One size does not fit all when it comes to shipping

[planetvintage]

Hi! Antique and vintage dealer here, struggling to find a way to set up shipping since I've moved from the UK back to the USA. I figured it would be great to be US based because all the shopify features would be accessible (as they aren't in the UK) but I have found shipping to be a nightmare.

In the UK I muddled along with shipping based on object price and the gains/losses of this method balanced out over time. However the USA is too large & diverse for this to work. It appears my best bet is to establish the SIZE of the shipping box for EACH item but shopify does not allow this. Additionally, it appears that shopify focuses on a single "default box" - so even if I create custom box sizes, shopify only allows you to use one box size at any given time, and does not allow you to assign the box to the object. I can only afford Shopify basic, so not all apps work for me.

I need items to cheap, not fast shipping, so shopify's reliance on USPS priority mail does not work in my situation. Sellers shipping one-of-a-kind items understand the frustration of this! Suggestions? Apps you recommend? Anybody create multiple shipping profiles and add each product to the appropriate shipping profile? Any luck with Multiple Carrier Shipping Label app? Would love to hear your creative solutions to this problem. Or do I ditch shopify over this issue and set up some kind of wordpress site and just sell off instagram? Many thanks for your suggestions/rants/moans/encouragements/solutions

[PluginHive]

@planetvintage,

Regarding assigning separate boxes based on your product weight & dimensions, Yes, the Multi Carrier Shipping Label app would be the perfect solution. With the box packing method in the app, you can set up separate packages for your products based on the weight & dimensions. So, whenever your customer places an order, the app automatically chooses the right box and calculates the rates accordingly, which solves the default box issue. And yes, it works with the Shopify Basic plan as well.

[planetvintage]

Thanks for your response. I often have to make custom boxes. How would Multi Carrier app work for this? It sounds like the app picks a box - but it sounds like it assumes that there are a pile of exisiting empty boxes sitting around, or a small range of boxes available. Often I may not source the box until after the product is purchased, and I try to find the smallest box appropriate based on the fragility of the item, as some items require additional packing materials than others (such as bone china tea sets). Can you elaborate on how Multi Carrier would work? Many thanks!

[SharonReeds]

Hey @planetvintage,

I'm the owner of Intuitive Shipping and I think that we can find a workaround for your unique requirements. 

The way that our SmartBoxing™ (dimensional shipping) algorithm works is that it needs to know the box size you will be using to fulfill the order. This is true for any dimensional shipping calculation. Without the variable of the box size, it cannot return an accurate rate since even you don't know the box size until after you source or create it. However, if you assign dimensions for the product and select "package separately" on the product page (found under Products in the app), it would calculate the box size as being the size of the item. What I would do is add a 1" or 2" buffer around the product to account for the custom box. It's better to overcharge a bit for shipping than to undercharge and be out profit. 

I encourage you to reach out to our team at support@intuitiveshipping.com if you would like to learn more. Unfortunately, I don't always get notifications that I get a reply here and want to make sure you are supported properly 🙂

Warm regards,
Sharon