How to Set Up Shipping Methods and Charges

This section will generate shipping costs for your products and tack the costs onto the price. This section was built for sites that have a lot of products/services. If you do not have very many products, you may want to enter the shipping costs with each product under Product Management. If you need a database to handle the shipping for your products, then you’ll want to fill this section out.

This section is a bit difficult to understand. We will try to walk you through it so that it is set up properly. If you need this service but don’t want the hassle of setting it up, don’t worry. Justwebit.com will set it up for you for a fee. Just talk to a service representative for more information.

If you decide to do this on your own:

1. Select all the shipping methods that you accept by checking the boxes next to the type of delivery: Ground, Second Day, or Next Day.

2. Select how you will charge for shipping by checking either Per Order or Per Item. Note: If you choose Per Item, you will need to check "Fixed amount per item" under Calculation Methods.

3. Enter what area code you will be shipping from and the price of your handling charge.

4. Now you’re ready to do the Calculation Methods. Click the button next to how you want the shipping to be calculated. There are six ways to calculate shipping:

• Fixed amount per item
• Fixed amount per order
• Percentage of total amount
• Percentage of total weight
• Stairstepped by amount
• Stairstepped by weight

You can only use one shipping method in your shopping cart, so you need to decide on the best method of shipping for your entire catalog. Based on how you plan to calculate your shipping, see the instructions below that correspond to your calculation method.

Fixed Amount Per Item
This method is simple and excellent if you offer a few products. If you choose Fixed Amount Per Item, you will need to go back into the Product Management section and manually enter the shipping cost for each product in your Current Products list. Also, double check that you selected the Per Item button above the Calculation Methods section.

Fixed Amount Per Order
This method is great if you sell products that are not generally purchased in quantity. If you choose Fixed Amount Per Order, then you must enter the fixed price for each shipping option you offer (i.e., Ground, 2nd day, and/or Next day.) Depending on the shipping option your customer selects, the shopping cart adds the shipping cost to the product price total.

Percentage of Total Amount
This method adjusts the shipping price according to the price of the products purchased. As your customer spends more, the shipping charge will increase. For example, if the customer purchases $100 worth of merchandise and the shipping option, they choose, calculates at a rate of 6.5%, then the shipping charge will be $6.50. If you choose this shipping method, you need to enter the desired percentage cost for each shipping option (i.e., 6.5% for Ground delivery).

Percentage of Total Weight
This method adjusts the shipping price according to the weight of the products purchased. (So the heavier the product, the higher the shipping cost.) For example, if the customer purchases several products that total 100lbs in weight and the shipping option calculates at a rate of 6.5%, then the shipping charge would be $6.50. If you choose this shipping method, you need to enter the desired percentage cost for each shipping option (i.e., 15% for Ground delivery). Then you need to go back into your Product Management section and enter a weight for each product in your Current Products list.

Stairstepped by Amount
This method is very similar to Fixed of total amount, except that the shipping charge adjusts in ten pricing steps. The Stairstepped by Amount method gives you more control over the price of shipping in relation to the amount your customers spend. For example, you may want to offer free shipping at certain price ranges. If you choose this shipping method, fill in the price for all the steps that you use for each shipping option (i.e., Ground, 2nd Day, Next Day). You can use up to ten price steps.

For example:

Products that are $2.00 to $10.00 you want to charge nothing for Ground delivery, $2.00 for 2nd Day delivery, and $4.00 for Next Day delivery.

You would enter (represented in bold):
Purchases from $ 2.00 up to, but not including $10.00 ......Charge: Ground $ 0.00, 2nd Day $ 2.00, Next Day $ 4.00

Stairstepped by Weight
This method is very similar to Stairstepped by Amount, except that the shipping charge is stepped in weight instead of price. The Stairstepped by Weight method gives you more control over the price of shipping in relation to the weight of the products purchased. For example, you may want to offer free shipping at certain weight ranges. If you choose this shipping method, fill in the weight range and the price for each shipping option (i.e., Ground, 2nd Day, Next Day). You can use up to ten price steps. Then in the Product Management section, enter the weight for each product in your Current Products list.

For example:

Products that are 2lb to 5lb, you want to charge nothing for Ground delivery, $2.00 for 2nd Day delivery, and $4.00 for Next Day delivery.

You would enter (represented in bold):
Weights from 2 up to, but not including 5 ......Charge: Ground $ 0.00, 2nd Day $ 2.00, Next Day $ 4.00

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