Stamps.com integration - Couple small bugs need addressing

[wildchick]

Does stamps.com include the package tare weight when putting in the weight automatically? B/c My test order, based off my admin weighed at .72 lbs. .72 lbs = 11.52 ounces. Stamps.com put in 10 ounces for the packages.

My tare weight is .1

so that is .62 lbs (9.92 ounces) which stamps.com calculated. Is what I am saying true?

[RixStix]

I've found the shipping weights to be quite accurate. Yes, what you say seems to be correct. The customer is charged the total including tare. It gives you a bit of surplus for those times that there is an unforeseen issue and/or includes the weight of the packaging.

Refresh actually does nothing. My expected response when I click that button is "Go get all orders right now and refresh the batch". That's not what it does. You just have to wait until a normal Stamps.com refresh cycle. You can help things by

• within batch
• click manage
• click edit
• click "Show system info"
• Set "Max hours" to 24
• Save

That will prevent Stamps.com from attempting to download all orders for the past 7 days and 1 day into the future every time their server checks for new orders.

An unknown fact:
If you send customers an order shipping confirmation email from the Stamps.com software, the Order Details are automatically appended to the email. If you use Zen-cart attributes, the order details WILL BE WRONG. That's a bug that was confirmed today. If you use the checkbox to NOT send order details, Order details will be sent regardless. That's also a bug confirmed today. That checkbox currently does nothing. That's a result of a 2 hour phone call with the Stamps.com zencart plugin guru. You wouldn't believe how many grumpy customers call when the shipping confirmation details does not match their order.

Per Stamps.com the following is not an accurate statement. All of those items are not available as options and are not currently being addressed.

Whereas International has this:
Global Express
Global Express Non-Doc Rect
Global Express Non-Doc Non-Rect
USPS GXG Envelopes
Express Mail Int
Express Mail Int Flat Rate Env
Express Mail Int Legal
Priority Mail International
Priority Mail Int Flat Rate Env
Priority Mail Int Flat Rate Small Box
Priority Mail Int Flat Rate Med Box
Priority Mail Int Flat Rate Lrg Box
Priority Mail Int DVD
Priority Mail Int Lrg Video
Priority Mail Int Legal Flat Rate Env
Priority Mail Int Padded Flat Rate Env
Priority Mail Int Gift Card Flat Rate Env
Priority Mail Int Small Flat Rate Env
First Class Mail Int Lrg Env
First Class Mail Int Package
First Class Mail Int Letter

[wildchick]

Interesting. I always had hoped stamps.com would work the way I want it when I hit refresh. This is a big downer. Seems so simple not to make it sync all the details.


I am looking into Trueship and shiprush. Both seem like great programs.

The funny thing is I found out about trueship from stamps.com(they were advertising it). And shiprush requires you get a membership from stamps.com for usps postage. I think I will check out shiprush b/c they seem to have a lot of user videos online on youtube.

If you have any info on these two programs, please share.

ps shiprush does not use encidia for shipping, they use stamps.com. So perhaps its included for us to use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjA9eTIC1qc This video got me sold on it and gave me some huge inspiration on owning a massive warehouse one day.

[RixStix]

ps shiprush does not use encidia for shipping, they use stamps.com. So perhaps its included for us to use.

Actually, it's the other way around. Endicia uses the exact same ShipRush files that Stamps.com uses. The difference is in how Endicia and Stamps.com implement the code within their systems.

One day, being ticked off at Stamps.com, I created an Endicia account and took the software for a testdrive. I didn't even have to edit the files used by Stamps.com because they were identical... down to the token and admin settings. It was an easy decision to remove all traces of Endicia and resume using Stamps.com

I always had hoped stamps.com would work the way I want it when I hit refresh.

The automated order fetch is actually much more frequent than it was a year ago; possibly 1 hour or less intervals.

One thing that is very useful to me is that Stamps.com Insurance is less than USPS insurance and can be applied to EVERY class of postage, domestic and international..... unlike the USPS insurance.

[wildchick]

Does anyone know how to make the free shipping option in zen-cart to be considered Priority mail by stamps.com batch mode.

