# Free shipping threshold: how to set it with Bulgarian couriers Free shipping that pays for itself: how to calculate the threshold from your margin, what Econt, Speedy and BOX NOW charge per parcel, and how to set it. Source: https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/free-shipping-threshold-couriers · CloudCart · 2026-11-06 In short: a free shipping threshold pays when profit from bigger baskets and new orders covers the shipping you now pay. Each shopper who tops up to the threshold must add at least shipping cost ÷ margin: €11.23 for a €4.49 parcel at 40% margin. Orders already above the threshold cost you most. This guide is for stores selling in Bulgaria, including foreign founders and EU sellers shipping from a Bulgarian warehouse: the threshold math with real numbers, public prices of Econt, Speedy and BOX NOW (Bulgaria's largest delivery networks), address vs office vs locker, and when fulfilment pays off. Settings are as they work in CloudCart, the Bulgarian ecommerce platform. ## Why free shipping sells The delivery price is the most common reason a shopper stops at the last step. According to [Baymard Institute](https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate), 40% of US shoppers who abandoned a cart (leaving out those who were only browsing) name extra costs that were too high: shipping, taxes and fees. Another 20% name slow delivery. Free shipping brings two gains, measured separately: a higher conversion rate and a bigger average order. The cost is the shipping on every order above the threshold, including orders that would have come anyway. In Bulgaria, many shoppers pay cash on delivery (COD), and the courier charges a COD fee on top of the parcel price, so one free delivery line can hide two costs. ## How to calculate a free shipping threshold You need three numbers: average order value (AOV), your contract price per parcel and your margin. Margin here is gross profit as a share of the selling price (price minus cost, divided by price); the difference from markup is explained in the article on [pricing and margin for an online store](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/pricing-margin-online-store). The minimum amount a shopper must add is shipping cost ÷ margin. - Take your 90-day average order, on the Average Order Value card in Analytics . - See how your orders are spread by value. The Sales distribution card in Analytics shows the share of orders in each value range (the ranges adjust to your AOV, so the shares are approximate). For each threshold you consider, note the orders above it and the orders up to about €15 below it. - Take the cost of a typical parcel: your contract price for the most common weight and channel, plus the COD fee, packaging and label. - Work out the minimum amount added. Shipping €4.49 ÷ margin 0.40 = €11.23. Adding less loses money, even past the threshold. - Work out the cost of orders already above the threshold: their number × the shipping cost. - Work out how many new orders you need. The gap between that cost and the profit on added items, divided by the profit on one average order, is the order growth you need to break even. ### Example: three thresholds for one store The example is calculated, not from a real store. The store has 1,000 orders a month, an AOV of €42 and a 40% margin. A parcel costs €4.49 (Econt's public rate for a 1 to 2 kg parcel between offices, in force from 1 October 2026), and until now the shopper pays it. We assume 30% of shoppers within €15 below the threshold add €10 on average to reach it. | Threshold | Orders above it | Cost of their shipping | Shoppers who add items | Profit on added items minus their shipping | Net before new orders | New orders needed | | €40 | 450 | €2,020.50 | 75 of 250 | €300.00 − €336.75 | −€2,057.25 | 168 (+16.8%) | | €50 | 250 | €1,122.50 | 60 of 200 | €240.00 − €269.40 | −€1,151.90 | 69 (+6.9%) | | €60 | 120 | €538.80 | 39 of 130 | €156.00 − €175.11 | −€557.91 | 34 (+3.4%) | New orders (€42) bring €16.80 profit each; with a €40 threshold you also pay their shipping, so each brings €12.31. A threshold below your average order is the most expensive, because you pay delivery on almost half of all orders. The table assumes the same 30% add items at every level, while in practice fewer do when the threshold is too high. A quick first test value is AOV plus the minimum amount added: €42 + €11.23 ≈ €53, rounded to €55. Important: the €10 added in the example is below the €11.23 minimum. That is why the profit on added items does not cover these shoppers' delivery. Suggest products with a higher margin, or worth at least €12 to €15, near the threshold. ## How much a parcel costs with Econt, Speedy and BOX NOW A small parcel (1 to 3 kg) within Bulgaria costs €1.52 to €7.98 at the public prices of the three big networks, depending on the channel (VAT included, from the couriers' websites). Online stores get individual contract prices, so use yours in the calculation. | Courier and service | To an office or office to office | To a parcel locker | To an address | Source | | Econt, parcel 1 to 2 kg | €4.49 | €4.49 minus 10% for an Econtomat locker | €6.70 from an office, €7.98 door to door | Econt tariff (in Bulgarian), in force from 1 October 2026 | | Speedy, Standard 24 hours, up to 3 kg | €2.69 office to office | €1.52 from an office or locker to a locker (promotion until 1 January 2027) | €2.69 + €2.59 surcharge = €5.28 | Speedy's service page (in Bulgarian) | | BOX NOW | no offices | €2.04 address to locker (with a contract), €1.53 to €4.08 locker to locker by compartment size | no home delivery | BOX NOW price list (in Bulgarian) | The COD fee belongs in the parcel cost too. Econt charges 1.65% of the amount when paid out to your bank account and 3.30% in cash. BOX NOW charges 1.2%, minimum €0.31, and since lockers take no