Saving on shipping: the complete guide
There's nothing more wasteful than paying €3.95 in shipping because you're just €1.20 under the threshold. In this guide we show you how a smart filler gets you free shipping every time, and saves you hundreds of euros a year.
Why do you pay for shipping?
Shops process, pack and send every order. To discourage small, unprofitable orders, they use a threshold: order for less and you pay shipping; order for more and shipping is free. At Bol.com, for example, that line sits around €20.
The trick: top up your basket exactly
Just under the threshold? Then you don't need to buy an expensive extra product. Add a cheap filler, an item from around € 0.20 to a few euros, and you cross over exactly. You save the full shipping cost and end up with a handy little product.
Do the maths: a €1.50 filler that saves €3.95 in shipping nets you €2.45, and you keep a handy product on top.
How to do it, step by step
- Fill your basket as usual at your favourite shop.
- See how much you're still short of free shipping, or let our filler tool work it out for you.
- Pick a filler that closes the gap exactly from our cheap fillers.
- Check out with free shipping. Done!
Thresholds per shop
Every shop uses its own limit. We keep the current thresholds per shop up to date on the shop pages:
- Bol.com, free shipping from around €20 (on selected items).
- More shops to follow, we're connecting 10+ shops soon.
Watch out for these pitfalls
- Third-party sellers:on marketplaces, products from other sellers sometimes don't count towards the threshold.
- Delivery time:pick a filler that ships quickly so it doesn't delay your whole order.
- Returns:sending a filler back is often more hassle than it's worth, choose something you can actually use.
Frequently asked questions
How does filling a basket for free shipping work?
Many shops only charge shipping below a certain threshold. If you're just under it, you add a cheap item to get over it. The shipping costs (often €1.95 to €3.95) then disappear, while the filler costs just a few euros.
Is free shipping really free?
Yes, as long as you get above the shop's threshold and choose an item that qualifies for free shipping. Note: at some shops the thresholds only apply to their own range, not to third-party sellers.
What does a filler cost on average?
On Centjesartikel you'll find items from € 0.20 to about € 3. So you often pay less than the shipping costs you save.
Does this work at every shop?
At every shop with a free-shipping threshold. We start with Bol.com and are expanding to 10+ shops.