# Manage Shipping Methods and Zones

Over the next few pages, we will explore how to set up Zones and Shipping Methods in the Merchant Center using four scenarios that increase in complexity as we progress.

## Electronics Company

Electronics Company is, as its name suggests, an electronics retailer that sells a large variety of goods. The retailer operates its warehouses out of France and Sweden and needs to set up Shipping Methods in commercetools.

The French distribution center is responsible for what we will call the French Zone. In this Zone, the retailer will use a carrier named La Poste to ship goods at a fixed rate of 5 Euros per Order. Electronics Company also offers free shipping when the subtotal of a Cart is over 30 Euro. In cases where free shipping is applicable, we'll discount the Shipping Method to 0 Euros.

Let’s have a look at how we might approach this scenario.

To continue with the examples on this page, you'll need a Project setup with the following:

- France, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden added as countries.
- Euro (EUR) and Swedish Krona (SEK) added as currencies.
- A [Tax Category](/merchant-center/project-settings.md#add-a-tax-category) that contains a Tax Rate for France (FR).

To learn how to configure Project settings, see the [Projects](/merchant-center/organizations-teams-projects.md) documentation.

## Scenario 1: A single Zone and Shipping Method

Setting up this scenario in the Merchant Center is a two-step process. First, create a Zone for France. Then create a Shipping Method that uses that Zone.

### Add a Zone

Create a Zone named `France` that contains `France (FR)`.

To do this in the Merchant Center, go to **Settings > Project settings > International**, click **Add zone**, enter `France`, add `France (FR)` to **Country codes**, and click **Save**.

### Add a Shipping Method

Create a Shipping Method with the following values:

- **Shipping method name**: `La Poste Standard`
- **Tax category**: the Tax Category for France
- **Zone**: `France`
- **Rate**: 5.00 EUR
- **Free above**: 30.00 EUR

To do this in the Merchant Center, go to **Settings > Project settings > Shipping methods**, click **Add shipping method**, enter these values, and click **Create shipping method**.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a Zone and a Shipping Method which offers free shipping when the subtotal of a Cart reaches 30 Euro. With these in place, you can create an Order in the Merchant Center to test your configuration.

Before you create a test Order for this specific scenario, your Project needs the following:

- A Product with the status `Published`, which uses the Tax Category for France.
- A Customer with a shipping address located in France, for example:
  - **Street name**: 5 Av. Anatole France
  - **City**: Paris
  - **Postal Code**: 75007
  - **Country**: France
- Your Shipping Method must be **Active**. You can change this status in the Merchant Center.

To create an Order in the Merchant Center, click **Orders > Add Order**. You can then add an item to your Cart that costs less than 30.00 EUR, and then increase the quantity until the Cart value exceeds 30.00 EUR. This will allow you to see if you receive the correct shipping rates based on your configuration.

![Create an Order in the Merchant Center](https://docs.commercetools.com/learning-model-your-product-catalog/../images/shipping-methods/commercetools-shipping-order.png)

## Free shipping thresholds

You can offer free shipping through the **Free above** threshold on a rate or through Cart Discounts. Each approach has trade-offs.

For the strategic comparison, see [How shipping discounts work](/learning-price-and-discount-your-products/shipping-discounts/how-shipping-discounts-work.md) and [Select the best approach](/learning-price-and-discount-your-products/shipping-discounts/select-best-approach.md). For the reference definition of each mechanism, see [Shipping and Delivery Overview](/api/shipping-delivery-overview.md#free-shipping).

## Related pages

- [Area overview page with navigation](/learning-model-your-product-catalog.md)
- [Previous page: Data structure](/learning-model-your-product-catalog/shipping-methods/data-structure.md)
- [Next page: Multiple Zones and currencies](/learning-model-your-product-catalog/shipping-methods/multiple-zones-and-currencies.md)
- [Search documentation and API specs](/search.md)