diff --git a/app/controllers/spree/admin/products_controller_decorator.rb b/app/controllers/spree/admin/products_controller_decorator.rb
index e05ba14792..22f5337ee5 100644
--- a/app/controllers/spree/admin/products_controller_decorator.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/spree/admin/products_controller_decorator.rb
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ Spree::Admin::ProductsController.class_eval do
     @show_latest_import = params[:latest_import] || false
   end
 
+  def new
+    @object.shipping_category = DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create
+    super
+  end
+
   def create
     delete_stock_params_and_set_after do
       super
diff --git a/app/controllers/spree/admin/shipping_methods_controller.rb b/app/controllers/spree/admin/shipping_methods_controller.rb
index d4c9c29898..b561759757 100644
--- a/app/controllers/spree/admin/shipping_methods_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/spree/admin/shipping_methods_controller.rb
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ module Spree
         collection
       end
 
+      def new
+        @object.shipping_categories = [DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create]
+        super
+      end
+
       def destroy
         # Our reports are not adapted to soft deleted shipping_methods so here we prevent
         #   the deletion (even soft) of shipping_methods that are referenced in orders
diff --git a/app/services/default_shipping_category.rb b/app/services/default_shipping_category.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..10959de659
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/default_shipping_category.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Encapsulates the concept of default stock location in creation of a product or a shipping method.
+
+class DefaultShippingCategory
+  NAME = 'Default'.freeze
+
+  def self.create!
+    Spree::ShippingCategory.create!(name: NAME)
+  end
+
+  def self.find_or_create
+    Spree::ShippingCategory.find_or_create_by_name(NAME)
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/spree/admin/products/_shipping_category_form.html.haml b/app/views/spree/admin/products/_shipping_category_form.html.haml
index 1e324a25b1..0f3635d698 100644
--- a/app/views/spree/admin/products/_shipping_category_form.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/spree/admin/products/_shipping_category_form.html.haml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 = f.field_container :shipping_categories do 
   = f.label :shipping_category_id, t(:shipping_category)
-  = f.collection_select(:shipping_category_id, Spree::ShippingCategory.all, :id, :name, {:include_blank => true}, {:class => 'select2 fullwidth'})
+  = f.collection_select(:shipping_category_id, Spree::ShippingCategory.all, :id, :name, {:include_blank => false}, {:class => 'select2 fullwidth'})
   = f.error_message_on :shipping_category_id
diff --git a/db/seeds.rb b/db/seeds.rb
index 1cb78e94ff..e6cac36c2c 100644
--- a/db/seeds.rb
+++ b/db/seeds.rb
@@ -52,3 +52,4 @@ end
 require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'default', 'users')
 
 DefaultStockLocation.find_or_create
+DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create
diff --git a/lib/tasks/sample_data/product_factory.rb b/lib/tasks/sample_data/product_factory.rb
index 09cc60d3d3..01e92dddb7 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/sample_data/product_factory.rb
+++ b/lib/tasks/sample_data/product_factory.rb
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class ProductFactory
       variant_unit: "weight",
       variant_unit_scale: 1,
       unit_value: 1,
-      shipping_category: Spree::ShippingCategory.find_or_create_by_name('Default')
+      shipping_category: DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create
     )
     product = Spree::Product.create_with(params).find_or_create_by_name!(params[:name])
     product.variants.first.update_attribute :on_demand, true
diff --git a/spec/factories.rb b/spec/factories.rb
index 450984f89c..4f9c6478f5 100644
--- a/spec/factories.rb
+++ b/spec/factories.rb
@@ -194,4 +194,9 @@ FactoryBot.modify do
     # sets the default value for variant.on_demand
     backorderable_default false
   end
+
+  factory :shipping_category, class: Spree::ShippingCategory do
+    initialize_with { DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create }
+    transient { name 'Default' }
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/features/admin/products_spec.rb b/spec/features/admin/products_spec.rb
index 1756cdc539..9e1d0a4895 100644
--- a/spec/features/admin/products_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/admin/products_spec.rb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ feature '
 
   let!(:taxon) { create(:taxon) }
   let!(:stock_location) { create(:stock_location, backorderable_default: false) }
-  let!(:shipping_category) { create(:shipping_category, name: 'Test Shipping Category') }
+  let!(:shipping_category) { DefaultShippingCategory.find_or_create }
 
   background do
     @supplier = create(:supplier_enterprise, name: 'New supplier')
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ feature '
       click_link 'Products'
       click_link 'New Product'
 
