep (sales reps never see that section). Write to support.
- You do not see "Sale Conditions": you have the new store; that screen belongs to the classic store.
Tips
- Name zones unambiguously (CABA, GBA Norte, GBA Sur, Interior, Patagonia, Overseas). The clearer the name, the fewer selection mistakes.
- Use the Notes to say which localities each zone includes and how quickly it ships. That is the information that prevents the most complaints.
- Combine zones with a shipping discount on a minimum amount: you charge freight by region and waive it once the order clears the threshold. It is the most direct incentive towards bigger orders.
- If a zone was picked wrongly on an order, edit the order from its detail: changing the shipping method recalculates the total.
- For the detail of how each method is set up, see Shipping methods. For coupons, see Coupons.