Can Shopify manage overlapping shipping profiles effectively?

vahalla
Visitor
2 0 0

Hi guys,

Wondering if there is a way to set this up in Shopify, or if this is something that would be better suited with some kind of app.

For ease of explanation, I have three different package types that we will be shipping our product in - Poster Tubes, Flat Mailers, and Small Boxes.

I understand I can set up specific shipping profiles, however there is a good amount of potential overlap between these three sections. For example, if I'm shipping a poster, it needs to go in a poster tube. If I'm shipping a book, it needs to go in a flat mailer. But if I have a small postcard in addition to either of those, it could easily fit in either the poster tube, or the flat mailer. But there doesn't seem to be a way to mark that it's okay for it to "pair up" with either kind of shipment.

Our product is very light, so for the most part, even on larger orders, if everything can ship with a flat mailer, I can get it in one flat mailer. If everything can go in a poster tube, I can get it in one poster tube. But if our customers order two separate "package types", the shipping is basically doubled, even if it's just one of each profile.

Does that make sense? I just feel like it's more representative for our customers than doing it by weight - a 12 ounce package could cost less than two 3 ounce packages if they have to go in different containers.

Appreciate y'all's help on this one!

Replies 3 (3)

Ron-Anderson
Shopify Partner
191 13 33

Hi @vahalla,

Do postcards only ship as add-ons? Or can they ship on their own? The reason I'm asking is that if they ship only as an add-on, you could possibly identify them as a non-physical product in Shopify. That way, whatever else the customer orders (poster or book), if they order a postcard, you just throw it in with whatever package you're using. However, if postcards can ship on their own, this solution won't work.

Also, what would be a situation where you need a small box? If there are multiple books that can't fit in a flat mailer? And do posters only ship in poster tubes?

My apologies for all the questions. If you want the package selection to be dynamic based on what products are being ordered, I don't believe this is possible within Shopify.

If you're open to the idea of using a third-party solution, Intuitive Shipping lets you set up Scenarios based on different product/cart conditions, so while you still wouldn't be able to select packages dynamically, you can create fixed Scenarios based on common situations.

For example, you could create the following Scenarios using product Conditions:

  1. Only posters -- always packed in tubes
  2. Posters + postcards -- always packed in tubes
  3. Only Books (with a max limit) -- always packed in mailers
  4. Books + postcards (with max limit) -- always packed in mailers
  5. Only Books (with a min limit) -- always packed in small boxes
  6. Books + postcards (with a min limit) -- always packed in small boxes
  7. Only postcards -- always packed in mailers

You would then set up Combined Shipping Methods for situations where both a poster tube and mailer -- or poster tube and small box -- are both required.

And again, if postcards do not ship on their own, you can still set them up in Shopify as a non-physical product. By doing that, our system would not even see them, so you would just include them with whichever package set was used in the calculation.

If you'd like more information about Intuitive Shipping and how to set this up, you can schedule a live demo from one of our team members.

 

Best regards,

Ron

Customer Experience Manager @ Intuitive Shipping Inc.
Intuitive Shipping | Automate Shipping Profiles
vahalla
Visitor
2 0 0

Thanks Ron, appreciate the advice!

I oversimplified our shipping situation a little bit in that original message just for a quick explanation. We do have a handful of other odds and ends that require mixing and matching... the boxes, for example, we use mostly to ship hats. But some books can fit in the hat box... and we also sell smaller prints and postcards, sometimes on their own, that can sometimes fit it the hat boxes, but sometimes are too big to fit in a hat box. But a poster tube is overkill. It makes sense when I write it all down, but it gets really complicated trying to implement it haha.

It sounds like an App like you mention might be the better approach for us. That was my guess but just wanted to make sure I was understanding everything correctly.

Appreciate your quick response!

Ron-Anderson
Shopify Partner
191 13 33

Hi @vahalla,

I'm happy to help! And thanks for the additional info. Yes, it does sound like you'll need a third-party solution to manage that, as Shopify alone won't give you that kind of granular control. There are a few apps out there to choose from, so please do some research to find out which one suits your needs best. We hope you'll give Intuitive Shipping a try. You can install our app for free and use it in testing mode for as long as you need to make sure it works the way you expect. We also offer a 14-day free trial once you activate your plan.

Meanwhile, if you have any more questions, please feel free to respond here and I'll be happy to answer if I can. You can also reach out to our team directly at support@intiuitiveshipping.com

Best regards,
Ron

Customer Experience Manager @ Intuitive Shipping Inc.
Intuitive Shipping | Automate Shipping Profiles