Defining Your Local Delivery Area with Postal Codes
2 min
Use local postal codes (zip codes) to define where you offer local delivery. You can add one or more complete postal codes, or enter one or more partial codes with an asterisk to define a larger area.
Tip:
Some countries have short and long versions of postal codes (e.g. 10118 and 10118-9998). When customers check out, the longer version is usually added automatically. To make sure your postal codes work with the longer version, we recommend adding an asterisk at the end of short postal codes you use to define an area (e.g. 10118*).
Let's look at a few examples.
In the US, each zip code covers a relatively large area. You may be able to define your delivery area by entering just one or a few zip codes. In the example below, the store owner delivers to all of the Lower East Side area in New York. To set up local delivery, she enters the 3 zip codes that cover that area, pressing Enter on her keyboard after each one.
In Canada, by contrast, each 6-character postal code covers a small area - sometimes a single building. A Toronto merchant wants to delivery only to the neighborhood surrounding his bakery shop. To do so, he enters a two partial postal codes with an asterisk after each one: M5B* and M5G*, pressing Enter after each one.
Another Toronto merchant wanted to set up local delivery for all of Toronto. Rather than entering over 100 different postal codes, she simply enters M*.
Check to see how postal code work in your country to figure out the best way to define your local region.
