Thread: Need help with shipping please

Hello all. This is my first post as I am just getting started so please be kind.

I have been selling on eBay for quite a while but would like to open my own store. The items I sell are all different shapes and sizes and weights. I sell internationally. I am trying to figure out how to put in the shipping cost for the items. Do any of the shopping cart programs allow for shipping via weight to the various zones in the U.S.? What if a customer buys several items and they can be combined in one box? Is there a way to calculate shipping costs for international buyers? Or is there a way to get the subtotal of all the items a customer wants and then bill them at a later time once the shipping has been calculated?

Hi welcome, don't worry we always go gentle on newcomers ; - )

I can't be certain as I have very little experience with carts but from what I have seen I am sure there are some that will work all that kind of stuff out for you. Ther are bound to be different types of carts and I guess you need to shop around for a good one. I am sure someone soon will give you a much better answer than me sorry!
Ramsey

Soholaunch, our Premium website builder with a great eCommerce solutions package included, has limitations on shipping modules and re-writing the php to accomodate what you are looking for.

OsCommerce (also included with every VodaHost account) is a wonderfully versatile eCommerce solution based on open source, and has a myriad of available php plug-in scripts to solve your shipping needs (and incidentlly, is able to properly register your variable inventory - Soho limits sub-categories to 6).

When you load OsCommerce into your VodaHost account, you will want to spend some time in the official OsC Support Forum perusing the availble plug-ins, MODS, and other elements to make the overall planning and implementation of this Premier shopping cart a breeze.....

Hello,

I'm new to Voda, thanks to Karen Mac, who has already been very helpful.

But I wanted to give her a break. I am using SOHO and have a shipping problem. I have multiple drop ship vendors, each with different shipping methods.

1) Some use flat rate based on the order total.

2) Some have a flat rate per item. That, I can deal with by adding the shipping right into the item.

3) Some use UPS real time calculation. (I have a UPS account so that I can draw the feed from UPS)

The real question is, how do I get them all to work in SOHO?

I came here via Stores Online (UGH), but that is how I met my savior, Karen. I know how to create rules in SOL like a fiend, but don't have a clue how to do it in SOHO.

I will be carrying over 1000 items, so it is not an easy solution.

Can anyone help?

Thanks
Wallly David
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Wally,
At this time you can't use Soho if you want all those shipping variables - they don't have that possibility. Karen and I both carefully said that, when recommending Soho in the other forum. If you truly can't find a way to integrate the different shipping methods into one cohesive method for all your products then you'll have to look at other options for your shopping cart.

Beth,
THanks for the quick reply.!

This may be a silly question, but can I use another shopping cart with SOHO? If so, how do I pull that off?

No, Wally - Soho includes the shopping cart - it's why Karen and I both spoke so much about the importance of knowing what you need in a shopping cart first - because that will determine how/where you build the store, in many cases.

Thanks Beth,

Since I posted, I've been looking at ZEN. Not as user friendly, but it has a lot of power!

<wavs at Wally>

Zen Cart does give you some options that you dont have in soho, however, its also a headache to customize unless you really know how to get your feet wet in the php files and where and what to edit. It has a much higher learning curve, as i said the Attributes (options) and use of the control panel seem rather backwards to me, and the text editor really threw me some curves. I just didnt have that kind of time to RELEARN building my store. Lots of folks love Zen tho.

I would suggest a flat rate shipping, which is what i did, based on price of the subtotal of their order. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose a little. I also added dhl two day shipping as a product, again based on price, which they have to add themselves to the cart if thats what they want.

Karen

And customers prefer flat rate shipping also.

Originally Posted by Bethers

And customers prefer flat rate shipping also.

Not True.
Different sites, different offerings, and different clientele each have different requirements. This is the beauty of being able to "customize" your carts!

Missing from posts like this are words like "It has been my experience that..." and "As far as I know...." and even "I imagine that...."

It can be confusing trying to split opinion from technical in many cases, but it seems the more concise posts become, the more effective they are for our VodaHost peers....

After talking to Karen, I wound up staying with SOHO and going with flat rate. But thanks for the info everyone.

Vasili,
You are correct - and I should not have stated that so blindly. However I have found in my research that customers prefer flat rate and/or free shipping - so I do recommend that over using UPS or any of the real-time shipping options on online stores. That does NOT mean that they can't use those methods to ship.