force shipping type by item, limiting some product to certain countries

Newby here. I'm not very comfortable with how shipping works.

I turned on the UPS and USPS shipping modules but I think maybe I should turn off the usps one because I don't want it up to the customer to decide which one to use, just me for certain items. Can that be done by item/category/product? Preferably by item.

Can I have a product require a certain shipping method type different from the rest? (ie - books USPS only, bulky boxes boxes UPS, TV's FedEX?)

Can I set up, by item/catagory/product type, which countries it can be sold and/or shipped to? I have a lot of product I'm not allowed to ship out of the country. Maybe some countries will be OK in the future, so I would like to be able to add them to the products list(attribute?) in the future.

This would need to have additional customization done to the shipping modules to determine which shipping module should run when ...

Consider what happens when there is an order that has both USPS and UPS products in the order?

Good point-no wonder the usps is going out of business!

Can I set up, by item/catagory/product type, which countries it can be sold and/or shipped to? I have a lot of product I'm not allowed to ship out of the country. Maybe some countries will be OK in the future, so I would like to be able to add them to the products list(attribute?) in the future.

This is not built into Zen Cart, at this time ... you could, however, develop the code for this to manage what products can or cannot be shipped out of the country ...

There are a few considerations ...

You could use the flag or field that manages this to also indicate that the product is for the US only ...

You also want a test to be managed by shipping address, which is not necessarily the customer address ...

So there needs to be a test to manage when the customer changes their addess or something to tell them that the current order cannot be shipped outside the US and perhaps indicate which products are only for the US ...

While this is not difficult code to write, it is detailed code to be written so that it covers ease and clarification for the customer to manage the order and shipping address ...

Oh no! Sounds like I'm screwed. This doesn't sound good... Let me rephrase it:

Is there any way to make sure I only sell to people who buy from and ship to the US? IE just do business in the US???

Same answer?

The easiest way to only ship to the US is to make a Zone for where you do ship and add it to all of your shipping modules ...

This will prevent anyone from checking out without an address that matches that Zone ...

NOTE: when making a US Zone you should consider if you mean ALL of the US which includes all US Territories, Islands and Armed Forces or just the 50 States plus DC or just the 48 ...

Phew, it sounds more possible now, but I don't fully understand yet. That sounds like what I need, and, yes, anywhere in the US (US Islands etc) should be fine. If I have only one shipping Module, UPS, (lets keep it simple for now), how do go about doing this and how involved is it?

To make a Zone for ALL of the United States, including ALL US Territories, Islands and Armed Forces ...

Go to Locations / Taxes ... Zones Definitions ...

Click INSERT ...

Zone Name: US Shipping
Description: US Shipping Only

Click INSERT ...

Click DETAILS ...

Click INSERT ...

Country: United States
Zone: All Zones

Click INSERT ...

Now, go to each shipping module in the Modules ... Shipping ... and EDIT each one and where you see the Zone, set the Zone to be the new Zone ...

This will only allow people with Shipping Addresses for that Zone to complete the checkout ...

Thanks Linda,
Just to be sure:
I already had a zone Massachusetts created to (try) to insure that those with a massachusett address would be charged mass sales tax (and no others).

I did what you said but when I get to this in UPS shipping which was green/enabled/OK (The only one I wish to use):

Shipping Zone
If a zone is selected, only enable this shipping method for that zone.

and I changed it from Massachusetts to US

It changed to yellow.

I think I may need to redo my tax setting? I only wish to charge any tax (Mass sales tax) to people shipped to here in Mass, because that's the only state where I have a physical presence. (that's my understanding of how it works when you sell on the internet now anyway).

So now my cart may be inop. It actually loks like it's working even with the module yellow? Help please! :oops:

Yellow just means, in this case, that there is a filter or Zone on the shipping module ...

Make sure that the one you set to the US Shipping Zone is:

Shipping Zone
If a zone is selected, only enable this shipping method for that zone.

is...what? I set it to "all zones" in the UPS shipping module.

I can't express myself typing very well, sorry, and I can't paste screen shots here either can I? I'm worried / :unsure:

To only ship to US, and only tax people in Taxachusetts, recap:

I have two zone definitions set up in locations / taxes - zone deffinitions:

zone name=Masschusetts, zone description=massachusetts sales tax, status =green (number of zones=1, number of rates=1)
and
zone name=US shipping, zone description=US shipping only, status=yellow (number of zones=1, number of rates=0)

Then in tax rates(only one entry):
Priority=0, Tax Class=Taxable Goods, Zone=Massachusetts, Tax Rate=6.25%

Sound right?

Okay on the Zone Definition you have the yellow icon as there is no tax rate ... this is correct ... you do not want a Tax rate set on your Zone Definition for shipping ...

On the shipping module(s), when you set the Zone, you will also see the yellow icon to indicate that you have set a Zone on it ... meaning that the shipping module is now limited to those in the Zone, in this case the US Shipping Zone that you created ...

Thanks, I think I'm all set then! :clap:

BTW, should I wish to add more countries to my shipping area, what would be the best way to do it?

Add to the Zone you just made anywhere that you ship to and it will work ...

You could also rename it from US Shipping to Shipping or Fred or Harry ... :smile:

If I understand this correctly, then I no longer need the Massachusetts zone definition, and no longer need the Massachusetts zone, because the one I just created includes all zones in the US, correct? Is that the way this works?

You DO need the Mass Zone for your Tax Rate as you DO want to charge taxes for Mass folks right?

Yes, I do want to charge Mass residents tax.

Yes, I do want to charge Mass residents tax. But why do I need the Mass Zone Definition, when the US Shipping zone already includes a sub-zone called US Shipping Only which includes "All zones", and Mass has a Tax Rate entered under Tax Rates? Shouldn't the "All Zones" already pick that up without the separate Massachusetts Zone Definition?

Your Products are setup for a Tax Rate and that tax rate is linked to your Zone for just Mass and that Zone has a Tax definition on it ...

This has nothing to do with your shipping ... you shipping is setup for who is allowed to be shipped to ...

Your Tax is separate and determines who is to be taxed ...

These are two different Zone Definitions ...

Example, if I wanted to tax all Florida addresses I would build a Florida Zone definition then add the Tax Rate to it set to Taxable Goods ... now anyone matching my "tax zone definition" will be charged tax ...

But for shipping, I want to allow all of the US, so I make a separate Zone just for shipping and add that to all of my shipping modules so that only people from my "shipping zone defintion" can checkout when their shipping address matches my "shipping zone definition" ...

So in total, I have 2 Zone Definitions ... 1 for the Tax and 1 for the Shipping ...

Ahhhh , Grasshopper get it now.
Thanks Linda!