Guide · Delivery charges
The CMA's delivery charges letter: what UK online shops need to change
In short
- If customers can't buy without paying for delivery, the price you show must include the cheapest delivery charge. That applies on product pages, in the basket and in ads, not only at checkout.
- You can still show the price without delivery, as long as the total with delivery is shown clearly alongside it.
- The CMA can now fine businesses directly, and it has already fined four for this kind of "drip pricing".
What the CMA said
On 2 November 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK's consumer regulator, published an open letter to online retailers, marketplaces, comparison sites and search engines. It was timed for the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas. The core message fits in one line:
"The first price consumers see should be the price they pay."
The letter reminds retailers that, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCC Act), any price given to a shopper must be the total price, including unavoidable delivery or collection fees. It asks retailers to review their websites, apps and adverts now, and points to the CMA's price transparency guidance (known as CMA209), especially chapter 4 and paragraphs 5.2 to 5.21 on delivery.
Mandatory or optional: which kind is your delivery?
What you need to show depends on whether customers can avoid the delivery charge.
| Your delivery is… | Example | What you need to show |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory: the customer can't buy without paying it | No free collection; every order pays at least £3.99 Royal Mail | The total including the minimum delivery charge, wherever a price appears: product pages, basket, order summary, checkout and adverts |
| Optional: the customer can choose not to pay it | Free click-and-collect, with paid home delivery as an extra | Clear information that the charge applies, without making people hunt through links, pop-ups or drop-down menus |
| Can't be worked out in advance | Heavy items priced by postcode | A clear note, next to the price, that a delivery charge will be added |
Most small Shopify shops are in the first row: there's no free collection, and every order pays postage.
What this looks like on a product page
Take a candle shop selling wax melts for £5.00, with UK delivery from £3.99.
Likely to be flagged
£5.00
Shipping calculated at checkout
Shows the total
£8.99
£5.00 + £3.99 UK delivery
The second version still shows the £5.00 item price, so customers can see what they're paying for, but nobody gets a surprise at checkout. The letter's own example is to display the price both with and without delivery.
When one delivery charge covers a whole basket, the CMA accepts that adding it to every product's price may not make sense. You still need to give the total including delivery, for example beside the item price, and the basket total must include the delivery charge too.
What the CMA says it's watching for
- Product prices shown without the mandatory delivery charge.
- Basket totals and order summaries that leave delivery out.
- Optional delivery costs tucked behind links, pop-outs or drop-downs.
- Delivery charges that only appear late in checkout.
"Free delivery over £40": is that still OK?
Yes. A free-delivery threshold is fine, but put the minimum spend right next to the "free delivery" claim, not somewhere further down the page. Below the threshold, the delivery charge is mandatory, so the rules above apply.
Why it's worth fixing now
Since April 2025 the CMA has been able to fine businesses directly for consumer law breaches, without going to court first. Fines can reach 10% of global turnover, or £300,000 if that's higher. It is using those powers: in April 2026 the AA was fined £4.2 million for leaving a £3 booking fee out of the price it advertised for driving lessons. According to the letter, the CMA has so far taken drip pricing action against four businesses, with fines of more than £5.1 million and over £1.35 million refunded to customers.
Small shops have been less of a target than big names so far, but the letter is addressed to all online retailers, and the rules don't depend on size. When we checked 21 small UK Shopify shops in November 2026, 20 showed prices and basket totals without the delivery charge. If that's you, it's a common problem, and usually a quick fix.
A five-minute checklist
- Open one of your product pages as a customer. Is the total with delivery shown near the price?
- Add an item to the basket. Does the total there include delivery?
- Check your adverts and social shop listings for prices without delivery.
- If you offer free delivery over a threshold, is the minimum spend right next to the claim?
- If delivery varies by address, is there a clear note by the price?
Check your shop for free
Fairtill looks at your Shopify shop the way a customer does and tells you, in about 30 seconds, whether delivery is missing from your prices, plus a few related checks. No sign-up.
Check my shop, freeSources
- CMA open letter to online retailers: including mandatory delivery fees in the total price, gov.uk, 2 November 2026
- CMA price transparency guidance (CMA209), gov.uk
- AA receives first financial penalty under the DMCC Act, CMS, April 2026
- Fairtill's own check of 21 small UK Shopify shops, November 2026
This guide explains the CMA's published position in plain English. It isn't legal advice. For advice on your business, speak to a qualified lawyer or see Trading Standards' Business Companion.