The short answer
Compare the same item, quantity, destination, currency, and customer conditions. Keep item price, outbound shipping, delivery timing, and return costs separate. Preserve the policy source and exceptions. Unknown shipping is not free shipping, and a return window alone does not establish a free return.
An offer is more than its displayed price
A price comparison is incomplete when one offer has a known shipping charge and another says the charge will appear at checkout. Record the destination, quantity, membership conditions, and review date before comparing. Distinguish the known subtotal from a final payable total.
The worksheet uses a fictional single-item comparison in USD. It leaves tax and unrecorded charges unknown. It is an internal evidence record, not a feed accepted by a shopping provider or a live checkout quote.
Download the fictional comparison and blank record (JSON)USD 100 plus shipping can be clearer than USD 108
Seller A has an item price of USD 100 and outbound shipping of USD 12. Its known item-plus-shipping subtotal is USD 112. Seller B has an item price of USD 108, but outbound shipping is unknown. The cheaper delivered offer cannot yet be determined.
Do not rank Seller B first by treating its blank shipping field as zero. Both final payable totals remain unknown. Request the missing quote for the same destination and conditions, then compare the completed records.
| Field | Fictional seller A | Fictional seller B |
|---|---|---|
| Item price | USD 100 | USD 108 |
| Outbound shipping | USD 12 | Unknown |
| Known subtotal before tax | USD 112 | Unknown |
| Return window after delivery | 30 days | 14 days |
| Return condition | Unused, original packaging | Unopened |
| Return shipping | Customer pays; amount unknown | USD 8 merchant label |
| Restocking fee | Unknown | Unknown |
Separate handling, transit, and the calendar
Google’s shipping policy documentation represents handling and transit separately and can express business days and order cutoffs. Use those distinctions when collecting evidence. A transit range alone does not state when the order leaves the warehouse or arrives at the customer.
In the example, Seller A lists one to two handling business days and three to five transit business days. Do not turn that into a calendar arrival date without the applicable cutoff, processing calendar, holidays, and destination-specific service. Leave deliveryDate null until the evidence supports it.
Source: Google Search Central: Shipping policy structured data
Separate the return window from the cost and conditions
Google’s return policy vocabulary distinguishes return windows, methods, fees, accepted item conditions, and seasonal overrides. A thirty-day window and a free return are different assertions. Retain who pays for shipping, any known restocking charge, and when the window begins.
In the fictional comparison, Seller A allows thirty days but leaves the return shipping amount unknown. Seller B has a shorter window and a known label charge. That does not establish which policy is better for every buyer; the condition of the item and the buyer’s priorities still matter.
Source: Google Search Central: Merchant return policy structured data
Check which policy actually governs the offer
A site-wide policy, a product exception, and an account setting can disagree. Google documents precedence among its shipping configurations and among its return configurations; account settings can take precedence over page markup. Inspect the applicable configuration rather than assuming the JSON-LD on one page is the final answer.
For the internal record, retain the policy identifier, source location, revision, applicable products and regions, and checked time. Keep the evidence for an exception with the base policy it changes. If the intended terms and the destination disagree, hold the affected claim until the owner resolves it.
Source: Google Search Central: Shipping policy structured data; Google Search Central: Merchant return policy structured data
Give the next agent the unknowns as well as the totals
An agent preparing a recommendation should return the scoped comparison, the known components, and the specific facts preventing completion. Preserve null for unknown values and keep an explicit zero only when the source supports no charge. The blank record includes separate fields for outbound and return shipping so the two are not silently merged.
Recheck volatile charges and terms at the actual purchase step. A complete comparison supports a decision; it does not authorize an order or prove that a previous quote remains available.
Sources & scope
Primary references checked for this edition. The notes below distinguish source-backed facts from the frameworks and examples proposed in this guide.
- Google Search Central: Shipping policy structured data ↗
Documents shipping service representation and precedence. The worksheet is an original internal review format, not Google's schema.
Checked September 20, 2026 - Google Search Central: Merchant return policy structured data ↗
Documents return policy fields and precedence. The fictional seller comparison is not sourced merchant policy.
Checked September 20, 2026
AI-assisted research and drafting. Provider-specific claims link to primary sources. Frameworks are editorial proposals; worked examples are illustrative and are not employer performance results.
Editorial policy & corrections ↗Cite this guide
George Kelly. Shipping and return policy data for shopping agents iamgeorgekelly. Updated September 20, 2026. https://www.iamgeorgekelly.com/field-guide/shipping-returns-product-data
Keep the source notes and example labels with an excerpt. For a provider requirement, follow the original documentation in Sources & scope.