Proper UPS shipping calculation?

[Zaphod77]

For starters, there's diemnsional weight versus actual weight, and I see nothing in the UPS shipping moduel for handling dimensional weight.

Now here are the issues.

SOME products will always be shipped in their own box, while others will be packaged together.

Weight is NOT the sole determination of what can be grouped, and how much.

this person sells surplus computer stuff of various types.

For example, many memory chips could be packaged in one box, while a flat panel monitor, while not that heavy, will most likely get it's own box.

"Dimensional weight' of the products themselves (which vary widely) is also a consideration on how many can be packed in a single box to save on shipping.

Additionally, since this is all surplus and used stuff, some of which is stuffed into a miscellaneous category, items will go into and out of stock on a regular basis. This of course makes things even more complicated.

His original ebay store I'm replacing simply had all items bought individually (had a cart size of 1) and adjustments were made during paypal checkout manually to account for things. I of course need to be able to automate this.

As I understand it, when an order goes over the maximum shipping weight, then it is split into multiple boxes. But what if a single item is over the max? is it unshippable, or deos it simply mean that anything weighing above the max automatically gets it's own box?

And how to figure dimensional item weight into the calculations? (what about items that won't all fit into the same box, even though the total is below the max weight?)

For starters, i just want to implement a simple rule of "any item with X weight or greater gets it's own box, and any set of items uder X weight gets boxed together". And i also need to somehow figure the dimensional weight of the shipping boxes into the UPS shipping calculation.

[oxxyfx]

Hey,

Any update on this? I just lost about 70 dollars because UPS quoted the customer on actual weight and not the dimensional weight.

The package is about 5kg actual weight, but the size is 170x45x40cm. the Dimensional weight is calculated 44kg.

Is there any solution to this problem? I am really dying to earn money, not to give away... :)

Thank you,
Ox.

[Kim]

Adjust your shipping weights to correspond to the shipping price - and don't show the weight to your customers.

[oxxyfx]

Thank you Kim, I alreadyd did that, however UPS reports the following:

Available Shipping Methods Rates
United Parcel Service (1 pkg x 42.00 kgs total) (UPS Standard, ETA: December 17, 2007) $85.46

where it shouws the weight of the package... Which is actually the dimensional weight.

With this method Canadapost falls out of the order, because they cannot ship anything which exceeds 30kg's.

Thank you, Oxy.

[dereknunez]

Adjusting the shipping rates would be a disaster! Most of the time the weight is correct. Occassionally an order will go in an odd shaped box, triggering UPS DIM weights.

Can anyone explain how to correctly account for the ocassional box that gets charged by UPS DIM weight? We lose lots of money when UPS charges by the DIM weight.

Derek
www.accentannex.com