Articles on: Shipping

Shipping: Preparation Time

Control which shipping dates appear in the calendar widget. Preparation time hides dates that don't meet your lead time requirements, ensuring customers can only select available shipping times.



Table of Contents




What Preparation Time Does


What this feature does:

  • Hides shipping dates that are too soon (e.g., today's date hidden if 1-day lead time requires tomorrow minimum)
  • Blocks entire dates when same-day shipping is disabled (1-day lead time, date grayed out/blocked)
  • Supports same-day, next-day, or custom lead times
  • Optional cut-off time for different lead times before/after deadline
  • Can be customized by day of the week


What this feature does NOT do:

  • Does not block specific dates (use Blockout Dates instead)
  • Does not set operating hours or time slots (use Configure Availability instead)
  • Does not control shipping rates or pricing (configured separately)



Prerequisites


Before configuring preparation time, ensure:


  1. Shipping is enabled in Bird Settings
  2. Manage Shipping Calendar is enabled in Bird Settings
  3. Availability schedule is configured (operating hours and time slots if using Date & Time selection)



Step-by-Step Configuration


Step 1: Access Preparation Time Settings


  1. Go to Bird Settings > Shipping
  2. Scroll to Preparation Times section


Shows Preparation Time Settings in Shipping section



Step 2: Enable Preparation Time


  1. Toggle Enable Preparation Time to Enabled
  2. If disabled, all available dates from your availability schedule will appear in the widget



Step 3: Choose Preparation Time Configuration


Select how you want to configure preparation time:


Option A: Same Preparation Time for All Days


  1. Select Same Preparation Time for All Days
  2. Configure a single lead time that applies to all days


Option B: Customize Preparation Time by Day


  1. Select Customize Preparation Time by Day
  2. Set different lead times for specific days
  3. Important: Configure preparation times for all 7 days when using this option


Shows preparation time configuration type selection



Step 4: Configure Lead Time


  1. Find the Lead Time input box
  2. Enter the lead time value
  3. Select the unit: Days, Hours, or Minutes
  4. Important: Choose the appropriate unit based on your needs (see Choosing the Right Time Unit below)
  5. Click Save


Example: With 4-hour lead time, if a customer views the widget at 10:00 AM:

  • Dates/times before 2:00 PM are hidden
  • Dates/times at 2:00 PM and later are available


Shows lead time configuration fields



Step 5: Configure Cut-Off Time (Optional)


Cut-off time is optional. Skip this step if you only need a single lead time.


  1. Find the Cut-off Time dropdown
  2. Select your daily cut-off time (e.g., 6:00 PM)
  3. Enter Lead Time Before Cut-off Time (e.g., 1 day)
  4. Select the unit: Days, Hours, or Minutes
  5. Enter Lead Time After Cut-off Time (e.g., 2 days)
  6. Select the unit: Days, Hours, or Minutes
  7. Important: Lead time after cut-off must be longer than lead time before cut-off
  8. Click Save


Example: Cut-off 6:00 PM, before: 1 day, after: 2 days

  • Before 6:00 PM: Next-day date available
  • After 6:00 PM: Next-day date blocked, only dates 2+ days later available


Shows cut-off time configuration with before/after lead times



Step 6: Save and Preview


  1. Review all your settings
  2. Click Save to apply changes
  3. Go to Bird Settings > Widget Design and use Widget Preview on the right
  4. Select Shipping method in the preview
  5. Simulate any date and time via Change Current Date and Time option
  6. Verify that preparation time is respected (earliest available date/time based on your lead time settings)




Understanding Lead Time


Choosing the Right Time Unit


Select the appropriate time unit based on how you want the system to handle day boundaries.


When to use Days:

  • For 24-hour periods or longer (e.g., next-day shipping)
  • When you want entire dates blocked (dates grayed out in widget)
  • Recommended: Use Days unit and enter 1 for 24-hour lead time (instead of Hours unit with 24)


When to use Hours:

  • For same-day shipping with specific hour requirements (e.g., 4 hours, 6 hours)
  • When you need to hide specific time slots within the same day (if using Date & Time selection)
  • For lead times less than 24 hours that don't need day boundary handling


When to use Minutes:

  • For very short lead times (e.g., 30 minutes, 90 minutes)
  • When you need precise minute-level control
  • Typically for express same-day shipping with minimal preparation time


Example - Why use Days for 24-hour periods:

  • Using Days unit with 1: Properly grays out/blocks same-day date, ensures next-day dates are available regardless of order time
  • Best practice: If you want "next-day shipping," use Days unit with 1, not Hours unit with 24



Understanding Day Boundaries


Hours unit (e.g., 4 hours):

  • Customer views at 2:00 PM Monday > Dates/times before 6:00 PM hidden, 6:00 PM+ available
  • Customer views at 11:00 PM Monday > Same-day hidden, Tuesday becomes available (hours don't roll over)


Days unit (e.g., 1 day):

  • Always blocks same-day date, next-day dates available regardless of order time



Time Zone Considerations


Preparation time uses your store's time zone (from Shopify settings), not the customer's time zone. Cut-off times are based on store time. The widget automatically converts and displays times in the customer's browser time zone.



