Large variety of package sizes, no way to accurately calculate shipping??

Theo77
Tourist
4 0 0

We sell items that range from 5" x 5" x 10" boxes of 3lb, to roof top tents that need freight. In between those we have many items that are "large package" UPS category boxes: 36" x 16" x 39" at 110-135lbs. 

We are at a loss for how to truly manage our customer's shopping experience with the complete lack of options available on Shopify for this variety of products. 

We are seriously considering simply spending a few days of our lives doing a few hundred variations of shipping zones + product + size category, to calculate our likely cost to company and adding it as "flat shipping" based on the state the order comes from. I am guessing about 1000 iterations. 

How on earth is this possibly the only viable solution I am facing in 2020 when I have seen this exact issue from hundred of different board posts spanning the last 3 years? 

UPS is extremely clear on how to calculate shipping charges. Why on earth can we not have a default package size identified for each product? Why is Shopify limited to a single package size for ALL products on my Shopify product list? Am I missing something?

Replies 3 (3)

NicolaH
Visitor
1 0 0

Not sure if this will help but under Shipping - go to Manage Rates and then you will see all your products and it says - 

"To charge different rates for only certain products, create a new profile in shipping settings"

Theo77
Tourist
4 0 0

That is what we are currently using - it is simply not feasible for the volume in question. 

The point of my post is that Shopify should enable both weight + dimensions as shipping calculation input, while ingesting the very clear UPS shipping daily rate and zone information vs the Shopify location zip, to allow customers to obtain an accurate large item shipping quote on the spot. 

This coding will be simple to achieve. The situation right now is every Shopify store owner like me has to create elaborate work-arounds using the limited functionality on this topic. 

 

Joel-Reeds
Shopify Partner
165 8 60

Hey @Theo77,

I definitely understand the frustration you're going through.  It's a common message we hear every day from merchants we work with.

If you're open to using a third-party solution, our app Smart Boxing would likely be a great fit for your use case and would save you a significant amount of time from having to manually determine rating across so many zones. 

Smart Boxing gives you the ability to define the dimensions of your items and add the various package sizes you fulfill your orders in.  Our boxing algorithm will perform a live pack at the time of the rating request to determine which package is required to ship the order, then provide this information to the carrier (e.g. UPS) to charge your customer an accurate rate.  There are additional product options such as marking an item to always package by itself and whether an item will ship in multiple pieces (e.g. tent poles in one box, fabric in another).

If you have any questions, please let me know.  You can also book a 1:1 demo with one of our team members who can show you around the app and answer any questions you have.

Co-Founder / CTO @ Intuitive Shipping Inc.
Intuitive Shipping | Automate Shipping Profiles