I want to sell pre/advance orders - shipping issue?

Hi,

I hope someone can help or at least point me in the right direction. We want to sell calendars for 2008 but we would love for customers to start buying them now so we then have an idea of the number to print then ship later in the year.

I thought we could just put it in a normal product with weight etc and just treat it like a backorder but I was hoping for something a little easier to handle as we need to have the shipping to be worked out just for that item and not to be included in with the rest of the order's shipping until such time we are selling the calendar as a normal stocked item. (when we have them in stock)

Any suggestions???!!!

Figure the shipping into the price of the calendar and give "free" shipping on them for ordering now

Hi there
This not a ZC solution but simply what we do with forward orders.

1. We enter order as normal
2. Print order and place in Forward Orders File
3. For all production/shipping planning etc. we record this orders in a spreadsheet.

Kim:

Figure the shipping into the price of the calendar and give "free" shipping on them for ordering now

That would be good if we only had US customers but we have customers all over the world. But it is something we can look into. Thanks

wolfsz:

Hi there
This not a ZC solution but simply what we do with forward orders.

1. We enter order as normal
2. Print order and place in Forward Orders File
3. For all production/shipping planning etc. we record this orders in a spreadsheet.

Thanks that is an option but we were hoping for a zencart solution that would be easier. I am sure that I am not the only person thinking of having this in their store.

Any other suggestions?

Has anyone got a solution for my request that is intergrated into zencart. Please I really need your advice....

I'm not sure what the unanswered question is.

You asked about taking pre-orders. Zen Cart can do that fine.
You mentioned the need to properly calculate shipping on those products. Zen Cart also does that fine.
You mentioned that shipping needs to consider that customers may be international. Zen Cart can handle that fine too, provided you've set up shipping rates for international destinations.

What "solution" were you hoping for ?

DrByte:

I'm not sure what the unanswered question is.

You asked about taking pre-orders. Zen Cart can do that fine.
You mentioned the need to properly calculate shipping on those products. Zen Cart also does that fine.
You mentioned that shipping needs to consider that customers may be international. Zen Cart can handle that fine too, provided you've set up shipping rates for international destinations.

What "solution" were you hoping for ?

What I am trying to have Zencart do is take order from customers regarding a calendar that will be sent out in September/October but selling now.

1. Some customers might make it very easy for me and just buy the calendar, so if I have the weight in the product then the shipping will be worked out (I get that). Just like any other product. Then I will keep it as processing (if payment is received) then when the calendars are available for shipping then I will send out. This is not a problem.

2. But what happens if the customer buys the preorder for the calendar and also buys something else? How do I set the system so there is two shipping packages and I can set part of the order as delivered and the calendar portion as processing? This is the problem that I can see.

If you can help with situation 2. I would be very grateful!

supersnow:

2. But what happens if the customer buys the preorder for the calendar and also buys something else? How do I set the system so there is two shipping packages and I can set part of the order as delivered and the calendar portion as processing? This is the problem that I can see.

If you can help with situation 2. I would be very grateful!

Zen Cart does not handle "splitting" orders.

If you charge them for the entire order up-front (including shipping), then you could conceivably just ship the calendar when it's ready.
Or, if you want to only charge the "calendar" portion "later", charge the shipping "now" with the rest of the order, and just charge for the calendar when it's ready.
Either way, it's more administration.

Naturally, if the customer were to place separate orders, it'd be more convenient.
You might check out the "Super Orders" mod, which allows you to split line-items on packing slip.

DrByte:

Zen Cart does not handle "splitting" orders.

If you charge them for the entire order up-front (including shipping), then you could conceivably just ship the calendar when it's ready.
Or, if you want to only charge the "calendar" portion "later", charge the shipping "now" with the rest of the order, and just charge for the calendar when it's ready.
Either way, it's more administration.

Naturally, if the customer were to place separate orders, it'd be more convenient.
You might check out the "Super Orders" mod, which allows you to split line-items on packing slip.

Yes we need to split the orders and yes I did know that zen cart's core doesn't allow that. So if this "super orders" mod allows the splitting of the orders then this might be our solution. Does the "super orders" mod allow for you to set that most of the order has gone and keep track of the items that have not been sent.

Because now that we have been discussing it, this seems to be solution. We just want to make sure that we don't miss any order once the calendars are available.

Our biggest need to to set the portion of the order that we can send and will subsequently send to be indicated in zencart as delivered and then have the calendar portion sitting there waiting until such time we have the stock and then we can do a filter to find all the orders for the calendars. Do you know if "super order" does that?

Thanks