Customizing Shipping Methods

Commerce Server Business Desk supports three shipping methods:

• Charge by weight. Use this method to charge the user for shipping by the weight of an order. You use this method to specify the charges for a range of weights. For example, shipping an individual item whose weight falls between 2 and 3 pounds would cost $4.00. If you shipped an item whose weight was 10 pounds, shipping costs might be $8.00.

  Note

  • To charge by weight, all products in your catalog must support weight. If you have products that do not support weight, this option will not function properly on your Web site. For information about product definitions and adding products to a catalog, see Adding a Product to a Catalog.
• Charge by quantity. Use this method to charge for shipping by the quantity of items in an order. You can specify the charges for either an exact number or a range of item quantities. For example, shipping an order that contains up to three items would cost $2.00. If the order consisted of four or more items, the shipping cost might be $4.00.
  
  
• Charge by subtotal. Use this method to charge for shipping by the subtotaled amount of an order. For example, shipping an order consisting of four CDs with a price total of $70.00 would cost $3.00. If you shipped an order containing one CD that costs $17.99, the shipping cost might be only $2.00.

You can also change the shipping method properties of a selected shipping method. For example, as shipping costs change, you can change the cost per method accordingly.

If you are using delivery services (such as USPS or Federal Express) who offer a number of shipping options, or a delivery service whose rates are figured by weight and zone (such as UPS), you will need to use a third-party pipeline component from that delivery service. For information about installing a custom shipping method or a third-party shipping pipeline component, contact your system administrator.

To add a charge by weight shipping method

To add a charge by quantity shipping method

To add a charge by subtotal shipping method

To edit shipping method properties

To add a charge by weight shipping method

1. In Orders, click Shipping Methods.
   
   
2. In the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar, and then select Charge by Weight from the drop-down list.
   
   
3. In the Charge by Weight - New screen, in the Shipping Method Properties section, do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Name	Type a name for your shipping method.
   Description	Type a description for your shipping method.
   Enabled	Select this check box to enable this shipping method. If you do not enable the shipping method, it will not appear on your Web site.

   
   
4. In the Rates section, click New, and then do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Weight, up to	Type a weight amount for the rate level.
   Shipping Rate	Type the amount of the rate.

   
   
5. Click Accept.
   
   
6. After you have entered all the rates, click the last row in the rates list, which reads over <highest weight entered>, and then click Edit.

   Important

   • You must edit the last line under Rates to save your shipping method.
7. Enter the highest rate for this shipping method, and then click Accept.
   
   
8. To save the shipping method and return to the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar.

The charge by weight shipping method is saved.

Notes

• All the products in all the catalogs must support weight for the charge by weight shipping method to work. This means that the Weight property must be assigned to each product definition for the products. For more information about adding product definitions, see Adding a Product Definition.
  
  
• You must use the Publish Transactions module to update your site. For more information about publishing transactions, see Publishing Transactions on Your Web Site.

To add a charge by quantity shipping method

1. In Orders, click Shipping Methods.
   
   
2. In the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar, and then select Charge by Quantity from the drop-down list.
   
   
3. In the Charge by Quantity-New screen, in the Shipping Method Properties section, do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Name	Type a name for your shipping method.
   Description	Type a description for your shipping method.
   Enabled	Select this check box to enable this shipping method. If you do not enable the shipping method, it will not appear on your Web site.

   
   
4. In the Rates section, click New, and then do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Quantity, up to	Type the quantity for the rate level.
   Shipping Rate	Type the amount of the rate.

   
   
5. Click Accept.
   
   
6. After you have entered all the rates, click the last row in the rates list, which reads over <highest quantity entered>, and then click Edit.

   Important

   • You must edit the last line under Rates in order to save your shipping method.
7. Enter the highest rate for this shipping method, and then click Accept.
   
   
8. To save the shipping method and return to the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar.

The charge by quantity shipping method is saved.

Note

• You must use the Publish Transactions module to update your site. For more information about publishing transactions, see Publishing Transactions on Your Web Site.

To add a charge by subtotal shipping method

1. In Orders, click Shipping Methods.
   
   
2. In the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar, and then select Charge by Subtotal from the drop-down list.
   
   
3. In the Charge by Subtotal - New screen, in the Shipping Method Properties section, do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Name	Type the name of your shipping method.
   Description	Type the description of your shipping method.
   Enabled	Select this check box to enable this shipping method. If you do not enable the shipping method, it will not appear on your Web site.

   
   
4. In the Rates section, click New, and then do the following:

   Use this	To do this
   Price, up to	Type the subtotal amount for the rate level.
   Shipping Rate	Type the amount of the rate.

   
   
5. Click Accept.
   
   
6. After you have entered all the rates, click the last row in the rates list, which reads over <highest subtotal entered>, and then click Edit.

   Important

   • You must edit the last line under Rates in order to save your shipping method.
7. Enter the highest rate for this shipping method, and then click Accept.
   
   
8. To save the shipping method and return to the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar.

The charge by subtotal shipping method is saved.

Note

• You must use the Publish Transactions module to update your site. For more information about publishing transactions, see Publishing Transactions on Your Web Site.

To edit shipping method properties

1. In Orders, click Shipping Methods.
   
   
2. In the Shipping Methods screen, select the shipping method you want to edit, and then click on the toolbar.
   
   
3. In the Charge by <method> - Open <method name> screen, edit the properties for the shipping method.
   
   
4. To save your edits and return to the Shipping Methods screen, click on the toolbar.

The edited shipping method is saved.

Note

• You must use the Publish Transactions module to update your site. For more information about publishing transactions, see Publishing Transactions on Your Web Site.

See Also

Workflow for Order Management

About Orders

Publishing Transactions on Your Web Site

Managing Data Codes and Tax Rates