The Shipping Method screen is used to define the various shipping options customers can choose from when ordering.
The applicable shipping options are automatically selected based upon the location the order will be shipped to.
This 'smart detect' method has a double advantage:
- The customers are never presented with shipping methods not applicable to their orders.
- The confusion, time and money associated with 'fixing' orders with erroneous shipping charges are eliminated.
| Field Name | Description |
| Shipping Method Name |
Name of the shipping method displayed to the user. |
| Shipping Method Code | An internal code for the shipping method. All codes must be unique. |
| Ship-to Country | Country for which the shipping method applies (or All if selected). |
| Ship-to State/Province | State/province for which the shipping method applies (or All if selected). |
| Base Shipping Amount | Minimum shipping cost for current method. Shipping surcharges per item or other surcharges are always added to this base amount. |
| Surcharge per Additional Item | Amount to be charged for each additional item in an order. When defining 'per item surcharges', make sure that the shipping method amount covers the shipping costs for the first item of the order. |
| Percentage of Order Amount | You may specify shipping costs to equal a percentage of the order amount. When this field is specified, the system will compute the shipping cost based on the total value of the products in the order, excluding surcharges and taxes. |
| Weight Range | Enter the weight range for which the shipping method is applicable,
for example 0.001 thru 10 Lbs. Do not enter a zero value in the first
field as this will disable the feature. Instead enter a weight value
smaller than the weight of the lightest product in your inventory. When setting weight ranges, we recommend range interval boundaries of 0.001 Lb (one thousandth of a Lb) in order to eliminate any cross-over discrepancies). This rate table structure is fully compatible with UPS, USPS/FedEx or freight carriers. Example of a collection of shipping methods using weight ranges: Ship-to country: Canada (common to all methods). Ship-to province: Alberta (common to all methods). Shipping method 1: 0.001 - 10 Lbs: $0.35/Lbs Shipping method 2: 10.001 - 50 Lbs: $0.28/Lbs Shipping method 3: 50.001 - 9,999 Lbs: $0.22/Lbs You need to set up a shipping method for each weight range. The customers will see only the shipping methods applicable to the shipping destination and weight of their order. Note: Consult your VAR/ISP to set-up this option if it is not enabled. There is no additional charge for this feature. |
| Cost Per Unit of Weight | Enter the shipping cost for the weight range expressed in the system
currency (default: US Dollars). Note: Consult your VAR/ISP to set-up this option if it is not enabled. There is no additional charge for this feature. |
| Free Shipping Threshold | Specify the order amount over which the system will not charge shipping for an order. Setting this field to zero disable the 'free shipping' feature. |
| Display Order | Order in which the method should be displayed, alphabetical if left to default value of '0'. |
| Apply Date | The date the shipping method becomes applicable. Note: 1/1/2000 means Jan 1st 2000 at 0:00:00. Shipping information can be entered ahead of time and will automatically apply when scheduled. |
| Expiration Date | The date the shipping method ceases to be applicable. Note: 1/1/2000 means Jan 1st 2000 at 0:00:00. |
| Command Button | Action |
| Save | Save the changes and exit. |
| Cancel | Exit the screen without saving changes. |
Important information about apply/expiration dates: |
|
Important Notes:
- Cumulative Method:
The system uses a 'cumulative'
method when computing shipping costs and will add up all the items
specified in the definition fields above. In other words, if you specify a
base amount AND an additional charge per item AND a percentage amount AND
a weight amount, all four shipping charges will be added together.
The cumulative method is used because it offers the maximum flexibility in
defining shipping methods. Of course, if an option is left to zero, it
will have no effect on the calculation, so you can have the best of both
worlds in flexibility and simplicity.
- Shipping by weight:
Shipping methods by weight always apply to a weight range. If your product
weights are not supplied, those shipping methods will fail to match the
order (since the order total weight will be zero) and will not be
displayed to the customer.
Additional Features & Useful
Tips:
Direct, real-time shipping quotes from online services (UPS online)
are available when using the ezConnect123
component. You can enable this feature from the Merchant information screen.
This component is installed on every server supporting your e-commerce
system.
Advantages of using real-time quotes:
- You are freed you from having to update the shipping rate information.
- You can also
specify a mark-up percentage on shipping quotes to cover handling costs if
applicable and when authorized by applicable law.
Important notes about how shipping methods are
implemented:
1. Method determination strategy:
When processing orders, a 'local-to-global' shipping method selection
strategy is used. For example, if you
set up a shipping method for the United States and apply it to cover 'All
States' and you then define a specific shipping method for the state of Hawaii,
the state-level method will override the country-level method. In other words,
the shopper from Hawaii will not see the shipping methods for the continental
US. Thus handling the traditional US shipping exceptions (Alaska, Hawaii and
Puerto Rico) can be done by defining only 4 shipping methods: one for all of the
US and one for each of the 'overseas' states or protectorates.
2. Carriers not shipping to P.O. boxes:
Most carriers (except the for Post
Office) do not ship to P.O. boxes.
The system automatically detects conflicts between P.O. addresses and
shipping methods and displays a message to the customer. However, for this
feature to work, all 'Post Office' shipping methods must begin with a common
prefix for proper identification. Default information to support this feature is
provided in the shopping cart configuration file and can be modified by a VAR if
needed.
System defaults:
- USPS method prefix: 'USPS'.
Please remember to prefix the names of Post Office methods with 'USPS'.
Example: USPS Mail.
- P.O. box address detector: '
po box '.
This value covers most cases. Leading and trailing spaces
are provided to guarantee appropriate string match.
Example: '1278 Harpo
Boxall
Ave' is OK whereas 'PO Box 4884' will be detected as invalid.
The feature is
not case-sensitive, punctuation is always ignored.