Simplifying UK shipping rates

[sjk1000]

Hi All
I'm looking for advice on simplifying the shipping rates on my site.

I've over 1000 products all with mostly unknown weights somewhere between 250g and 2500g - I expect the majority of parcels dispatched to weigh 1kg or less. I also feel the tables for postage rates for Parcel Force, Royal Mail first class, second class (not available for parcels >1kg), Special Delivery are too complicated to be applied in the absence of the weights for each product.

Does anyone have any pragmatic suggestions based on experience for this?

eg "all parcels £2.50 first class plus an additional £2.50 for next day delivery and 70pence for each additional item"

Thank you!
Steve

[fairestcape]

It took me a while, but I resolved this by creating CLONES of shipping modules (and a few other edits.)

I needed shipping calculations done for UK to accommodate:

1. Royal Mail 1st class recorded
2. Parcelforce 24
3. Both of the above to calculate correctly for UK regionality
4. Parcelforce to kick in only when the consignment was MORE THAN 2kg.
5. Royal Mail to kick in only when the consignment was LESS THAN 2kg.

See it in action at www.edutrade.co.uk . Put a few things in the shopping cart so the total weight is less than 2kg and take a look at the shipping estimator. Then add some more stuff so the total weight is over 2kg.

If this is the sort of thing you want, PM me.

[fairestcape]

Oops.. I see you don't have weights on your products... My fix can't apply.

Could you insert weights? (Easy Populate could achieve this for you quite quickly).

[sjk1000]

Hi Fairestcape
Thanks for your reply. I could get weights for probably a 1/3 of the products and upload using easy populate as you suggest. I get the feeling though that there's a rule-of-thumb fixed price that could be applied where I'm charging a little over the odds for small products and a little less for heavier ones and it all neatly balances out. I'll put a few rates it into excel and see what it comes out like.
Cheers, Steve

[sjk1000]

Any advice anyone?
: )