Shipping is the business of transporting goods by ship, truck, train, or plane from one place to another. When you order something online, the shipping cost covers getting that package from a warehouse to your door. Companies that handle shipping move everything from toys and books to cars and computers across cities, countries, and oceans. Companies sometimes offer free shipping to encourage people to make a purchase.

The word also describes the process itself: when a store says your order is shipping today, they mean it's being packed up and sent out. Major shipping companies deliver millions of packages every day. Before modern shipping networks existed, getting items from far away took months or even years, but today's shipping systems can move products around the world in just days.