DeliveryMethod

DeliveryMethod is a schema.org Enumeration (itself an Intangible) for how goods reach the customer. It is the value of multiple properties:

appliesToDeliveryMethod on DeliveryChargeSpecification.
availableDeliveryMethod on Demand and Offer.
deliveryMethod on OrderAction, ReceiveAction, SendAction, TrackAction.
hasDeliveryMethod on DeliveryEvent and ParcelDelivery.

It has 8 canonical members:

ParcelService: third-party parcel carrier.
DeliveryModeDirectDownload: digital-goods download.
DeliveryModeFreight: freight (pallet / truck-load shipping).
DeliveryModeMail: national postal service.
DeliveryModeOwnFleet: the merchant's own fleet.
DeliveryModePickUp: the customer collects; see also OnSitePickup.
LockerDelivery: delivered to a locker system (Amazon Locker, InPost).
OnSitePickup: customer collects from the merchant's location.

Schema.org also defines named-carrier subclasses: DHL, FederalExpress, UPS. Use these for carrier-specific routing signals.

Full example of schema.org/DeliveryMethod json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

schema.org/DeliveryMethod

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Offer",
  "itemOffered": { "@type": "Product", "name": "XooTee Classic" },
  "availableDeliveryMethod": [
    "https://schema.org/ParcelService",
    "https://schema.org/DeliveryModeMail",
    "https://schema.org/OnSitePickup"
  ],
  "price": 22.00,
  "priceCurrency": "USD"
}
</script>

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid DeliveryMethod entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/DeliveryMethod (minimal)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Offer",
  "availableDeliveryMethod": "https://schema.org/ParcelService"
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

DeliveryMethod is a structural type. It does not produce a rich result on its own.

Its value comes from combining it with a primary type whose markup earns a rich result (Article, Product, Event, and so on). DeliveryMethod becomes the trunk that the primary type branches off viamainEntityorbreadcrumb. Include it on every page as the backbone of your markup.

Common DeliveryMethod mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

01
Free-text delivery method
Wrong
```
"availableDeliveryMethod": "UPS Ground"
```
Right
```
Enum URL (https://schema.org/ParcelService or https://schema.org/UPS)
```
Google's shipping-details rich result requires enum URLs; free-text is parsed but not matched to shipping-rule filters.

DeliveryModePickUp vs OnSitePickup conflated

Wrong

Using DeliveryModePickUp for every pickup

Right

OnSitePickup when the customer collects from the merchant; DeliveryModePickUp for broader pickup arrangements

The two overlap in practice; OnSitePickup is the more common value for in-store pickup.

About the example data

Xoo Code Shop's shipping options: ParcelService for standard, DeliveryModeMail for rural, OnSitePickup for Dunmore customers.

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