USPS Shipping Module Calculating Issues

[Einstin]

I know that for the last 6 months this module has taken a beating, but I'm having issues not related to them changing the api (again).

My problem deals more with the package calculation as far as weight and size. Many of the items we ship will fit in the regualr flat rate envelope as they are documents. Other items are hard goods and while they may be light and fall into the flat rate envelope as far as the weight goes but physically they need to go in a regular priority mail box or flat rate box instead. So far this has cost me a couple of dollars on domestic but in the last couple weeks it has cost me the $12 difference several times. Customers are of course going to pick the cheaper shipping rate that shows up on the cart screen. I had one tonight that a person in Norway ordered half a dozen items and total only weighed 1.68lbs. He chose the flat rate express envelope of course as the method and the cart let him pay for it and proceeded right on through to order completion. In reality though I am shortchanged on this because his merchandise won't fit the flat rate envelope but will fit in the flat rate box. Because of this there is a $12 difference on the service rate that I will wind up eating unless he is gracious enough to pay the extra shipping and not get mad and just cancel the order.

Is there a way to modify my catalog that if and item is purchased that disqualifies it from using certain shipping methods or services? Pretty much everything we ship is through USPS and Priority Mail.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Ajeh]

You would need a way to some how identify the Products and what methods they are allowed and then decide what happens when there is a mixed cart or a quantity issue etc.

If you just want to say, IF this product is in the cart then don't offer this shipping method ... you could do so with whatever the identifier is ...

If you don't have something to identify this, then you would either want to add a new field for this or a new table with the products_id and then some identifier meaning ... don't do this or only do that ...

[Einstin]

That's pretty much the idea. I thought at first that mabey the product types field could be used but apparently that is related only to the categories. I wouldn't mind adding an extra table to the db or perhaps just an indicator field to one of the existing tables. My php coding though is minimal at best and I would need help on this. I guess it would be considered something like a minimal requirement for a level of service type scenario. Perhaps adding a field into the product setup page down by where the weight is entered. Set it like other things are set in zc like a 0,1,2,... etc type setting. Have it correlate to something like flat rate envelope=0, flat rate box=1, variable weight=2, ect. Then again it also involves what shipping service providers a cart owner uses. I have seen similar posts along the lines of use X provider for up to XXlbs and Y provider for all =>XXlbs. Thats assuming of course that they don't change services on us again.

I know this could very easily be a complex one but I think that with the number of related and similar posts I have read through over the last year and especially since last May that it may be one worth looking into. If nothgin else then somethign to consider for the next major release.

[Ajeh]

We have lots of things on the Fun Things to Do List ... we work them in to the releases as we can ...

Controlling Product shipping is in there somewhere ... but no clue when someday might be ...