Setting Shipping prices by Zone and Weight

[westseedfarm]

I am trying to set up a shipping matrix and it is proving to be very difficult.

I want to create multiple zones and multiple weights per zone. The way I have set it up, I enter .2 in as the weight of the item, and eventually .2 adds up to 1 oz. This way, a customer can order 5 items and only get charged for 1 ounce. Certain items weight 2 oz, 3 oz and so on. I need to create domestic and international zones because the price is different per each zone, but I need to base it on product weight. Just look at this picture to see what I am describing.

I need to set up a system where I can create a custom price/zone that increases incrementally, based on prices I manually enter.

How can I go about doing this?

[westseedfarm]

I am trying to set up a shipping matrix and it is proving to be very difficult.

I want to create multiple zones and multiple weights per zone. The way I have set it up, I enter .2 in as the weight of the item, and eventually .2 adds up to 1 oz. This way, a customer can order 5 items and only get charged for 1 ounce. Certain items weight 2 oz, 3 oz and so on. I need to create domestic and international zones because the price is different per each zone, but I need to base it on product weight. Just look at this picture to see what I am describing.

I need to set up a system where I can create a custom price/zone that increases incrementally, based on prices I manually enter.

How can I go about doing this?

No one knows the answer?

[schoolboy]

OK... so looking at your matrix, the TOP ROW - 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16+ references the WEIGHT and I assume these are OUNCES?

And looking at the matrix, I would say that a consignment shipped to CANADA that weighs MORE than 4 ounces, but LESS than 6 ounces, would cost 4.64 ...

Am I right so far? Please let me know. then we can work further on this...

[schoolboy]

And of course (sadly) the USA still works in POUNDS AND OUNCES !

Just why an advanced economy sticks to a system that was invented in the Dark Ages is always a mystery, but there you are... a first-world country that has failed to appreciate the advantages of decimalisation.

What this means of course, is that you CANNOT apply the principles of decimal math, when your number base is 16 - (16oz=1LB)

So your value of 0.2 is really saying "0.2 of one pound" which is 16 divided by 5 - or "one-fifth of 16 ounces".

One ounce - as a decimal (1/16) is 0.0625
Two ounces - as a decimal (2/16 or 1/8) is 0.125

Here are the values:
1oz - 0.0625
2oz - 0.125
3oz - 0.1875
4oz - 0.25
5oz - 0.3125
6oz - 0.375
7oz - 0.4375
8oz - 0.5
9oz - 0.5625
12oz - 0.75
11oz - 0.6875
12oz - 0.75
13oz - 0.8125
14oz - 0.875
15oz - 0.9375
16oz - 1


SO... if you have a product that has a nett weight of 11 ounces, you put 0.6875 into the WEIGHT FIELD in the product ADD/EDIT screen.

When you get this part of the project finished, you can start to work out your matrix.

[SteveNkc]

Schoolboy, along the same lines of thought, if an item is marked as 0.6 pounds, is it necessary to go out to the full decimal point of 0.6875 or 0.75?

The reason I ask is recently when people have selected shipping by weight it seems USPS miscalculates the shipping. It is often more like they have dropped the decimal point altogether so that 0.6 pounds is estimated like 6 pounds.

Steve

[schoolboy]

I do not have experience of how USPS and UPS handle the variables in their calculations... So I cannot advise here. I do know that if I want to represent 11 ounces in decimal notation, then I need the full 0.6875 ... I cannot "round it off" because then it is no longer 11 ounces...

If someone orders 20 of the same item, and it weighs 11 ounces (20 X 0.6875), the consignment weight adds up to 13lbs 12oz .

If you round the decimal to 0.6, then the consignment will be calculated to weigh (20 X 0.6) 12lbs ... a full 1lb 12oz UNDER the actual weight...

I suppose you could all start lobbying Pres Obama to kick out pounds and ounces, and go metric like most of the civilised world has done...

Here in the UK, we have similar issues. While the OFFICIAL weights system is KG, the British still talk in pounds and ounces, and they will happily tell you that they weigh "nine stone" - down from "11 stone" before they wen on diet.

What the heck is a "stone" ?

The only stone I know is one that's lying on the ground, that you can pick up to chuck at somebody.