All
about Standard Shipping
Q1: I need the cart to calculate my shipping
charges for me. How can I set that up?
A1: Americart
currently supports seven "calculated" methods
for determining shipping costs. Those seven are
in addition to our "Multi-Method Lookup
Table" and UPS/FedEx Calculators. All are detailed in the configuration
form which can be found by logging into your account
Login Here
Just make your selections during account configuration.
Q2: I want to offer my customers both UPS ground
and FedEx overnight. How can I do that?
A2: We offer a convenient method for allowing
customers to choose whatever shipping methods
you care to offer, along with cost adjustments
for them. We use a system of "default" and "premium" shipping.
"Default" shipping is the carrier and cost you set up during account
configuration. It is usually your least expensive method, although it does not
have to be. A simple example would be UPS ground at a flat fee of $5.00 per order.
"Premium" shipping methods are other ways your customers can elect
to receive their order. An example would be FedEx Overnight at the default rate
plus a surcharge. The surcharge can be calculated in various ways:
<form action=http://www.cartserver.com/sc/cart.cgi method=POST>
<select name=item>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 1^base+0">Method 1</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 2^base+5.25">Method 2</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 3^base+-3.00">Method
3</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 4^base*1.3">Method 4</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 5^base*1.5+4.25">Method
5</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 6^flat12.25">Method 6</option>
<option value="a-1358^=shipping=^Method 7^subtotal*.09+10.00">Method
7</option>
</select>
<input type=image name=add src=addtocart.gif>
</form>
To use this, make a "shipping" page on your site with the above code
on it. Obviously you'd set the methods to what they really were, be it FedEx,
UPS, 2ND Day, UPS to Tazmania, whatever. And don’t
forget to use your own cart ID!
The first five of the six take your "default" shipping
rate and do something to it. The sixth one ignores
the default and sets the rate exactly.
The seventh
may be the most powerful of all, since it ignores
what you have as the default and calculates a
% of the item subtotal as the rate and will also
add an amount to it. This gives you a lot of
power to offer second shipping methods totally
independent from the default.
To see alternate shipping methods in action,
visit Wayne's Widget World at sc/asdemo.php,
put an item into your cart, then follow the link
at the top of the widget page to the "Need
your widget in a hurry?" shipping
page. You can then select from several alternate
methods. Notice that the cart display then shows
the new shipping method and cost.
Q3: Some of the things I sell are services
which don't have a shipping cost. I can't just
turn shipping off since I need to charge for
my tangible products. What can I do?
A3: You can "exempt" any item you wish
from shipping.
In the product "item" variable, add
the prefix =SF= to your partnumber field. Old
number: xyz-1 New number: =SF=xyz-1
This is the companion exemption to =TF= which
is used to exempt a product from sales tax.
Q4: I charge a percent of the order cost as
a shipping charge, and this works well for me,
but one of my items is very bulky and expensive
to ship. Is there any way to tack on a little
extra to the shipping charge for this?
A4: Yes. Use the =AS= tag similarly to to =SF=
tag above. When the cart sees this tag, it looks
in the shipping field of the "item" variable
(field six) for a cost, and adds that to the
shipping total:
<input type=hidden name=item name=item value="a-1358^=AS=pn1^Bulky Item
Desc^28.32^1^5.00">
The above example charges an EXTRA $5.00.
Another tag is =SS= which will substitute the
value listed for the usual charge. For instance,
you charge $1.00 shipping for each item ordered.
If you use the =SS= tag for a certain item, it
won't count against the $1.00 per item, but will
be charged the amount in the shipping field of
the "item" variable
(field six).
Note: =SF= and =SS= are equivalent
if you have the shipping field of the item variable
blank or set to 0. =SF= ignores that field and
sets zero always.
Q5: Most of my items are shipped
under a flat $5.00 fee, but I have a few heavy
items that I need to charge $10.00 to ship. The
problem is, if they order just a heavy item,
their shipping works out to $15.00, which is
too much. How can I get the cart to NOT apply
the flat fee in such a case?
A5: Just mark it with the =SS= tag and put
10.00 into the shipping field of the item variable
(field six). When you order the item by itself,
only the $10.00 will be applied. If you get that
item along with any of the "normal" items,
it will apply the $5.00 flat fee also.
Q6: I'm confused by all the
shipping options. Should I give up?
A6: Of course not. Americart is a powerful
program with many features, but you don't have
to use all of them right away. You can just set
a flat fee and then display the "shipping cost is estimated" message
in the cart display. Later, you can go back and
tune things up as you please. It's easy to reconfigure
your account. The important thing is to get things
functional, then build from there.
Q7: The calculation methods
are great, but I also need to set a minimum and
a maximum shipping fee amount. Can I?
A7: These shipping switches can be set in the
cart configuration form:
Minimum Shipping Fee: to be applied if your chosen
method results in too low a charge for small
orders.
Maximum Shipping Fee: to be applied if your
chosen method results in too high a charge for
large orders.
Free Shipping over x: the threshold you set over
which shipping is free. This is a great sales
tool.
Q8: I have free shipping with
my orders. How do I turn shipping off?
A8: When configuring your account, just ignore
the section on shipping. No mention of shipping
will be made in the cart display.
You may also want to put the message: FREE shipping
with all orders!" in the "merchant message" section
of the configuration form.
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