trouble figuring out shipping ...

I am selling items that would each need a different flat rate set for them, but if they purchased multiple items, the shipping would combine.

However it's not something that weight will work for so much ... as I'd be selling some items that can be shipped in a regular mailing envelope and then others that would vary in weight and need to be shipped as a boxed package.

I am SO lost with the shipping and with each thing I'm reading I just get so confused when I go back to my zen cart.

If I could set a zone for a product category - that might work, but I for the life of me can't see how to link a zone with a product or a category.

I am just so confused - ack!

It may not be the best solution but, on my site i have based the cost of each item by placing a numeric value in the weight field, and on my shipping rules i have a rang

ie product weight as 1.5

and then in my shipping rates i hava the below (snippet)

0:0.00,1:1.00,1.5:1.50, 2:2.00,2.5:2.50,3:3.00, 3.5:3.50,4:4.00,4.5:4.50, 5:5.00,5.5:5.50,6:6.00, 6.5:6.50,7:7.00,7.5:7.50, 8:8.00,8.5:8.50,9:9.00, 9.5:9.50,10:10.00, 10.5:10.50,11:11.00, 11.5:11.50,12:12.00, 12.5:12.50,13:13.00, 13.5:13.50,14:14.00, 14.5:14.50,15:15.00, 15.5:15.50,16:16.00, 16.5:16.50,17:17.00, 17.5:17.50,18:18.00, 18.5:18.50,19:19.00, 19.5:19.50,20:20.00, 20.5:20.50,21:21.00, 21.5:21.50,22:22.00, 22.5:22.50,23:23.00, 23.5:23.50,24:24.00, 24.5:24.50,25:25.00, 25.5:25.50,26:26.00, 26.5:26.50,27:27.00, 27.5:27.50,28:28.00, 28.5:28.50,29:29.00, 29.5:29.50,30:30.00, 30.5:30.50,31:31.00, 31.5:31.50,32:32.00, 32.5:32.50,33:33.00, 33.5:33.50,34:34.00, 34.5:34.50,35:35.00

so if i know something costs £1.50 i just set the weight of the item to 1.5, if its £3 then the weight is set to 3 and so on

not the hest way but it works perfect for me

Rob

Ohh thank you! I think I understand!

You are using the table rate module then right?

And it's then set to weight, and so when you add in the weight for the item ... you set it for the shipping price for that weight, if am understanding correctly.

Do you have it set for order or for box?

If I understand it ... order means per item, and box means multiple items per one payment or am I getting that wrong?

yes im using the table rate to calculate the cost per item based on the weight of the item, well thats what i have my site set up to do, however i do not display the weight field on the site, this is purely so i can calculate a postage cost per item

i'm sure its not the best way to do it, but it works for me, although i only sell books, gifts and dvds

as for prices for boxes im not to sure what you mean, if its something you choose whether to send out in a box, does the customer really need to know whether its a box or not? just this is what it will cost to post the items in the basket

multiple items would add the postage costs together, ie (im using my site for example) if a customer buys a dvd and i have the weight as 1.5 and they add a book with a weight value of 2.5 then using my scale in my previous post would set the delivery costs for the the order to be £4.00 (1.5 + 2.5 making the postage weight 4)
you could do something similar for your mailed items and then your items going out in boxes, just set a weight that would cover what price you want to charge

in short yes, multiple items in your basket would have all their weights added together and then your table rate would calculate one postage cost for the entire order

if you have different rates for different areas then use the zone rates in the shipping modules or use a table rate based on weight

Rob