Shipping

This section will cover the configuration process of shipping and handling multiple warehouses in Concerto Commerce. It will include both manual shipping configuration and setting up shipping via API of individual shipping providers like UPS.

Please note that Concerto Commerce offers integration with third-party shipping services and optimizations. 

Shipping providers

If you sell shippable products, you will need to set up shipping methods for your store to deliver orders to customers. You can either define your own shipping methods or use the predefined shipping methods provided by popular carriers, such as UPS. Concerto Commerce has preinstalled shipment plugins connecting the platform with leading shipping providers, in addition to inbuilt tools for complex shipping calculations, such as shipping by weight or by total and fixed rate shipping.

If you decide to define and use your own shipping methods, the shipping rates for these methods should be entered manually. If you decide to use the shipping methods provided by the carrier companies like UPS, the shipping rates for these methods will need to be obtained from the respective carrier companies.

All shipment options are implemented as plugins and can be found and installed in the Local plugins section (Configuration → Plugins → Local plugins).

Learn how to set up the required shipment options in the following chapters:

• Manual (fixed or by weight and by total)
• EasyPost
• UPS

Manual (fixed or by weight and by total)

Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) shipping allows setting fixed fees or calculating fees by weight and by total to all pre-defined shipping methods.

To see an example of how this method can be applied to your store, please see the Example section below.

Define the manual shipping provider

Go to Configuration → Shipping → Shipping providers. The Shipping providers window will be displayed:

Enable the manual shipping rate computation method as follows:

• In the Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) row, click the Edit button.
• In the Is active column, select the checkbox.
• Click the Update button. The false option becomes true.

Click the Configure button beside the Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) option in the list.

You can switch Fixed rate shipping fee calculation to shipping By weight/total calculation by clicking the button at the top of the page.

Configure fixed rate

Click the Edit button beside a shipping method and enter the Rate and Transit days (if needed) for it.

Click Update.

Configure rate by weight/total

The shipping by weight and by total option allows setting different shipping fees based on a shipment's weight and total. The ability to charge different fees depending on the shipment's weight and total helps to keep a company's shipping costs down when heavy items are shipped yet offer reasonable shipping costs to customers who purchase light products.

Use formula [additional fixed cost] + ([order total weight] - [lower weight limit]) × [rate per weight unit] + [order subtotal] × [charge percentage] to calculate the fees, where:

• additional fixed cost is the cost of the shipment in case the weight is below a certain level (lower weight limit).
• rate per weight unit is the cost of each weight unit above the lower weight limit.
• order subtotal and charge percentage are parameters for calculating the extra cost based on the order subtotal.

For example, if you have the following shipping conditions:

• if the weight is 0 to 1 pound and the order subtotal is from $1 to $10, the cost is $10. You should create the following shipping rules:
  • Order weight from: 0
  • Order weight to: 1
  • Order subtotal from: 1
  • Order subtotal to: 10
  • Additional fixed cost: 10
  • Lower weight limit: 0
  • Rate per weight unit: 0
• if the weight is 1.1 pounds to 2 pounds and the order subtotal is from $11 to $1000,000, the cost is $15. You should create the following shipping rules:
  • Order weight from: 1.000
  • Order weight to: 2
  • Order subtotal from: 11
  • Order subtotal to: 1000000
  • Additional fixed cost: 15
  • Lower weight limit: 0
  • Rate per weight unit: 0
• over 2 pounds, the cost is $3 per each additional 0.5 pounds. You should create the following shipping rules:
  • If your fixed cost is $15 the cost per pound over 2 pounds is $6
  • Order weight from: 2.0001
  • Order weight to: 99999
  • Additional fixed cost: 15
  • Lower weight limit: 2
  • Rate per weight unit: 3

    NOTE

    An additional weight will be charged proportionally; for example, for 2.1 pounds, $15 + (0.1 * 6)= $15.6 will be charged

To add a new shipping rule, click Add record. The Add new record window will be displayed:

Define the following information:

• Store in which the calculated fees will be applied. Choose * to apply the rules to all stores.
• Warehouse from which the shipping will be done. Choose * to apply the rules to all warehouses.
• Country, State/province, Zip of a shipment destination.
• Select a Shipping method from the list of precreated options. Use Manage shipping methods on the top to add/remove shipping methods or proceed to the Configure shipping methods section to learn more.
• Create your weight configuration by filling the Order weight from and Order weight to fields. If the customer's shipment weight falls into this range, the additional cost will be fixed and calculated according to this record.
• Configure the pricing rules for this record using fields Order subtotal from, Order subtotal to, Additional fixed cost, Lower weight limit, Rate per weight unit, Charge percentage (of subtotal) fields.
• Define the Transit days field, which defines the number of days for delivery.

Click Save.

Configure shipping methods

A store owner can define the required shipping method list used in Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) provider. To manage shipping methods:

Go to Configuration → Shipping → Shipping providers. Then click the Configure button beside the Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) provider. The configuration window will be displayed:

Click Manage shipping methods; the Shipping methods window will be displayed:

Click Add new button; the Add a new shipping method window will be displayed as follows:

Define the following fields for a new record:

• Name of the shipping method seen by a customer.
• Description for the shipping method seen by a customer.
• Display order of the shipping method. A value of 1 represents the top of the list.