cash, the shopper pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. On a €50 COD order paid to your account, that is €0.83 more to Econt. The full COD math is in [cash on delivery or card payments](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/cash-on-delivery-vs-card-payments). > CloudCart Pay 0% transaction fee through Dec 31, 2026 Every order paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay instead of cash on delivery removes the COD fee from the shipping you cover above the threshold. How CloudCart Pay works → ## Locker or address: which channel should get free shipping? Locker and office delivery cost you less than address delivery, so they can have different thresholds. On Econt's public tariff, a 1 to 2 kg parcel costs €7.98 door to door and €4.49 between offices: €3.49 more per parcel. A practical model: free shipping to an office or locker above a lower threshold (for example €50) and to an address above a higher one (for example €80). Lockers have limits: a BOX NOW parcel can weigh up to 20 kg and must fit a compartment of up to 36 × 45 × 60 cm, an Econtomat cell takes up to 61 × 44 × 37 cm, and in a CloudCart checkout a locker is offered only when the cart fits into it. Furniture and large appliances stay with office or address delivery. | Channel | Cost to you | Convenience for the shopper | When to cover the shipping | | Parcel locker (Econtomat, Speedy locker, BOX NOW, Sameday easybox) | Lowest | Collects any time, with a code | Above the lower threshold; small and medium parcels | | Courier office | Low | During opening hours, can inspect the parcel | Above the lower threshold | | Address | Highest | To the door | Above the higher threshold, or only for VIP customers | ## Which couriers work with CloudCart and how they differ For Bulgaria, CloudCart has built-in integrations with Econt, DPD Bulgaria (Speedy is part of DPD), BOX NOW, Sameday, Pigeon Express and Next Level. For the threshold, what matters is how each one prices delivery. | Courier | Channels | Price in the cart | Free shipping above an amount inside the courier settings | | Econt | address, office, Econtomat | Econt's calculator or your own fixed rates by order value, weight or both | yes, separately for each channel | | DPD Bulgaria (Speedy) | address, office, locker | DPD's calculator, calculator plus a handling fee, or fixed rates | yes, separately for each channel | | Sameday | address, office, easybox | Sameday's calculator, calculator plus a fee, or fixed rates | yes, separately for each channel | | BOX NOW | locker only | fixed rates only, by order value, weight or both (no calculator) | with a €0 row in the rate table by order value | The calculator shows the courier's exact price; with Fallback price on, the shopper still sees a price when the courier returns none. Fixed rates are easier to advertise ("delivery €3.90 to an office"). For products without a weight, DPD Bulgaria and BOX NOW use a default weight (0.1 kg), so fill in the weight of every product, or the calculator shows a lower price than the real one. Connecting a courier and printing labels is covered in [shipping labels from the admin](https://cloudcart.com/en/blog/shipping-couriers). > Shipping Econt, Speedy and DHL on every plan from Baby Pack Rates by weight or order value, offices and lockers in the checkout and COD payout sync are built in, with no paid app on top. Couriers in CloudCart → ## How to set up free shipping in CloudCart CloudCart has four ways to set up free shipping, depending on whether the threshold is shared by all couriers or set per channel. There is no single store-wide switch, so pick from the table. | Method | Where in the admin | When to choose it | | "Free shipping" discount | Marketing → Discounts → + Add discount → Global discount, type Free shipping, target Orders over | One threshold for all couriers; optionally a customer group or period | | Threshold in the courier settings | Apps → Econt, DPD Bulgaria or Sameday → Settings → channel card, type "calculator + free shipping" and its minimum order value | A different threshold for address and for office or locker | | Fixed rates by order value with a €0 row | The channel card (or your own "By price" method), rows from / to / price | Steps: €4.90 up to €30, €2.90 up to €50, €0 above €50; the only way with BOX NOW | | Cart Rules with a "Free shipping" action | Apps → Cart Rules | Conditions on cart contents or customer history | - Choose the threshold from your calculation, separately for office and locker and for address. - Set it where it is simplest: one threshold in the discount, two thresholds in the courier channel cards. - Check the edge case. A €50 threshold includes a cart of exactly €50.00, and the amount is counted after order-level discounts: a €60 cart with €15 off is €45 and does not qualify. - Show how much is left. Bump Cart with the Free shipping goal shows the gap in the cart and suggests products to close it. The goal works with a Free shipping discount, so create the discount first: without one, Bump Cart warns you that there is nothing to link to. - Put the threshold where shoppers see it: the bar above the menu, your delivery terms page and the product page. - Measure for 4 weeks: conversion rate, AOV, orders and courier spend against the previous 4 weeks. Important: only one free shipping discount works in a cart. The discount clears the whole shipping line, including the COD fee and the courier's surcharges for bulky parcels when they are part of the courier's price. When an order has free shipping, "recipient pays" is not offered on the shipping label. All discount types and codes are on the [promotions and discounts](https://cloudcart.com/en/discounts) page, and the number of global discounts per plan is on the [pricing page](https://cloudcart.com/en/pricing) (3 on Baby Pack, 5 on Starter