Usually, stamps.com turns free shipping option into first class mail. I now need it to be priority mail. Its very tedious to go through each customers order to see who did free shipping so i can turn it into Priority mail.

Thanks!

[jasmel]

Does anyone know how to make the free shipping option in zen-cart to be considered Priority mail by stamps.com batch mode.

Usually, stamps.com turns free shipping option into first class mail. I now need it to be priority mail. Its very tedious to go through each customers order to see who did free shipping so i can turn it into Priority mail.

Thanks!

I would be interested in this as well. - Would like to offer free shipping during the last week before Christmas.

*as a user of Stamps.com I am pretty impressed with their support. I have actually received multiple calls from them. Some concerning Zen-Cart and Priority shipments, and others with eBay and how all orders from eBay have the same ID number which is the listing ID and not the unique ID for the actual order. They are working on a fix for this as I am writing this post.

I have been using the presets for Priority Padded, Priority Sm Box, and Priority Video Box - I had help with a customer service agent that helped me even create a preset for International orders. Now I just checkbox all International and go to Apply: and drop down to International and click. Poof! all international packages have been set to International with my customs numbers etc... preloaded. All I have to do is fine tune the other small details if needed.

in Summary:
I would be interested in finding out how to code the free shipping to show up as Priority as well. - Would like to offer free shipping during the last week before Christmas. (I do know how to set a preset to change all orders to Priority if I have too)

[WebKat]

Before I invest a lot of time looking into how this integration works, I want to ask: Does it work with Zen Cart 1.5.0?

[RixStix]

I'm still using v1.3.9h but

I configured the Stamps.com ecommerce files for zencart, uploaded to my v1.5 Sandbox server root folder and Added a new zencart tab within the Stamps.com desktop software yesterday.

Stamps.com appears to be functioning as expected with zencart V1.5 without SSL enabled. I don't have an SSL cert for my sandbox and I am not ready to begin the v1.5 update on our live site just yet.

As far as the time that it takes to integrate the files; it takes longer to download the Stamps.com desktop software, setup an account with them and get it configured than it takes to edit the Add-in files and FTP them up to your server's root folder. Editing the files is only changing the ADMIN folder name and pasting the "TOKEN" that you have generated for the password into the file.

[WebKat]

How does the integration actually work? This is for a client's site who currently has a Stamps.com account that he copy/pastes the info into from his order email... does the integration allow for him to do something like click a button and be taken to Stamps.com with the info filled in already?

[RixStix]

Setup is pretty simple.

• Download the Stamps.com eccomerce zipfiles
• Unzip
• Edit one file by changing the admin folder name and replace the "Token". Instructions are included on how to generate the 31 digit Token (password)
• FTP the fileset to the root folder. Actually there are only 4 files related to zencart, so you do not have to ftp the entire fileset.
• DONE. There is NO button for to be clicked within zencart.

Everything else is from within the Stamps.com desktop application.
There is a "Batch" tab under the "Print Postage" section.

• Setup involves creating a zencart profile within Batch and entering the website URL and "Token".
• I select a couple of radio settings to "HIDE POSTAGE VALUE" from the label so the customer doesn't see the actual price that I paid for postage. "Send Email notification" so the customer receives a notice with tracking number (if applicable)
• Change "Max hours of data to download" with each refresh cycle to 24. Otherwise, Stamps.com will check for new orders 1 day into the future and 4 days into the past on every refresh cycle.

You're done. Everything from this point on is a Stamps.com function.

• Launch Stamps.com & login.
• Click "Batch"
• Click "Refresh"
• All zencart orders with a status of "Processing" will be imported. Address info, postage class info, total order weight, basic order details, etc.

• Verify the postage options for the individual orders. After a while, you'll know if they need editing.
• Select the orders to have postage printed.
• Load the printer with labels.
• Select the label type within Stamps.com
• Click Print.

One thing that happens is Stamps.com updates the files VERY often. Most times, there are zero changes to the zencart files. If something stops working, the first thing that they require you to do is update the fileset even if there were no changes to the zencart files. Actually, Stamps.com doesn't write the software. They just use the same software ShipRush develops and contracts to Stamps.com, Endicia and others.