Shipping questions

[Rakuda]

Does the Zen Cart book help with shipping at all? I can not get the answears I need here and I have searched the net for days now.
I am just not understanding something,so I thought if I bought the book it help.
So is the book worth owning to learn about shipping?

Thanks

[schoolboy]

As the author of the zencart book did not know YOUR SPECIFIC shipping requirements before he wrote the book, he could not include a chapter designed and written ONLY FOR YOU.

How naughty of him to write his book without contacting you first !

Most people have some unique needs for shipping. If you explain what you require, someone may have a solution.

You need to be ACCURATE in how you describe your needs.

[Rakuda]

As the author of the zencart book did not know YOUR SPECIFIC shipping requirements before he wrote the book, he could not include a chapter designed and written ONLY FOR YOU.

How naughty of him to write his book without contacting you first !

Most people have some unique needs for shipping. If you explain what you require, someone may have a solution.

You need to be ACCURATE in how you describe your needs.

It amazes me that somebody with 7,249 post doesnt have any manners. And can not even read the question.

So I guess you do not have the book then,all I am asking about is the basic shipping options all ready installed inside zen cart,no add ons or anything fancy.

See this is what i wanted to know,does anybody have the book? but I get an answear that has nothing to do with me questions.
I am not interested in buying the book if it only has 2 pages on the shipping.
So is the book worth it?

[mek113]

I'm with you Rakuda...I have everything else configured in my shopping cart but don't have a clue where to even start on shipping as there is nothing in tutorials, etc.

[green couch designs]

The book has a chapter devoted to shipping but doesn't really help with any shipping modules such as FedEx. For those you need to rely on the forums and module authors. That being said I think the book is worthwhile, I recommend it to my clients who are using Zen Cart for the first time.

[RodG]

It amazes me that somebody with 7,249 post doesnt have any manners. And can not even read the question.

I apologise for schoolboys apparent lack of manners. It was naughty of him to have not given you a full psyche evaluation before posting a response that may have caused offense.

Shame, shame, shame. LOL.

I must say that you didn't exactly set a good example either. Like so many others, you didn't get an answer you liked so you responded by attacking the person that was trying to help.

I can't think of any better way to ensure that other people that *could* help will simply ignore your questions lest they get the same treatment.

Schoolboy gave the best advice possible by explaining why you are unlikely to find your answers in the book, and what you need to do to get the answers you require.

Seriously Rakuda, if you can't take cold hard facts like this without getting upset you should reconsider your life and your future. You are nowhere near ready to deal with the harsh realities of eCommerce.

Darn it. Now *I've* gone and upset you (Schoolboy did it by accident, For me it just comes natural) :)

Rod

[RodG]

I'm with you Rakuda...I have everything else configured in my shopping cart but don't have a clue where to even start on shipping as there is nothing in tutorials, etc.

We'd be more than happy to help you too, but as Rakuda was told "Most people have some unique needs for shipping. If you explain what you require, someone may have a solution".

So, how about it... do you want help/advice are are we just going to sit here a complain about the fact that the book doesn't (and cannot) cover every possible shipping requirement for all users?

Rod

[schoolboy]

Rod and I are even rude to each other sometimes...

I have written MANY posts on shipping, and others (particularly AJEH) has written about a hundred times as many posts as I have.

A logical search for certain shipping requirements might reveal what you are after.

Basically, you cannot really configure your shipping accurately UNTIL/UNLESS you know exactly HOW your fulfilment and logistics will work in practice.

It is important (in my opinion) to configure shipping rates accurately, because incorrect rates will either:

1. frighten your customers away if they are too expensive
2. make you bankrupt by eating into your profit margins, if they are too cheap.

So...

Step one is to work out as accurately as possible, WHAT it will cost you to ship something, TO somebody at some PLACE in the world.

If you use a courier, then you will find that they base their rates (largely) on the following:

1. The WEIGHT (or size) of the consignment - often referred to as the VOLUMETRIC WEIGHT.
2. The DISTANCE it is to be transported.
3. The METHOD of transport (air, sea, land, camel, horse, cleft-stick...)
4. The SPEED with which it needs to be transported.

So you have all these VARIABLES to play with. If you intend to use more than one shipper, you actually introduce a further variable...

However, when you know how you intend to ship goods, you can start looking at modules that best help you, in the way they handle all the variables that are particular to your needs.

As Rod says... let us know WHAT you are trying to achieve, and we may be in a position to assist.


By the way... the section on shipping in the book is actually very good... as is the rest of the book. I STILL refer to my copy, which I have now had for 5 years.