Setting up custom shipping rates

From Spiffy Stores Knowledge Base

Spiffy Stores allows you to create custom shipping rates based on either weight or on price. To add a custom shipping rate, go to the "Preferences >> Shipping & handling" section of your Store Toolbox, and follow the instructions below.

Creating a custom weight-based shipping rate

  1. Click on the "Add a weight-based rate" link under the country that you want to add a custom weight-base shipping rate for.
  2. Name your shipping rate. This name appears in your checkout when a customer places an order, so generally you would write the shipping method being used. For instance "Australia Post".
  3. Add the weight range. The first box is the starting (lowest) weight that applies for this weight range. The second box is the ending (highest) weight that applies for this weight range.

    Note: In order for the weight range to apply to the current contents of the shopping cart, the weight of the cart must be greater than the lowest value in the range, but less than or equal to the highest value in the weight range.
  4. Add the price for this shipping rate.
  5. Just click the Save Rate button, as this is a fixed-price shipping rate, and you don't need to specify a Shipping Agent rate calculator.

If you want to adjust the price for different regions in the country (including custom regions that you've created), click on the rate that you've just created, and use the arrows to adjust the rate up or down. You can also disable the rate for any regions as well, so you can create a custom rate that only applies to customers in your local area.

See also:

Creating a custom price-based shipping rate

  1. Click on the "Add a price-based rate" link under the country that you want to add a custom rate for.
  2. Name your shipping rate. This name appears in your checkout when a customer places an order, so generally you would write the shipping method being used. For instance "Australia Post".
  3. Add the Cart Value Range. This value box is the lowest value of items in your customer's shopping cart that applies for this shipping rate.

    If you want to restrict the value range, you can supply an upper limit to the range by clicking on the or more link. This will then allow you to enter an upper range for the cart value.

    Note: The value of the cart must be greater than or equal to the lowest value, but less than the highest value, if supplied.
  4. Add the price for this shipping rate.
  5. Click the Save Rate button.

If you want to adjust the price for different regions in the country (including custom regions that you've created), edit the rate that you've just created, and use the arrows to adjust the rate up or down. You can also disable the rate for any regions as well, so you can create a custom rate that only applies to customers in your local area.

Important note: If one or more matching price-based shipping rates are found for a shopping cart, then all weight-based rates are ignored.

Example: Creating a price-based shipping rate - Free shipping for orders over $200

  1. Click on the "Add a price-based rate" link under the country that you want to add a custom rate for.
  2. Name your shipping rate. This name appears in your checkout when a customer places an order, so generally you would write the shipping method being used. For instance "Free shipping for orders over $200".
  3. Enter $200 for the Cart Value Range.
  4. Set the price to $0 for this shipping rate.
  5. Click the Save Rate button.


Creating shipping code based shipping rates

WARNING: Please do not use shipping codes unless you fully understand this documentation. Shipping codes are not a solution for all of your shipping prices. They should be be used alongside your weight or price based rates. They are designed for special products that require shipping to be calculated outside of how you would normally calculate shipping.

A Shipping Code-based shipping rate has a unique code associated with it. You define this code when you create the shipping rate.

In order to use Shipping Code-based shipping rates, you will need to enable Advanced Shipping Options under "Your Settings" in the Advanced Configuration section. After you've done this, you can then create the sipping code rate in the "preferences -> Shipping and handling" section of your Toolbox.

  1. Click on the "Add a shipping-code based rate" link under the country that you want to add a custom rate for.
  2. Name your shipping rate. This name appears in your checkout when a customer places an order, so generally you would write the shipping method being used. For instance "Australia Post".
  3. Enter the Shipping Code. You will need to enter this shipping code when editing a product, so make sure you make a note of it.
  4. Enter the maximum number of products that can be shipped at this price in the "Max Items" box. If you are setting a shipping rate for 1 item, but it's the same price to ship 3 items, you should enter 3 here.
  5. Add the price for this shipping rate.
  6. Click the Save Rate button.

Once you have created a Shipping Code-base rate, you can then use this code when you create or update the shipping options for a variation. When a variation is configured to use a Shipping Code, then the shipping costs for that variation are determined by the unique shipping rate with the matching code.

A variation with a shipping code can only use the shipping rate that has been defined with the same code. If a shipping rate has not been defined with a matching code, then the checkout will fail. Variations that have been defined with a shipping code cannot use either weight-base or price-based shipping rates.

  1. Go to the product in your Toolbox, that you want to use the shipping code on.
  2. If the shipping code applies to all of the variations that belong to this product, edit the shipping code on the far right of the product edit screen that has the title "Shipping Code". Enter the code and click the "update code" button.
  3. If the shipping code applies to only one or two of the variations that belong to this product, edit the variations direcdtly and enter the shipping code on the "Shipping" section when you're editing the variant..


Creating a "free shipping" or "Click & Collect" rate for customers in your area

If you want to offer free pickup or click and collect to customers nearby, you have the option of creating an additional shipping rate. The cost can be set to zero, and you should limit its availability to customers in the same state or region as your store by editing the rate and disabling all other regions.

You would also definitely need to name your shipping rate something like "Pick up from Bendigo, Victoria", so you don't get customers that are too far away selecting this option.

This works well for weight based shipping. If you have a combination of weight based and price based rates set up, you'll need to experiment with how you set it up, as price based rates will always override weight-based rates.

If you are using shipping code rates, these cannot be overridden and you may need to rethink your shipping strategy.

Step by Step - Creating a free "Pick Up" or "Click & Collect" rate for customers in your area

  1. Firstly, ensure that you have enabled free shipping offers for your country in the "Country/Region Options" right below where you set your shipping rates.
  2. Click on the "Add a weight-based rate" link under the country that you want to add a custom weight-base shipping rate for.
  3. Name your shipping rate something like "Pick up from Bendigo, Victoria", so you don't get customers that are too far away selecting this option.
  4. Add the weight range. Generally for pickup, the lowest value would be zero, and the highest value would be 100kg to cover all rates.
  5. Set the price for this shipping rate to zero.
  6. Click the Save Rate button.
  7. Click on the rate that you've just created, and disable the rate for any regions that are too far away to pick up from you.


You might also want to offer payment on pickup. This is done in the Preferences > Checkout & Payment section of your store's admin by following the instructions below.

Step by Step - Creating a "Pay on Pickup" rate in your checkout

  1. Go to the Preferences > Checkout & Payment section of your store's admin.
  2. In the Custom Payment Methods section choose Create a custom payment method.
  3. For the Name, enter "Pay on Pickup" or whatever you prefer.
  4. In the Instructions field enter "Pay when picking up from YOUR SUBURB, YOUR STATE".
  5. DO NOT TICK the Items are automatically marked as paid option.
  6. Click the Activate button.


Creating a shipping rate for customers in your area

If you want to offer a special rate to customers nearby, you have the option of creating an additional shipping rate. The cost can be set to whatever you prefer, and you should limit its availability to customers in the same state or region as your store by editing the rate and disabling all other regions.

You would also definitely need to name your shipping rate something like "Delivery to Melbourne Metro", so you don't get customers that are too far away selecting this option.

This works well for weight based shipping. If you have a combination of weight based and price based rates set up, you'll need to experiment with how you set it up, as price based rates will always override weight-based rates.

If you want to control this rate even further, you can restrict your shipping rate so it only applies to customer that are within a certain distance from you using Checkout Rules.

If you are using shipping code rates, these cannot be overridden and you may need to rethink your shipping strategy.


Further Reference

Retrieved from "http://www.spiffystores.com.au/kb/index.php?title=Setting_up_custom_shipping_rates&oldid=9413"