How To Remove Shipping From Woocommerce

How to Remove Shipping from WooCommerce: A Simple Guide for Beginners

So, you’re setting up your online store with WooCommerce, but you don’t want to deal with shipping costs. Maybe you’re selling digital products like ebooks or online courses, or perhaps you’re offering local pickup only. Whatever the reason, removing shipping from WooCommerce is a common task. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think! This guide will walk you through several methods, explaining why and when to use each one.

Why Remove Shipping?

Think about it: your customer wants to buy your amazing ebook. They add it to their cart, and then they’re faced with a shipping cost. It’s confusing and immediately creates a barrier! Removing unnecessary shipping fees creates a smoother and more professional customer experience.

Real-Life Scenario:

Let’s say you run a graphic design studio. You offer services like logo design and website development. You don’t ship anything; it’s all digital. Showing a shipping field at checkout would not only be confusing but could also make your business seem unprofessional.

Important: Before you begin, remember to back up your website! It’s always a good practice before making any changes to your WordPress site.

Method 1: Setting Virtual and Downloadable Products

This is the easiest and most direct method if you’re selling virtual or downloadable products.

* How it Works: WooCommerce automatically disables shipping for virtual and downloadable products.

* When to Use It: Perfect for ebooks, software, online courses, stock photos, audio files, and anything else that doesn’t require physical delivery.

* Steps:

1. Go to Products > Add New (or edit an existing product).

2. In the Product data meta box, find the General tab.

3. Check the “Virtual” checkbox. This tells WooCommerce that the product doesn’t require shipping.

4. If the product is also downloadable, check the “Downloadable” checkbox.

5. Configure download options, such as file path and download limit (if applicable).

6. Save/Update the product.

That’s it! WooCommerce will now hide shipping options for that specific product.

Method 2: Using a Flat Rate of Zero

This method is useful if you want to display the shipping options but set the cost to zero. This can be helpful if you want to display a “Free Shipping” message.

* How it Works: We configure a shipping zone and set a flat rate shipping method with a cost of $0.00.

* When to Use It: You want to show “Free Shipping” or if you want to apply this globally to all products.

* Steps:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.

2. Click on “Add shipping zone” or edit an existing zone.

3. Enter a Zone name (e.g., “Everywhere”). Select the Zone regions this zone applies to.

4. Click “Add shipping method”.

5. Choose “Flat Rate” and click “Add shipping method”.

6. Click on the Flat Rate method you just added.

7. Set the “Cost” to `0.00`.

8. Save Changes.

This will display the flat rate shipping option but with a price of $0.00.

Method 3: Hiding the Shipping Field with Code (Advanced)

This method involves adding code to your website to completely hide the shipping address fields on the checkout page. This is a more advanced option and should only be used if you’re comfortable editing your theme’s files or using a code snippets plugin.

* How it Works: We add a code snippet that removes the shipping address fields based on specific conditions (e.g., only when purchasing virtual products).

* When to Use It: You need more control over when shipping fields are displayed and when they’re hidden. For example, you might want to hide them *only* when all items in the cart are virtual.

* Steps:

1. Option 1: Using a Code Snippets Plugin: Install and activate a plugin like “Code Snippets.”

2. Option 2: Editing `functions.php` (Not Recommended for Beginners): Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor and open your theme’s `functions.php` file. Warning: Directly editing your theme’s `functions.php` file can break your site. Use a code snippets plugin whenever possible.

3. Add the following code:

add_filter( 'woocommerce_cart_needs_shipping_address', 'disable_shipping_for_virtual' );

function disable_shipping_for_virtual( $needs_shipping ) {

global $woocommerce;

$needs_shipping = false;

foreach ( $woocommerce->cart->get_cart() as $cart_item_key => $cart_item ) {

$product = wc_get_product( $cart_item[‘product_id’] );

if ( ! $product->is_virtual() ) {

$needs_shipping = true;

break;

}

}

return $needs_shipping;

}

4. Save the changes (or activate the code snippet).

Explanation of the Code:

• `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_cart_needs_shipping_address’, ‘disable_shipping_for_virtual’ );`: This line tells WordPress to use our custom function (`disable_shipping_for_virtual`) whenever WooCommerce needs to determine if a shipping address is required.
• `function disable_shipping_for_virtual( $needs_shipping ) { … }`: This is our custom function.
• `global $woocommerce;`: This line makes the global `$woocommerce` object available within our function.
• `$needs_shipping = false;`: We initially assume that shipping is *not* needed.
• `foreach ( $woocommerce->cart->get_cart() as $cart_item_key => $cart_item ) { … }`: This loop goes through each item in the customer’s shopping cart.
• `$product = wc_get_product( $cart_item[‘product_id’] );`: For each item, we get the `WC_Product` object.
• `if ( ! $product->is_virtual() ) { … }`: This checks if the current product is *not* virtual. If it’s *not* virtual, it means we *do* need shipping.
• `$needs_shipping = true; break;`: If we find a product that’s *not* virtual, we set `$needs_shipping` to `true` and exit the loop because at least *one* item requires shipping.
• `return $needs_shipping;`: Finally, we return the `$needs_shipping` value.

Important Considerations:

• Testing: After implementing any of these methods, thoroughly test the checkout process to ensure shipping options are removed correctly and that orders can be placed without issues.
• Shipping Zones: If you sell a mix of physical and digital products, carefully configure your shipping zones to avoid conflicts. You can use different shipping zones based on customer location.
• Plugins: There are also WooCommerce plugins specifically designed to hide shipping or customize the checkout process. Consider exploring those if you need more advanced features.

By using these methods, you can effectively remove shipping from your WooCommerce store, providing a cleaner and more user-friendly experience for your customers. Good luck!