Pack, unlimited on CC Pro and CC Master). ### Free shipping as a time-limited promotion Free shipping can be temporary: for Black Friday, a first order or one customer group. A free shipping promo code can be limited to a geo zone, for example Bulgaria only, so orders to Romania or other EU countries keep their own rate. A dated discount ends at midnight on its end date. ## Which courier is cheapest for an online store? The cheapest courier is the one with the lowest contract price for your typical weight and your customers' favourite channel. Decide with five questions. - What is your typical weight and size? Lockers take up to 20 kg within the compartment sizes above, and Speedy's promotional locker price stops at 3 kg. Heavy and bulky parcels go to an office, an address or on a pallet (Econt has pallets in the integration). - Where are your customers? Compare the network of offices and lockers in the towns where you sell most, and check how each courier prices delivery to smaller villages. The other Bulgarian delivery networks are compared in couriers in Bulgaria , and locker delivery in detail in BOX NOW Bulgaria . - How many orders are COD? With a high share, the COD fee in the contract weighs as much as delivery. - How fast does the COD money reach you? The payout schedule is in the contract. CloudCart marks the order as paid when Econt or DPD reports the COD as paid out (the number of syncs depends on your plan: 25, 50, 500 and 1,000, as listed on the pricing page). - Do you offer at least two couriers? Two reach more people and give you two contracts to compare. ## What fulfilment is and when it pays off Fulfilment means an outside logistics company (a 3PL) stores your stock in its fulfilment centre, picks and packs each order and hands it to the courier. You pay for storage and per order, with no warehouse or packing staff of your own. It pays off when packing takes more time than selling, when peak season does not fit your storeroom, or when you sell in Romania and want stock close to customers. With few orders, packing yourself is usually cheaper: compare a 3PL's price per order with the hours and space you pay for now. In CloudCart, fulfilment is the Frisbo app (a Romanian 3PL; you need a contract with Frisbo). Orders go to Frisbo manually or automatically (on a new or a paid order). Stock levels do not sync back to CloudCart automatically, and Frisbo's fees are in its own portal. Other warehouse options, Pick & Pack terminals and ERP systems are on the [inventory, fulfilment and ERP](https://cloudcart.com/en/inventory) page. > 0% commission Your threshold math has no platform percentage in it CloudCart takes no percentage of your sales: the calculation needs only your margin, your courier and your plan. An ecommerce platform with no sales commission → ## Mistakes that eat your margin - A threshold below your AOV: you pay delivery on half your orders. - Public prices in the math: your contract, the COD fee and bulky surcharges change the result. - Products without weight: the calculator quotes less, and you pay the difference. - One threshold for address and locker: with free shipping, shoppers pick the most expensive channel. - Cheap add-ons near the threshold: anything below shipping ÷ margin is a loss. - No measurement: without a 4-week comparison you cannot tell if new orders covered the shipping. > New store €1/month for the first 3 months Test your threshold with real orders: couriers, discounts and Analytics are in the plan from day one. For new stores on every plan through Dec 31, 2026. Create a store for €1 → If the threshold does not pay off, raise the order value with cart suggestions first. Questions about the setup: support@cloudcart.com. ## Frequently asked questions **What should my free shipping threshold be?** A good starting value is your average order plus the shipping cost divided by your margin: with an AOV of €42, shipping at €4.49 and a 40% margin, that is €42 + €11.23 ≈ €53. Then test it for 4 weeks. **Which courier is cheapest for an online store in Bulgaria?** The one with the lowest contract price for your typical weight and the channel your customers choose. At public prices, lockers are cheapest: €1.52 with Speedy (a promotion until 1 January 2027) and €2.04 address to locker with BOX NOW. **Parcel locker or home delivery: which is better for free shipping?** For small parcels, the locker: it is cheaper for you, and the shopper collects any time with a code. With Econt a 1 to 2 kg parcel costs €7.98 door to door and €4.49 between offices, so offer free shipping to lockers and offices above a lower threshold and to an address above a higher one. **Does free shipping also cover the cash on delivery fee?** Yes. The Free shipping discount clears the whole shipping line, including the courier's COD fee when it is part of the courier's price. Under Econt's tariff it is 1.65% of the amount when paid out to your bank account. **Can I offer free shipping only to an office or a parcel locker?** Yes. With Econt, DPD Bulgaria (Speedy) and Sameday, each channel (address, office, locker) has its own price card and, with the "calculator + free shipping" type, its own threshold. With BOX NOW you add a row priced at €0 above the threshold in the fixed rates by order value. **How do I give free shipping only to VIP customers?** Create a global discount of the Free shipping type and limit it to the VIP customer group. It applies only to logged-in customers from that group; guests and other groups pay your normal rates. **How much will free shipping cost me per month?** Orders above the threshold × your parcel price, plus the shipping of shoppers who cross it, minus the profit on added items. In the example (1,000 orders, AOV €42, 40% margin, €4.49 parcel), a €50 threshold costs €1,151.90 before new orders and pays for itself at 69 new orders a month.