Separate packaging for each unit

[w4mmp]

Hi,

I just realized that when a customer orders multiples of a given product, I assume the weight is totaled and then passed to the USPS shipping module for pricing. This will not work for a number of my products in that each unit of the product must be shipped in its own soft pack (USPS First class parcel or USPS Priority small box). In other words if the customer orders 3 of product A, each of the three units of product A must be shipped individually. How do I set this up?

(I hope that made sense). The shipping module is the USPS module.

Regards,
Ron

[kobra]

This will not work for a number of my products

Are all of these products in one category??

[w4mmp]

Thanks,
Yes,

Regards,
Ron

[kobra]

You might start here
https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread....for-1-category

[w4mmp]

You might start here
https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread....for-1-category

Hi,
I reviewed that thread and it is 8 pages long. I'm sure what the answer is. Let me refine the question a bit. The website has a list of products A,B,C,D. Product D needs a separate shipping charge added to the total shipping charge. The reason is, the actual order for item D is fulfilled by a third party. The third party fulfills the order and also ships the order for product D. Therefore, product has a separate and distinct shipping package apart from the parts of the order that I fulfill.
If the customer orders more than one of product D, the shipping charge may be the combined weight of product D (EX. QTY 2 x 0.125 = 0.25 = USPS $2.74). That is fine but again the shipping charge for item D needs to be added to the total shipping charge. So the total shipping charge for any single order maybe $4.50 (the total for the items I provide plus $2.74 the item(s) the third party supplies. I pay the third party to produce and ship the product.
The shipping module is USPS. The website is Omnia-sdr.com. The actual product name is "Omnia SDR Basic Coil Pack".

I really hope all this makes sense.
Regards,
Ron

[w4mmp]

That should have read: I'm sure NOT what the answer is.

[w4mmp]

Hi,

Any suggestions?
Regards,
Ron

[kobra]

If only this one item then I suggest that you add an attribute pre selected for additional handling

Also alter your text description and add attributes for the "band Plan" options

to something like this HERE

[w4mmp]

If only this one item then I suggest that you add an attribute pre selected for additional handling

Also alter your text description and add attributes for the "band Plan" options

to something like this HERE

Hi,
I like the idea of the attribute for the band plan options. When I can find a few moments to learn how to do that I will implement that suggestion.
However on separate shipping charge for a given product, I can't image why Zen Cart does not have that as an option somewhere. Seems to me that is a fairly common occurrence. What happens if a product requires a really big box or something along that line? Something (anything) that makes the shipping of the product unique and requires some type of special handling (and consequently special shipping charges).

Regards,
Ron

[RodG]

I can't image why Zen Cart does not have that as an option somewhere.

Two words spring to mind. "User Interface".

Seriously, what you are seeking isn't going to be *particularly* hard to achieve with code edits that can be made to alter the program flow/behaviour based on specific products or categories, but because every Zencart installation will have different products/categories, what mechanism do *you* see that would not only allow the easy 'tagging' for these products/categories, but how or where would you define the actual actions needed when they are identified?

If you search these forums you will find *many* practical examples as to the type of edits needed for this kind of thing - but ultimately, they are all specific (or need to be customised) for any given store due to the way the individual stores are configured, and the customers own specific needs and requirements.

I imagine that any 'user interface' that could handle these needs would probably end up being more complex to use than the code editing method. I could be wrong, but my mind boggles at the thought of even attempting to create such an interface.

If this in itself wasn't hard enough, for your needs you are going to need a major rewrite of the entire way that zencart handles the shipping - because 'internally' there is no mechanism to sum the shipping totals of a cart that contains products that need alternative shipping methods. - and should someone actually make this possible, I then wonder how these quotes will be presented to the customer (and recorded in the database so the merchant knows how the quote was derived). Again, this comes down to a 'user interface' issue.

This is one of those things that appears trivial on the surface, but as you dig deeper into it you will (hopefully) realise involves a lot more than you've already imagined.

Cheers
RodG