> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# New Customer Shipping Cost: First-Time Buyer Shipping Expenses

> Track total shipping costs for new customer orders. Understand first-time buyer fulfillment expenses to analyze acquisition profitability.

<Tip>
  Total shipping costs for orders placed by new (first-time) customers.
</Tip>

## Formula

<Info>
  **New Customer Shipping Cost** = **SUM** ( [**Shipping Cost**](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/shipping-cost) ) **WHERE** [customer\_type = new\_customer](/data-dictionary/measures-and-dimensions#visitor-dimensions)
</Info>

### Formula Components

| Metric                                                                                            | Definition                                                     |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [**Shipping Cost**](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/shipping-cost)                          | Total shipping expenses incurred to fulfill orders             |
| [**customer\_type = new\_customer**](/data-dictionary/measures-and-dimensions#visitor-dimensions) | Filters to customers placing their first order with your store |

| Metadata        |                                                                      |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Type**        | Currency                                                             |
| **Data Source** | [Shopify](/sources/shopify), [Upstack Costs](/sources/upstack-costs) |
| **Aggregation** | Sum                                                                  |

***

## Example

Your store spent **\$3,120** on shipping for new customers last month:

| Customer Type       | Shipping Cost | Orders    | Per Order  |
| ------------------- | ------------- | --------- | ---------- |
| New Customers       | \$3,120       | 416       | \$7.50     |
| Returning Customers | \$2,480       | 620       | \$4.00     |
| **Total**           | **\$5,600**   | **1,036** | **\$5.41** |

***

## How It Works

New Customer Shipping Cost sums shipping expenses from orders where the customer is making their first purchase. Shipping costs are applied based on rules you configure—flat rate, weight-based, zone-based, or carrier-calculated. Customer type is determined by whether they have prior orders in your Shopify history.

***

## When to Use

| Scenario                   | Action                                                               |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| New customer profitability | Calculate if first-time orders are profitable after shipping         |
| CAC payback analysis       | Include in total acquisition costs for payback calculation           |
| Free shipping impact       | Measure cost of free shipping promotions targeting new buyers        |
| Segment comparison         | Compare with returning customer shipping to identify efficiency gaps |

***

## Related Metrics

| Metric                                                                                                     | Relationship                               |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| [Shipping Cost](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/shipping-cost)                                       | Parent metric including all customer types |
| [Returning Customer Shipping Cost](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/returning-customer-shipping-cost) | Counterpart for repeat buyers              |
| [Shipping Cost Per Order](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/shipping-cost-per-order)                   | Average shipping cost across all orders    |
| [New Customer Handling Cost](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment/new-customer-handling-cost)             | Handling costs for new customers           |

[See all Fulfillment metrics →](/reference/metrics/orders/fulfillment)