Click Save.

Shipping method restrictions

A store owner can define restrictions for specific shipping methods in certain countries. To do so, go to Configuration → Shipping → Shipping providers. Click the Configure button beside the Manual (fixed or by weight and by total) provider. The configuration window will be displayed:

Click Shipping method restrictions; the Shipping method restrictions window will be displayed:

Select one or more of the shipping methods that you want to disable in certain countries.

If required, you can select the entire restriction column for all countries.

Click Save.

Example

Let's say you have a store located in the USA that ships within the USA and to Canada. You set up three shipping methods available:

• Ground that allows shipping by land transport.
• Next day air that provides one-day air shipping.
• 2nd day air allowing two-days air shipping.

Then, let's say the shipping fee depends on the order total and shipping address. For example:

• If a customer pays $150 for their order, we provide free shipping by the Ground method within the USA only. If the order total is less than $150, we will charge $10. The delivery within the USA will take 5 days.
• For Canada, a customer should make an order worth $250 to have free shipping by the Ground method. If the order total is less than $250, we will charge $20. The delivery will take 7 days in this case.
• If a customer needs a Next day air delivery, it will cost $60 for the USA. Let's say you wish to disable the Next day air option for Canada.
• If a customer is ready to wait one more day, we suggest to use 2nd day air shipping, which costs $40 both for the USA and Canada.

Considering all the requirements above, we will set up the payment method on the Configure - Manual (Fixed or By Weight and By Total) page as follows:

• Ground method 
• Next day air method 
• 2nd day air method 

To disable the Next day air option for Canada, click the Shipping method restrictions button and fill the Shipping method restrictions as follows: 

Let's see what the shipping options look like in the public store

1. Whenever a customer from the USA visits the product page (or shopping cart page), the shipping estimation will be displayed as follows: 

   TIP

   By the way, you can disable shipping estimation by clearing the Estimate shipping enabled (cart page) and Estimate shipping enabled (product page) checkboxes on the Configuration → Settings → Shipping settings page.

   When the customer proceeds for the shipping details, the following options will be displayed: 

2. Whenever a customer chooses Canada from the shipping estimation window, the following options will be displayed:  As you can see, the Next day air option is no longer available.

In case you want to provide pickup points to your customers, see how to set this up in the Pickup points chapter.

EasyPost shipping provider

Configuration

After installing the plugin of the EasyPost shipping provider you need to configure the integration. But first, ensure that the plugin is enabled (Configuration → Shipping → Shipping providers). To do so, click Edit and select the Is active checkbox. Also, for more accurate work of the plugin, it's recommended to disable all other shipping providers if they are not used.

To configure the EasyPost shipping provider's plugin, click Configure beside the EasyPost option in the list.

Follow the instructions at the top of the Configure page to create an account. Enter your carrier-specific credentials on the Carrier Account Dashboard. Then configure the plugin. Each field's function will be annotated when "?" is hovered on.

1. Configure your EasyPost credentials:

   

   • Test mode is enabled to use it for testing purposes.
   • API key: (Test or Production) is required for the plugin to work. You can manage your API Keys from your EasyPost account.
2. Select carriers:

NOTE

1. These settings are only available in production mode.

   

   • Use all available carriers is enabled to use all available carriers for your account.
   • Carrier accounts allows selecting specific carriers.
2. Configure address verification settings:

   

   • Address verification is enabled to activate the address verification feature. It automatically makes minor corrections to spelling/format if applicable.
   • Strict address verification is enabled to activate the strict address verification. In this case, any mistakes in a typed address cause the whole request to fail, and the customer needs to correct and specify the address again.
3. Save the plugin's configuration.

Also, make sure that weight measure (ounce), dimension measure (inches) and currency (USD) are created, and the ratio is set correctly in your store. These are required for the plugin to work correctly. You can learn more about measures here and about currencies here.

Additional product details

You can specify additional product info to be used in EasyPost requests.

Navigate to product details and find this section.

1. Predefined package

   There are common carrier-specific packaging types, which you can use as predefined constants. If you use these for your packaging, you don’t need to specify dimensions, just weight. Here is the comprehensive list of predefined packages supported.

NOTE

1. Predefined packages are only used for a single item in the cart with a quantity of 1; otherwise, the dimensions of all items shipped must be specified.

   • Predefined package is the name of the predefined package.
2. Customs Info

   When shipping internationally, carriers require that you add information about the contents of your package. This information is used in the customs process for the destination country.

   • Harmonized Tariff Schedule is the six-digit code for your product, as specified by the harmonized system for tariffs.
   • Origin country is where the product was manufactured or assembled.

TIP

1. To get the Harmonized Tariff Schedule number, you need to look up the harmonization code associated with the product you are shipping. You can search for them at hts.usitc.gov.

Shipments

This plugin allows you to buy labels for your shipments (when used as a shipping method for an order) and schedule the pickup of parcels to the carrier directly from the admin area of your store.

