Concern about international shipping

[devonpalmer]

So I'm based in the US, and want to start shipping to Canada. I am allowing for Canada orders to be shipped via USPS First Class Package International mail. I know that First Class International packages can only be up to 15.994 oz. While one item will definitely be under that threshold, my concern is that a Canadian customer will order multiple items, making the final order weigh more than 15.994 oz and I won't be able to ship it First Class International as it is set up to be. What happens in this circumstance? Are you able to create multiple shipping labels for one order and then send it in multiple packages? Please let me know as I could lose a lot of money if I mess this up!

[PluginHive]

Hi @devonpalmer,

To handle this scenario, you can use the Multi Carrier Shipping Label app. With the weight-based packing method in the app, you can set up a maximum weight for a box (15.994 oz in your case). So, once the weight exceeds this value, a new package will be generated in which the next item will be packed. This process is continued until all items are packed. Check out this guide to understand the process in detail.

[Sharon-Reeds]

Hey @devonpalmer,

Shopify only allows for one package size to be sent off for live rate calculations (the 'default' package size), so in the case where a customer orders more than one item, they will be charged shipping as if they only ordered one. It does sounds like you would benefit from using Smart Boxing. Our proprietary SmartBoxing™ algorithm packs boxes/polymailers just like a human would, so it stacks and rotates items to assess the best packing for an order. 

Do you have more than one package size that you ship with? Or do you just use the USPS First Class Package? The reason I ask is because it's cheaper to ship one package than it is to ship multiple. The majority of our users have multiple package sizes set up, so at checkout, our algorithm will "pack" the order to determine the most efficient/cheapest packaging option and return accurate live rates. In the majority of cases, you wont need multiple shipping labels. 

You can book a demo with our team here, or please feel free to contact support@intuitiveshipping.com if you have any questions. The app is free to install, has a 14-day live trial and also defaults to "testing mode', so nothing you configure in the app will be live until you're ready for it to be shown to your customers. 

Warm regards,
Sharon