How Custom Shipping Methods work
Setting Up a Free Shipping Option by Region
Setting up a Flat Rate Shipping Option
Setting Up a Variable Rate Shipping Option
Overview
Custom Shipping Methods are a powerful feature in Cart.com Online Stores that allow you to create your own shipping options that calculate order shipping charges based on the rules you set. Custom shipping methods can charge different amounts for shipping based on order subtotal, number of order items, weight units, shipping region, customer type, shipping warehouse, and other criteria.
This article will explain custom shipping method rules in detail as well as explain how to create custom shipping methods for three common use cases: Free Shipping, Flat Rate Shipping, and Variable rate shipping, and common troubleshooting steps.
How Custom Shipping Methods work
To create Custom Shipping Methods navigate to Storefront > Setting > Shipping > Custom Shipping Methods and click New to pull up the Edit Custom Shipping Method screen:
After the Custom Shipping Method is created, Custom Shipping Rules can be made by clicking New Rule.
Clicking New Rule will open the Shipping Rule Editor. The Rule Editor allows the creation of a logical rule that your Cart.com site will follow for offering shipping.
The above rule is read as follows:
- If subtotal is between 50 and 9,999,999 Dollars, shipping is 0 dollars plus 0 dollars to every region, from every warehouse, for any customer type.
The upper and lower bound amounts are inclusive, meaning that this method will give free shipping to orders with a $50.00 subtotal, but not orders with a $49.99 subtotal.
The shipping region, warehouse, and customer type are additional rule options and will need to be setup before those options will be available in shipping method rules on your online store.
Custom shipping methods must have at least one rule to function, but multiple rules are allowed, and each rule can have a different combination of the above selections. This configurability makes Custom Shipping Methods a powerful feature, and gives store owners the flexibility needed to account for real world shipping scenarios.
Custom Shipping Method Settings
Method Name: The name of the method customers will see
Description: Description of the method, only visible in the admin console
Active: Toggling this setting activates/deactivates the method for all stores
Default Method: Causes the method to be selected automatically if available
Fallback Method: Custom Shipping Methods with Fallback enabled are ONLY used if all enabled shipping providers are temporarily down. They will not be available to the customer in normal circumstances.
Use Store Base Shipping Rate: The Store Base Shipping Rate allows you to specify a base charge for custom shipping methods. This base charge is applied to the overall shipping as determined by a custom shipping method.
Limit to Campaign Code: Only enable this custom shipping method if the following campaign code is applied on the cart. Visit the How to Setup Campaign AdCodes article for more information on Campaign Codes.
Limit to Payment Method: this Custom Shipping Method will only be available if the selected payment method is used on the cart.
Combine shipping value for warehouse based shipping rule: This setting will decide custom shipping is warehouse based or package based.
For example: Free shipping when subtotal >= $100 from a warehouse.
- Customer orders 10 items from the warehouse and each item costs $10, and weighs 10 lbs.
- The maximum weight for each package in your store setting is 60 lbs. The order has 100 lbs. worth of items split between two packages:
- Package A is 60lbs, and has a subtotal of $60.
- Package B is 40lbs, and has a subtotal of $40.
When combine shipping value for warehouse is selected, subtotal, weight, and # of items from all packages for the warehouse will be combined to evaluate shipping rules. Subtotal from Package A and B will be combined because they are from the same warehouse. The subtotal is $100; free shipping is available for this order.
When combine shipping value for warehouse not selected, each package will use its own subtotal, weight, # of items to evaluate shipping rules. Every package must pass the shipping rules. Subtotal for each package ($60, $40) is less than $100; free shipping is not available to this order.
Admin Only: When true, this custom shipping method will only be available to be selected when managing orders within your admin console (e.g. order edit). It will not be accessible to shoppers when browsing your site and checking out.