+      expect(find_field('product_shipping_category_id').text).to eq(shipping_category.name)
+
       select 'New supplier', from: 'product_supplier_id'
       fill_in 'product_name', with: 'A new product !!!'
       select "Weight (kg)", from: 'product_variant_unit_with_scale'
@@ -40,7 +42,6 @@ feature '
       fill_in 'product_price', with: '19.99'
       fill_in 'product_on_hand', with: 5
       select 'Test Tax Category', from: 'product_tax_category_id'
-      select 'Test Shipping Category', from: 'product_shipping_category_id'
       page.find("div[id^='taTextElement']").native.send_keys('A description...')
 
       click_button 'Create'
@@ -80,7 +81,6 @@ feature '
       fill_in 'product_on_hand', with: 0
       check 'product_on_demand'
       select 'Test Tax Category', from: 'product_tax_category_id'
-      select 'Test Shipping Category', from: 'product_shipping_category_id'
       page.find("div[id^='taTextElement']").native.send_keys('In demand, and on_demand! The hottest cakes in town.')
 
       click_button 'Create'
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ feature '
           select 'Weight (g)', from: 'product_variant_unit_with_scale'
           fill_in 'product_unit_value_with_description', with: '500'
           select taxon.name, from: "product_primary_taxon_id"
-          select 'Test Shipping Category', from: 'product_shipping_category_id'
           select 'None', from: "product_tax_category_id"
 
           # Should only have suppliers listed which the user can manage
diff --git a/spec/features/admin/shipping_methods_spec.rb b/spec/features/admin/shipping_methods_spec.rb
index 53e58c595a..ca00af3457 100644
--- a/spec/features/admin/shipping_methods_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/admin/shipping_methods_spec.rb
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ feature 'shipping methods' do
     let(:sm1) { create(:shipping_method, name: 'One', distributors: [distributor1]) }
     let(:sm2) { create(:shipping_method, name: 'Two', distributors: [distributor1, distributor2]) }
     let(:sm3) { create(:shipping_method, name: 'Three', distributors: [distributor3]) }
+    let(:shipping_category) { create(:shipping_category) }
 
     before(:each) do
       enterprise_user.enterprise_roles.build(enterprise: distributor1).save
@@ -97,10 +98,12 @@ feature 'shipping methods' do
       expect(page).to have_css 'div#shipping_method_zones_field'
       expect(page).to have_field 'shipping_method_require_ship_address_true', checked: true
 
+      # Auto-check default shipping category
+      expect(page).to have_field shipping_category.name, checked: true
+
       fill_in 'shipping_method_name', with: 'Teleport'
 
       check "shipping_method_distributor_ids_#{distributor1.id}"
-      check "shipping_method_shipping_categories_"
       find(:css, "tags-input .tags input").set "local\n"
       within(".tags .tag-list") do
         expect(page).to have_css '.tag-item', text: "local"
diff --git a/spec/models/stock/package_spec.rb b/spec/models/stock/package_spec.rb
index 6b3fe4012a..726eed6c37 100644
--- a/spec/models/stock/package_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/stock/package_spec.rb
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ module Stock
     describe '#shipping_categories' do
       it "returns shipping categories that are not shipping categories of the order's products" do
         package
-        other_shipping_category = create(:shipping_category)
+        other_shipping_category = Spree::ShippingCategory.create(name: "Custom")
 
         expect(package.shipping_categories).to eq [shipping_method1.shipping_categories.first,
                                                    other_shipping_category]
diff --git a/spec/services/default_shipping_category_spec.rb b/spec/services/default_shipping_category_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cab005df8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/services/default_shipping_category_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe DefaultShippingCategory do
+  describe '.create!' do
+    it "names the location 'Default'" do
+      shipping_category = described_class.create!
+      expect(shipping_category.name).to eq 'Default'
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'find_or_create' do
+    context 'when a Default category already exists' do
+      let!(:category) do
+        Spree::ShippingCategory.create!(name: 'Default')
+      end
+
+      it 'returns the category' do
+        expect(described_class.find_or_create).to eq category
+      end
+
+      it 'does not create another category' do
+        expect { described_class.find_or_create }.not_to change(Spree::ShippingCategory, :count)
+      end
+    end
+
+    context 'when a Default category does not exist' do
+      it 'returns the category' do
+        category = described_class.find_or_create
+        expect(category.name).to eq 'Default'
+      end
+
+      it 'does not create another category' do
+        expect { described_class.find_or_create }
+          .to change(Spree::ShippingCategory, :count).from(0).to(1)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end