Where do i start???? Please help

[matthewreece]

Hi
I'm currently developing a shop and i've come to a complete standstilll now i've come to shipping.I plan on selling many probably over a 1000 items of various sizes and weights solely in the UK due to size and weight international sales would be pointless.
Where do i start with shipping and pricing for shipping? i suppose my ideal would be to add a product get a shipping quote for it and add this along with the product.Sounds easy but is there a add on that does this.Kitchen doors will be one of my items and there will be 100's of designs but the shipping will be the same on all of them as sizes vary little.But then i'll have the cupboards themselves which are large and bulky items.
Thats just to give you an idea of what i'm trying to ship.
I've done a free delivery on large orders over £500 which works fine.
Thanks in advance

[fairestcape]

HOW you set up shipping depends to a large extent on WHO will do the shipping for you.

If your shipper charges by weight (or volumetric weight), then you are going to need a WEIGHT added to each product data-set.

Then, you will configure an appropriate shipping module to calculate the shipping charge by the total weight of a consignment.

There are so many variables at play here, so unless you know how your shipper will charge, it's pointless us offering solutions.

On one of my sites (UK-based) I have configured it to allow only UK sales, but as my shippers (Royal Mail and ParcelForce) apply different rates to both volumetric weight AND geographical location (eg: Isle of Wight is more costly than UK mainland), I have had additionally to set up ZONES, to which the different shipping modules apply.

It took some doing, but now shoppers know EXACTLY what their shipping will cost - calculated on the combination of their total consignment, and their geographical location in the UK.

See it in action at edutrade.co.uk

[arrowhead]

We are struggling with the post in the uk too .
We have very small items at low cost price which need very little postage paid , and then theres the Apc courier price which we have set to flat rate shipping for now.
Seems daft someone has to pay £6.95 postage for a lightweight £2.99 package. Completely puzzled as to what we do to sort it all out.

[fairestcape]

then theres the Apc courier price which we have set to flat rate shipping for now.
Seems daft someone has to pay £6.95 postage for a lightweight £2.99 package. Completely puzzled as to what we do to sort it all out.

Are you committed to APC, or could you use RoyalMail for smaller items?

Again, take a look at edutrade.co.uk and tell me if this is the route you may wish to go.

PM me and I'll chat to you about this.

[Soul39]

i hope you guys don't mind me jumping in here, but i too am at a sticking point with shipping.

Fairestcape,

you seems very knowledgable regarding shipping.
is the rate table and the royalmail module one and the same? how do they differ?
I have been researching this for a week and i am still no wiser. wher can i find a tutorial?
BTW i have looked at that site you mentioned, it's what i would like!!

did you use the big Royalmail module?
I have downloaded and installed it, i have tested it using different weights and it seems to work. That was for the uk mainland.
I am not sure how to configure the other zones, is that already built into the module? Also there is an option for parcel force. I am unsure about that too.


Any help is greatly appreciated, however small.

Thank you all in advance.

[fairestcape]

BTW i have looked at that site you mentioned, it's what i would like!!

did you use the big Royalmail module?
I have downloaded and installed it, i have tested it using different weights and it seems to work. That was for the uk mainland.
I am not sure how to configure the other zones, is that already built into the module? Also there is an option for parcel force. I am unsure about that too.

I considered Big RoyalMail module, but as it's zipped using RAR I couldn't open it. (Why people don't just use winzip and save it as .zip... ?)

Anyway... I built the shipping system on edutrade by myself. It uses SEVERAL shipping modules, including TWO cloned modules. And there's also a bit of custom PHP written in to hide/display certain modules depending on the WEIGHT of a consignment.

It took many long hours to build and configure - including a complete re-working of the zencart COUNTRIES data, housed in the database. Basically, I DELETED all the countries and set up a list of "countries" based on the main UK regions that Royal Mail and ParcelForce use.

That's why, if you go to REGISTER as a customer on edutrade, it does not list the world's countries - but rather gives a list of UK regions.

Once I had "re-built" my countries data like this (which included having to invent some fresh ISO codes!), I could start looking at how to build the various shipping modules that would be needed to calculate Royalmail and Parcelforce charges, depending on:-

1. The WEIGHT of the shopping cart
2. The UK REGION where the delivery address is.

As edutrade ONLY SELL in the UK, they did not need or want any other countries.

The process I used is lengthy and complex, and unfortunately I was paid by the owner of EduTrade to build this, so he owns the customised software and processes.

If I was to offer it to anyone, I would have to ask the owner first, and even then I would probably charge a fee to have it turned into a "module".

[Soul39]

Hi,

i was going to reply on Friday, got wayliad.
I wanted to ask you about zones. I know you are not familar with the big royal module but this is a general question about zones.
Do I need zones If i just stick to ROYAL 1ST PARCELS and STANDARD PARCELS. Shipping to UK only.
Can i get by without using zones if i do not to use PARCEL FORCE. ?

Please correct me if i am wrong;
From what i gather, RM treats the UK as 1 big zone. The other zones are required for PARCEL FORCE.

Or do i need zones for another reason? HELP!

many thanks in advance for any assistance given


Soul39