Question. How many hows have you spent (so far) trying to get a suitable shipping solution? How much per hour are you charging the client for the effort that you are putting in?
Lets assume 4 hours @AU$25 p/h - Cost to the client so far = $100. Cost to the client if they allowed you to install the ozpost module ~$100.
You still don't have a viable solution.
OK, so ozpost requires a yearly subscription. Australia Post tend to increase their prices twice a year (around April & November), if you use a zone/table rate system you (or someone) will need to update this data twice a year. Who is going to pay for that, and will those costs exceed the ozpost annual subscription? Perhaps not if you do it, but personally I charge between $80-$100p/h for this kind of support (Yeah, I think I'm worth it. I can solve problems in 30 minutes that will take a less experienced person several hours). 30+ experience goes a long way.
My advice to you if the customer can't be convinced of the benefit of the ozpost service - Use the old/hacked 'AustPost module'. It does work well most of the time (after all, I created it with the same philosophy as the ozpost modules). its biggest issue being that the Australia Post quotation server is notoriously unreliable and a single point of failure (ozpost uses 3 independent servers so as to not replicate the flaws of the Australia Post servers/system), and that the Australia Post servers don't supply quotes for their satchels - The AustPost module has these rates 'hard coded' (so they need to be kept up to date. Not a difficult task, but something to be aware of). The packing algorithms used in the AustPost module aren't as good as the current ozpost methods either - so 'minimal' quotes for a given parcel can't be assured, but they are still good enough for most clients' needs.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that if ozpost isn't suitable for your client, your next best option really is the AustPost module (for ease of use and minimal maintenance). Zone/Table rates are (in my experience) difficult to maintain, and depending on the packing algorithms used they are prone to quotation errors - sometimes underquoting, sometimes over quoting. It is the packing code that is the most complex part of any shipping module (which is why most will quote purely on weight alone, and where the errors tend to occur).
Just a little more food for thought.
Cheers
RodG
Bookmarks