1. Go to order details and create a shipment.

   

   

2. Find the EasyPost section on the shipment details page.
3. Here, you can set many options for your shipment. See the hints for a detailed description. Then click the Update button.

   

   

NOTE

1. If you add options or customs form, rates may adjust because, during the checkout, a customer selects shipping rate without considering these parameters.

2. When shipping internationally, you need to add customs information to your shipment. EasyPost uses this information to automatically generate necessary customs' forms for your shipment. You need to pass customs information whenever you are shipping between two countries. Specify customs info and click the Update button.

   

3. When all details are set or no shipment update is required, you can buy a label.

   

   • Rate is the rate to purchase this shipment. The rate selected by the customer during checkout is displayed by default, but you can choose any other available delivery rate.
   • Display Smart Rates is enabled to display Smart Rates. The SmartRate feature provides shippers with a predicted transit period (in days) across a variety of percentiles for each carrier service evaluated for the shipment. Using the Smart Rates, you can make better data-driven decisions about which rate to select when purchasing a label.
   • Insurance is an amount to insure the shipment. EasyPost charges 0.5% of the value, with a 50 cent minimum, and handles all the claims. All claims are paid out within 10 days.

   

   Select a rate (and insurance amount if needed), then click the "Buy label" button.

   

   After the purchase, the tracking code is set automatically; you can track shipment events on the EasyPost site or the shipment page below.

   

   

4. Now you can download the label.

   

5. Creating a pickup allows you to schedule a pickup from your carrier, customer's residence or place of business. Specify instructions, address, and pickup date. Then click the Create pickup button.

   

   

   After a pickup is successfully created, it automatically fetches rates for each carrier that supports scheduled pickups. Then, a rate must be selected and purchase made before the pickup can be successfully scheduled.

Batches

Batch allows you to perform operations on multiple shipments at once. This includes scheduling a pickup, creating a manifest file, and consolidating labels.

Go to Sales → EasyPost Batches.

1. New batch

   Click the Add new button, then add shipments for this batch and save.

   

   After you create a batch, you can still add shipments to it. Sometimes you might also need to remove a shipment from a batch. You can do that too. For example, a particular shipment may have an invalid address, but you may still want to continue with the rest of the shipments. Change the collection of shipments as you wish, and then save the batch again.

2. Once all associated shipments have been purchased, you can generate labels. All labels for a batch will be in a single file that you download.

   

NOTE

1. It takes a little time to create all labels. The button for downloading the file will appear automatically when a batch status is Label generated.

   

TIP

1. You can also click the Save button to check a batch status if it is not updated automatically.

2. A manifest file can be created to speed up and simplify a carrier pickup process. A manifest is a document that can be scanned to mark all included tracking codes as "Accepted for Shipment" by a carrier.

   

UPS

To access your account at UPS, use a username, a password, and an XML license number, which you will be provided with after the registration process.

Define the UPS Real Time Shipping Calculations

1. Create a UPS account by going to https://www.ups.com/upsdeveloperkit?loc=en_US to receive the following:
   • Username ID
   • Password
   • XML access license number
2. In the nopCommerce admin area, go to Configuration → Shipping → Shipping providers. 
3. Enable this method as follows:
   • In the UPS (United Postal Service) row, click the Edit button.
   • In the Is active column, select the check mark.
   • Click Update. The false option will becomes true.
4. Click Configure beside the UPS (United Parcel Service) option in the list. The Configure – UPS (United Parcel Service) window will be displayed as follows: 
5. Enter the following information obtained from the UPS provider:
   • Select the Use sandbox checkbox to use the testing environment.
   • Enter the Account number of the UPS provider.
   • Enter the Access Key obtained from the provider.
   • Enter your Username obtained from the provider.
   • Enter the Password obtained from the provider
   • Select your required UPS Customer Classification as follows:
     • Rates Associated With Shipper Number
     • Daily Rates
     • Retail Rates
     • Regional Rates
     • General List Rates
     • Standard List Rates
   • Select the required UPS Pickup Type as follows:
     • Daily Pickup
     • Customer Counter
     • One Time Pickup
     • On Call Air
     • Letter Center
     • Air Service Center
   • Select the required UPS Packaging Type as follows:
     • Unknown
     • Letter
     • Customer Supplied Package
     • Tube
     • P A K
     • Express Box
     • 10 kg Box
     • 25 kg Box
     • Pallet
     • Small Express Box
     • Medium Express Box
     • Large Express Box
   • Select the Insure package checkbox, to indicate the package will be insured.
   • Enter Additional handling charge. It is an additional fee to charge your customers.
   • Select the Carrier Services you want to offer to your customers.
   • Select to get rates for Saturday Delivery enabled.
   • Select the Packing type, as follows:
     • Pack by dimensions
     • Pack by one item per package
     • Pack by volume
   • Tick the Pass dimensions checkbox to pass package dimensions when requesting for rates.
   • Select the Weight type – pounds or kilograms.
   • Select the Dimensions type – inches or centimeters.
   • Tick the Tracing checkbox to record system tracing in the system log. The entire request and response XML will be logged (including AccessKey/Username, Password). Do not leave this enabled in a production environment.

   Click Save.