Shipping or Handling Fee on Multiple Items

[briancuration]

We have our shipping zones, methods, locations all set properly... but once in a while it seems that shipping prices get very pricey and overcharged.

I'm not positive so I wanted to ask. Is the handling fee on shipping, charged per item, or per order? I feel like it may be compounded per order. Like if we have an item in different classes...it takes the handling fee from each one, and adds them together, bumping the shipping price up higher.

Can anyone confirm or deny that this is how it works? If this is what's happening, is there a way to make the handling at a set rate per order, as opposed to per item?

[ChelseySoper]

Hey @briancuration 

Are you using multiple shipping profiles? To get a better understanding of the potential solution, a bit more information is needed. 

How are your rates calculated? Live or custom rates?

Thanks in advanced for your answers!

Chelsey

[briancuration]

Yes, there are multiple shipping profiles. I'm using live rates from USPS, not flat rates.

It's just strange that if someone orders something internationally, even say to Canada (from the US) if they get 1 item, it's fine... but if they get 2 or 3, and they're from different profiles... it combines the weight, but the price ends up being much higher than it should be. We try and be honest about it and refund the over-payment of shipping taken in. But I just don't see where that excess is coming from or why it's skewed...

[ChelseySoper]

Hey @briancuration 

This happens when you use multiple profiles. Shopify splits the carts into "sub-carts." Each profile acts as its own rate/cart; all items get a rate (shipping and handling fees would apply to each profile) and are added all together for the final shipping price at checkout. There is no solution other than having all your products under one profile and location (location also causes split carts). 

May I ask why you have multiple profiles? Can all items go under one? Or do each Profile offer different shipping rates per product within?

Thanks,

Chelsey

[briancuration]

The issue with multiple profiles has to do with the products we ship, and how USPS classifies them.  We sell music (CD, Vinyl) and also t-shirts and posters.

Music is in one profile with Media Mail as an option. T-shirts are in another profile, where media mail is not an option.

The reason we do this, is because if the items are added together to one package... USPS won't let you classify it as media mail because there's obviously something OTHER THAN media.

Shopify uses a most common denominator method, so since Ground Advantage exists in both, but not media mail... an order with a shirt and a vinyl album, has to go as Ground Advantage.  Allowing media mail on the profile with shirts, would allow people who buy JUST a shirt, to select media mail which is the cheapest option.

So it works great, except for this case.. in that a handling charge is duplicated across the order, when it really should just be done once.

It would be nice to have maybe... greatest option wins... for handling. Like if one profile is set to $1 and one is set to $3... if you buy both, it defaults to $3.

or if it's $1 handling for each... it just adds $1 total.

[ChelseySoper]

Hey @briancuration 

That makes sense with what you want to happen. However, within Shopify, it can't happen when you use multiple profiles. To achieve the outcome you mentioned, this would have to be done from a 3rd party rate-providing app. 

There is a potential "fee" to have access to any rate-providing app called Third Party Calculated Rates. This fee has a cost of $20 a month if you are on the Shopify Plan Level and paying your subscription monthly. If you pay your Shopify Plan Level yearly, it is a free service, you just need to reach out to Shopify support. Any higher Shopify plans have it included. 

With 3rd party rate-providing apps, you do get a lot more shipping options than natively on Shopify. I would suggest researching different apps that best fit your needs and requirements if the split-carts become too much of a loss. Please note, all products would have to be moved to 1 profile for the app to be able to do what it can. 

If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Thanks,

Chelsey

[briancuration]

Thank you Chelsey, that is GREAT news.  Yes we have the Shopify plan (not advanced or plus) on a yearly billing cycle.

I'm going to look into these other options. I think that would be really helpful. 

I really appreciate the time you took to reply!!!! 

[Mirdas]

Hello @briancuration,

Check out  to know more about combined checkout functions.

My suggestion is to maintain a single shipping profile at checkout with Ground Advantage only. Then, when generating the shipping label, you can select the appropriate options. Please note that the rates at checkout might not be precise, but easier checkout calculation might get you more conversion and sales.