Need a tutorial on setting up shipping

[BeeAMaker]

First sale - yeah! or so I thought - YOU DID NOT CALCULATE SHIPPING CORRECTLY I lost money on the sale.

From the FREE service I was using I could select a flat rate shipping and it cost my customers 7.65. now you calculated shipping and charged the customer $4.90 for standard shipping bu the cheapest label I can buy from you is $9.70 WTF????

Now I have to take a second step and fill out the label on USPS.com but at least I can select the ship method.

Am I missing something???

[BeeAMaker]

OK, I found where to set up shipping cost, but I still don't see how I can set up Flat rate - Also, your standard shipping price from USPS is $9.70 when Flat rate shipping from USPS.com is $7.65 - I don't see how I am saving by using Shopify to get my labels.

[Andrew]

Hi @BeeAMaker, 

Hyde here from Shopify. That's a very good question!

As you've mentioned that you bought a shipping label, it sounds like you're using Shopify Shipping, for which we have a guide here.

This would mean that you can display shipping costs to your customers at checkout:

Note that you will need to select which options you want to offer your customers at checkout because those are the same services you will use yourself to ship to the customer. When a customer selects their preferred option and you come to fulfill it yourself in the store admin, you will need to "tell" the system which label you want to print out. There's more on that here.

If the flat-rate you set is cheaper than the shipping service selected by the customer then you will end up paying out more. You'll need to consider what services you're offering your customers before setting a flat-rate, to see if it will work for you. There's a little more information on that here.

It's hard to diagnose the specific issue without the store to refer to, so this information might seem a little broad. In which case I'd recommend contacting our support which is available 24/7.

I hope that helps, happy to answer any other questions you may have.

All the best, Hyde.

[BeeAMaker]

Thanks, I have been figuring out as I move forward. Your info really helps - thanks for that,

However, when purchasing a label from Shopify, the "Flat Rate" option isn't available to select from USPS.

When clicking "Ship" in the order description, I was presented with a selection list of labels from UPS and USPS, none of them were "Small Flat Rate Box" shipping from USPS. It seems I don't have control over shipping options when purchasing a label.

[Andrew · Accepted solution]

I think it would be helpful to differentiate between flat rate shipping and Shopify Shipping. 

Flat rate shipping means that you're charging a fixed price, regardless of weight or dimension of the parcel. You set the rule and it's in your hands:

Shopify Shipping is a form of carrier calculated shipping. This means that by using Shopify Shipping you provide rates to customers based on the dimensions and weight of the package. So you're giving the customers a few choices to pick from. 

Therefore USPS will not provide a "flat rate box" for you to select. They can only provide their own rates according to box weight and dimensions.

 So, essentially, you will need to make a choice between either charging flat rate shipping or Shopify Shipping (calculated rates). 

All the best, Hyde

[BeeAMaker]

Gotchya, thanks

[BeeAMaker]

Just to clarify, I understand what you are talking about, but I was referring to the USPS Flat rate shipping box. That doesn't seem to be an option when using shopify