Re: Different shipping methods for different categories

[kaddie]

I'm thinking I may need to purchase a shipping module for what I need?!

What I need to accomplish is, I have 10,000 + products and 25 categories. I warehouse a lot of what I sell. However, some I have drop shipped. I sell lightweight items and heavyweight items.

Apparel Category: Always $6.00 shipping cost no matter if they order 1 piece or a 100 pieces, the shipping cost is still $6.00 shipping. Just for this category.

Equipment Category: Heavy equipment gets drop shipped. I need to have this category state (when customer adds an item in there cart for this category) a representative will contact you by email with the shipping cost and final total for your approval. It must not show the word "Total". It needs to state "Pending".

So, if they ordered apparel and heavy equipment, since they ordered heavy equipment with the apparel, checkout needs to show "Pending".

I also do not want the shipping options showing. I do not want checkout to show UPS, USPS and etc. I would like to have full control over how it gets shipped.

Does any of this make any since?!?!

The shipping setup is what's holding me back from opening the store for about 8 months now. I don't know how to setup the shipping. Sooooo, I just give up.

[Ajeh]

You would need to have some customization done to your shipping modules in order to enable and disable them based on the cart content ...

Then, create a new shipping module for the purpose of just the Heavy Category to allow the checkout to complete and state that they will be called with the quote ...

It would also be a good idea to mark these Products in some manner so that the customer knows this in advanced so that there isn't any confusion on the checkout ...

Then on the UPS and USPS shipping modules ... customize them for the Apparel Category to add in a charge for that ...

[hornsales]

I'm thinking I may need to purchase a shipping module for what I need?!

What I need to accomplish is, I have 10,000 + products and 25 categories. I warehouse a lot of what I sell. However, some I have drop shipped. I sell lightweight items and heavyweight items.

Apparel Category: Always $6.00 shipping cost no matter if they order 1 piece or a 100 pieces, the shipping cost is still $6.00 shipping. Just for this category.

Equipment Category: Heavy equipment gets drop shipped. I need to have this category state (when customer adds an item in there cart for this category) a representative will contact you by email with the shipping cost and final total for your approval. It must not show the word "Total". It needs to state "Pending".

So, if they ordered apparel and heavy equipment, since they ordered heavy equipment with the apparel, checkout needs to show "Pending".

I also do not want the shipping options showing. I do not want checkout to show UPS, USPS and etc. I would like to have full control over how it gets shipped.

Does any of this make any since?!?!

The shipping setup is what's holding me back from opening the store for about 8 months now. I don't know how to setup the shipping. Sooooo, I just give up.

Well to save yourself a lot of hassle
Why not open your store up with just apparel and use the flat rate shipping module to set the shipping for you.

In terms of the heavy equipment
Well you have some options
You could set up a 2nd website and have that website and the apparel one link back and forth to each other but use separate shopping carts so if they wanted apparel and heavy equipment it would be two orders.

But if you are always going to have a customer call you or you call them for the order of heavy equipment. if you have the ability to process cc over the phone, why do you need a shopping cart program. Use zencart for the apparel and set up a standard html based website for the heavy equipment that shows the price of the item and says to order contact us at 800-###-####
Then in your apparel store make sure you advertise the link to your heavy equipment store and vise versa.

Or you can setup a 2nd zen cart for heavy equipment if you are no good at html. Just don't install any shipping or payment modules. And be sure to state clearly that the customer needs to contact you to place the order

[kaddie]

If I chose your way, then wouldn't the MultiStore mod be the way to go or no?

I really don't want to put pressure on my customers to having to order 2 or 3 times to get what they want to purchase.

[Ajeh]

For the Heavy Products ...

You could use the feature Call for Price to be Call for Purchase and Shipping ...

Call for Price items can have everything about pricing etc. that a regular Product can have except that they cannot be added to the cart ...

If you don't use Call for Price already, this is a possible solution for the Heavy Products ...

Or, you could use a Product Type for this such as Document Product or Document General and make those customized to not be added to the cart ...

This also allows you to customize the _info page for these Products to be different than regular Products to make them stand out in some other manner or have a different look etc.

An advantage of the Call for Price or Product Type controlling stopping the Purchase of the Products in the cart is:

1 you can talk to the customer and perhaps into the sale

2 you are not limited so much to 1 Category as they can be anywere

[kaddie]

I don't want them to call in their order for heavy equipment. I want them to submit an order, I get the order with all their information, I get the shipping cost, then call or email them with the shipping cost and final total for their approval.

Thanks for your help Linda. Help in trying to resolve my issue is appreciated.

[Ajeh]

Then building customized shipping modules will really be the only solution for this ...

1 shipping module for Apparel Only is in the Cart

1 shipping module for 1 or more Heavy Products is in the Cart

Customization of UPS for when Apparel is in the Cart

Customization of USPS for when Apparel is in the Cart

Additional customization of UPS for when 1 or more Heavy Product(s) are in the Cart

Additional customization of USPS for when 1 or more Heavy Product(s) are in the Cart