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Merchant Center issue

Fix missing shipping costs in Google Merchant Center

Google wants shoppers to see the full cost before they click, so every product needs a shipping cost for the country it targets. When Merchant Center finds none, it shows "Missing shipping costs" and the product stays out of the results. The fix usually lives in your account's shipping settings, not in your product data. This page walks through both routes.

Diego Nijboer · WISEPIMLast updated:

Short answer

Go to Products & store, then Shipping and returns, and add a shipping policy for every country you sell in, with delivery times and shipping costs. If some products need a different rate, add the shipping attribute to those products. Check shipping weight too when your rates depend on it. Changes can take 24 to 72 hours to show.

What this issue means

Merchant Center looks for a shipping cost in two places: the shipping policies in your account settings and the shipping attribute on the product itself. When neither gives a cost for the product's target country, the product gets this issue and won't show until you add one.

A few related issues point at the same area. Missing shipping sub-attribute means Google can't show an estimated delivery date: that needs max_transit_time, max_handling_time and price, although the shipping price can still be used without the handling and transit times. Missing shipping weight appears when your rates depend on weight, such as carrier-calculated rates, and a product has no shipping_weight. Inaccurate shipping costs means the cost in Merchant Center does not match checkout; if you can't give exact rates, Google allows a slight overestimate.

DetailValue
Issue in Merchant CenterMissing shipping costs
Attributeshipping [shipping]
EffectProducts without a shipping cost won't show until you add one in your shipping settings or product data.
CheckedAgainst Google Merchant Center Help on 11 October 2026

Common causes

  • Your account has no shipping policy at all, for example in a new Merchant Center account.
  • A shipping policy exists, but not for the country the product targets.
  • The policy covers only some products, and the flagged ones fall outside it.
  • The product has no shipping attribute to fill the gap.
  • Rates are weight-based or carrier-calculated and the product has no shipping weight.

How to fix it, step by step

Google offers two routes. Account shipping settings cover most products at once and are the place to start. The product-level shipping attribute is for products that need a different cost.

  1. In Merchant Center, open Products and the Needs attention tab, and filter on this issue to see which products and countries are affected.
  2. Go to Products & store, then Shipping and returns, and open the Shipping policies tab.
  3. Choose Add shipping policy. If asked, pick Shipping for online products.
  4. Select the countries you sell in, then set which products the policy covers, the delivery times and the shipping costs, and save.
  5. If your rates depend on weight or size, check that the affected products have a shipping weight and, where needed, length, width and height.
  6. For products that need their own cost, download the affected products as a CSV file, add the shipping attribute with the right price and country, and upload it with your usual method.
  7. Check Needs attention again later. Policy changes and re-uploads can take 24 to 72 hours to show.

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How to prevent it

  • Set up account shipping settings first, then override them only for specific products with the shipping attribute.
  • Add a shipping policy before you start targeting a new country.
  • Keep shipping weight on every product if any of your rates are weight-based.
  • Compare the costs in Merchant Center with your checkout whenever your carrier or rates change.

How WISEPIM helps

WISEPIM does not manage Merchant Center shipping settings, so the shipping policy itself is set up in Merchant Center under Shipping and returns. The Merchant Center connection sends shipping weight with each product, which helps when your rates depend on weight, but it does not send shipping rates.

If you keep product-level shipping data in WISEPIM, the Google channel in Feed Hub can map it to the shipping and shipping_weight fields of your feed.

Sources

Vendor documentation we read for this guide, as of October 2026. Features and names change, so check the current documentation before you decide.

Frequently asked questions

No. A shipping policy in your account settings covers all the products it applies to. Use the product-level shipping attribute only for products that need a different cost.

Google allows a slight overestimate when exact rates aren't available. The cost should not be lower than what shoppers pay at checkout, or you can get an Inaccurate shipping costs issue.

Changes to your shipping policies and re-uploaded product data can take 24 to 72 hours to show on the Needs attention tab.

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