How can accurate shipping costs be calculated for varying candle orders in Shopify?

[candlescountry]

Hi, I sell candles through my Shopify website. In the Shipping and Delivery section I use Canada Post and the delivery zone is domestic (within Canada). I currently have three packages listed  under Saved Packages as this is what I was instructed to do as part of my shipping set up. The three are 5x5x5, 6x6x6 and 8x8x8 (in inches) and their corresponding weights in grams. The weight of each product has also been completed. I currently have the 5x5x5 box set up as the default. The small writing below this default says - This package is used to calculate shipping rates at checkout. My concern and question is, how can this be an accurate way to charge customers if the package size can vary greatly depending on how many candles they purchase? That is, for example, if a customer only buys 1 candle then yes the default 5x5x5 package is correct. So at the time the customer is processing their purchase on my website I have 100% confidence the customer is paying the correct shipping amount and that when I go to buy the shipping label, the cost of that label will match what the customer paid. But what if for example, the next customer buys 6 candles, they are not going to fit into the 5x5x5 box. Most likely they’ll fit into the 8x8x8 box which of course will be heavier. But if I have the default box set to the 5x5x5 then the shipping is going to be calculated with that box and the customer is going to pay less for shipping than what it’s going to actually cost me when I buy the shipping label using the 8x8x8 box. Then that means the extra charge will come out of my pocket. Then the reverse is true. If I set the default to 8x8x8 that’s fine for a multi-candle purchase but then if there’s a customer that buys only 1 candle they’re going to be overcharged for shipping which is not fair to them. When I chat with Shopify agents online, I continually get the same answer that this is how the set up should be  - that there has to be the default package. So, I don’t see how this is a good way to conduct business. I could either lose money or the customer could. Unless, am I missing something here in how I’ve set up my shipping? I’m hoping someone can help me out as I my confidence with this aspect of how my Shopify account is set up is very low. Any advice, information or tips will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Anindita · Accepted solution]

Hi @candlescountry,

Thanks for the clarification!

To resolve the default packaging, the workaround is to use a shipping solution like suggested above where the app helps you automatically determine the most appropriate packaging for each order based on its size and weight. So no manual work and no default packaging. 

And regarding carrier-calculated rates, I see from the above screenshot that you have already configured with Shopify's Canada Post account. So you are supposed to get real-time discounted rates. You can contact Shopify regarding this.

Feel free to reach out for further queries regarding the app or you can book a demo!

[Anindita]

Hi @candlescountry,

I understand your concern about the default package size and its impact on accurate shipping charges for your candle orders. One of the main problems with using Shopify's default box size is that you will be undercharging/overcharging for some orders. You will be responsible for paying the additional shipping cost, and if you overcharge for shipping, most customers will abandon their cart.

As some workarounds, you can explore different packaging options that can accommodate various order sizes efficiently. You might find boxes or packaging materials that can be easily adjusted or customized to fit the number of candles ordered. This way, you can minimize empty space and reduce shipping costs. For this you might like to consider checking out Shopify apps like the PH MultiCarrier Shipping Label app. The app can assist in optimizing the packaging process. These apps can help determine the most appropriate packaging for each order based on its size and weight, ensuring accurate shipping rates.

Apart from this, you can also consider enabling real-time carrier rates with Canada Post. This allows your customers to get accurate shipping rates based on the specific weight and dimensions of their order. Shopify has options to integrate real-time carrier rates into your shipping settings. You can check out their guides too.

Feel free to reach out for further queries. I will be happy to help!

[candlescountry]

 

Hi Anindita, 

Thank you so much for your help. It’s appreciated! Please forgive me if I’m still not fully understanding. I’ll explain why.

For the first solution, you’ve indicated looking into getting various package sizing options to accommodate different order sizes. I believe I already have that in place. As I mentioned in my note, I currently have 3 different sized boxes to facilitate this. See picture attached. So, how does adding more package options help if one of those packages always has to be the default package? I.e., I could have 10 different box size options but only one of them always has to be the default. But that default may not always be the size I need to pack the different sizes orders I receive.

For the second solution, how do I check if I’m currently on real-time rates or not? See attached picture of what my current set up is.

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you!

 

[Anindita · Accepted solution]

Hi @candlescountry,

Thanks for the clarification!

To resolve the default packaging, the workaround is to use a shipping solution like suggested above where the app helps you automatically determine the most appropriate packaging for each order based on its size and weight. So no manual work and no default packaging. 

And regarding carrier-calculated rates, I see from the above screenshot that you have already configured with Shopify's Canada Post account. So you are supposed to get real-time discounted rates. You can contact Shopify regarding this.

Feel free to reach out for further queries regarding the app or you can book a demo!

[candlescountry · Accepted solution]

Alright! Makes sense. Thanks so much Anindita. 🙂