Examples and Use Cases


Example 1: Same-Day Shipping Allowed (4-Hour Lead Time)


Scenario: Store processes orders quickly, allows same-day shipping with 4-hour lead time.


Configuration:

  1. Enable Preparation Time
  2. Select Same Preparation Time for All Days
  3. Set Lead Time: 4 (select Hours unit)
  4. No cut-off time
  5. Save


Result: When customers view the widget at 10:00 AM, dates/times before 2:00 PM are hidden. Dates/times at 2:00 PM and later are available.



Example 2: Next-Day Shipping Only


Scenario: Store needs full day to process orders, blocks same-day shipping.


Configuration:

  1. Enable Preparation Time
  2. Select Same Preparation Time for All Days
  3. Set Lead Time: 1 (select Days unit - recommended for 24-hour periods instead of using Hours unit with 24)
  4. No cut-off time
  5. Save


Result: When customers view the widget on Monday, the Monday date is grayed out/blocked. Tuesday and later dates are available.



Example 3: Cut-Off Time with Different Lead Times


Scenario: Orders before 6:00 PM can be shipped next day. Orders after 6:00 PM need 2 days.


Configuration:

  1. Enable Preparation Time
  2. Select Same Preparation Time for All Days
  3. Set Cut-off Time: 6:00 PM
  4. Set Lead Time Before Cut-off: 1 (select Days unit)
  5. Set Lead Time After Cut-off: 2 (select Days unit)
  6. Save


Result:

  • Customer views widget Monday 3:00 PM (before cut-off): Tuesday date is available
  • Customer views widget Monday 7:00 PM (after cut-off): Tuesday date is grayed out/blocked, only Wednesday and later dates are available



Common Questions


What happens if I disable preparation time?


All dates from your availability schedule appear in the widget. No dates are hidden or blocked due to preparation time.



Can I set different preparation times for different shipping methods?


Shipping preparation time is configured globally for all shipping orders. If you need different lead times for different shipping methods, you may need to configure them separately or use product-specific availability settings.



What if my cut-off time is in the middle of a time slot?


The cut-off time applies to when the order is placed, not when the shipping time slot is. If an order is placed before cut-off, it uses the "before cut-off" lead time even if the selected time slot is after cut-off.



What if shipping preparation time conflicts with shipping availability schedule?


Preparation time takes precedence. If preparation time requires next-day shipping but same-day dates are available in your schedule, the same-day date is grayed out/blocked in the widget. Customers can only see and select next-day dates.



Troubleshooting


Issue: Customers can still see same-day shipping dates when preparation time is set


Problem: Preparation time may not be enabled or configured correctly.


Solution:

  1. Verify Enable Preparation Time is toggled ON
  2. Check that lead time is set correctly (e.g., 1 day for next-day only)
  3. Ensure you saved your settings
  4. Use Widget Preview to verify that same-day date is grayed out



Issue: Cut-off time not working correctly


Problem: Lead times may not be configured correctly.


Solution:

  1. Verify lead time after cut-off is longer than lead time before cut-off
  2. Check that cut-off time is set correctly
  3. Ensure both lead times are entered (before and after)
  4. Test with Widget Preview at different times of day
  5. Verify time units are correct (Days, Hours, Minutes)



Issue: Customers are placing orders with shipping selections that violate cut-off time rules


Problem: Customer selected a shipping date before cut-off (when valid), but completed checkout after cut-off. Without selection expiry, the old selection remains valid.


Solution:

  1. Verify your preparation time settings are correct
  2. Enable selection expiry: Bird Settings > Validations > [Cart and Checkout Validation] > Enable selections expiry


Selection expiry invalidates old selections when they no longer meet your lead time rules.



Issue: Preparation time blocking all dates


Problem: Lead time may be set too long (e.g., 30 days).


Solution:

  1. Check your lead time setting
  2. Reduce lead time if it's too long
  3. Verify maximum available days setting (in Blockout Dates)
  4. Ensure lead time doesn't exceed maximum available days



Quick Reference


Preparation Time Options:

  • Same Preparation Time for All Days: Consistent lead time
  • Customize Preparation Time by Day: Different lead times per day


Lead Time Units:

  • Days: Next-day or multi-day fulfillment
  • Hours: Same-day fulfillment
  • Minutes: Very short lead times


Cut-Off Time:

  • Optional daily deadline
  • Lead time after cut-off must be longer than before cut-off


Navigation: Bird Settings > Shipping > Preparation Time

Updated on: 01/18/2026

Was this article helpful?

Share your feedback

Cancel

Thank you!