Custom Rate API Endpoint:
If you have your own Shipping Rate API system, you can link your custom shipping methods to it here. The shipping address and all the items will post to the API endpoint in a JSON object:
{
"ShippingAddress":{
"Address1": "Line 1",
"Address2": "Line 2",
"City": "ShipToCity",
"State": "ShipToState",
"ZipCode": "ShipToZip",
"Country": "US"
},
"Items":[{
"ItemId":1,
"ItemNr": "Item1",
"Quantity":1,
"Weight":2.00,
"Price":10.00,
"Length": 10,
"Width": 10,
"Height": 10,
"OwnBox":true,
"WarehouseCity": "City",
"WarehouseState": "State",
"WarehouseZipCode": "Zip",
"WarehouseCountry": "US"
}]
}
API should return one rate for the rate request in JSON format:
{
"TotalCharge": 20.00
}
Note: When using the custom rate API, it will overwrite the shipping rate for all the shipping rules from this shipping method.
Match values below lower bound: When this is checked, the method will be available on orders with subtotals less than the lower bound specified in "If Subtotal is between ____ and ____".
Match values above upper bound: When this is checked, the method will be available on orders with subtotals greater than the upper bound specified in "If Subtotal is between ____ and ____".
Location of Other Custom Shipping Method Settings:
Custom Shipping Method Setup: Settings > Shipping > Custom Shipping Methods
Store Specific Custom Shipping Method Settings: Settings > Shipping > General
- Base Shipping Charge for Custom Methods (Miscellaneous Section)
- Inactivate/Activate (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
- Sort Order (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
- Enable Lead Time (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
- Lead Time # of Days (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
- Lead Time Cutoff Time (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
- Delivery Time # of Days (Custom Shipping Method Settings Section)
Setting Up a Free Shipping Option by Region
For more information about Shipping Regions, view our Shipping Region Setup article.
In this example, we're going to create a shipping method for a fictional company based in Beaumont, Texas. The company delivers to anyone with a Beaumont zip code for free. Fill in your own information and specifications to create a similar method for your store.
The rule in the screenshot below is set for the following:
- Shipping charge is $0.00, if subtotal is between $1.00 and $100.00, ship to Beaumont, TX region from every warehouse for customer type of all types.
- Match values below lower bound: True
- Match values above upper bound: True
Setting up a Flat Rate Shipping Option
In this example, we're creating a flat rate shipping method that charges $30 on orders less and $100 and $15.00 on orders $100 and greater.
The rule in the screenshot below is set for the following:
- Shipping is $30.00 if subtotal is between $0.00 and $99.99, ship to every region from every warehouse for customer type of all types.
- Match values below lower bound: False
- Match values above upper bound: False
The rule in the screenshot below is set for the following:
- Shipping is $15.00 if subtotal is between $100.00 and $1000.00, ship to every region from every warehouse for customer type of all types.
- Match values below lower bound: False
- Match values above upper bound: True
After both Shipping Rules are created and saved you can view them from the Method Rules panel of the Edit Custom Shipping Method module.
Setting Up a Variable Rate Shipping Option
In this example we’re creating a variable rate shipping method. This method charges $5 for shipping, plus an additional $1 for every pound of shipping weight.
The rule set below is set for the following:
- Shipping is $5.00 plus $1.00 per unit weight, if subtotal is between $0.00 and $1000.00, ship to every region from every warehouse for customer type of all types.
- Match values below lower bound: True
- Match values above upper bound: True
Troubleshooting Steps
To test custom shipping methods:
- Clear all items from the shopping cart
- Add a product to the shopping cart
- Run the shipping calculator on the shopping cart page or checkout page.
If the shipping method is not displaying it might be because:
- The method is not checked as Active
- The method is set to inactive within Settings > Shipping > General
- The package weight does not meet the weight rules (note: shipping weight is always converted to pounds for shipping weight rules).
- The items do not meet the warehouse rule
- The zip code does not meet the shipping region rule
- The customer doesn't meet the customer type rule
- No shipping regions are setup in Settings > Shipping > Shipping Regions
For more information and troubleshooting steps, see: Troubleshooting No Shipping Methods on Order