Shipping package descriptions: "tube" "box" "envelope"

[bigcatart]

Just a quick question - does the customer ever see the words "tube", "box", or "envelope"?



What I mean is - will the invoice say that the items were shipped in a "Large Tube" when the shipping is specified?



The reason I ask is because I'd like to be able to define each of the nine shipping packages as price and weights, but they are definitely NOT tubes - they are all various sizes of bubble envelopes, cardboard flat-mailers, etc. and it is extremely important that the customer does not see the word "Tube" as I never mail my prints in tubes - they are all shipped flat.



It would be great if we could name each category... for our own ease of use, something like the following:

1. Mini-Print Envelope

2. Mini-Print Box (fits 5)

3. Medium Print Envelope

4. Large Print Box (fits 8)

Etc...



I find it confusing to try to work around the words when trying to plan out all of my various shipping options...



Also - what happens if someone orders one large item (specified as "large box") and orders four small items (specified as "small tube") but these items would all, in fact, fit in the "large box". Are "tube" items prevented from being shipped in a "box" or an "envelope" as the categories are set up right now?



I've read a number of places that new updates are coming for the shipping - I'm new, so I don't want to pester you, but when is this happening? :)



Thanks for your help!

[E-junkie_Guru]

The shipping container names we use are mostly just arbitrary labels, designed to make it easy for a Merchant configuring a product to remember which type(s) of container(s) they'd configured for Shipping and want to use for that product. We could just as easily have labeled them as Container A, B C, etc.; they're only used as a method to calculate Shipping fees to add to each order.



The buyer never sees any reference to the type of container you've configured, and the types don't have any relevance to our standard USPS rate lookups if you're using that; you can actually ship in however many and whatever type of containers you wish. If you want to use the "Small Envelope" type to actually mean "huge crate", you're more than welcome to do that, and if your actual shipment can consolidate the order into one big box instead of an assortment of smaller boxes, you can do that too.



With one significant exception (which I'll go into below), our Shipping calculator treats each product type as shipping in its own, separate container apart from any other products. If you have Product A configured to ship up to 4 units in a Large Box and Product B configured to ship 2 units in a Small Box, a buyer's order for 1 unit of Product A and 3 units of B would include the cost/weight of one Large Box and two Small Boxes to calculate Shipping. Different products are not consolidated into each others' containers insofar as Shipping calculation goes; each different product in an order adds the cost/weight of its own container independently. Now, for the exception:



Our "Tube" container types can consolidate different products into a common container for Shipping calculation. The original idea there was that an order for small posters shipped in a Small Tube and large posters shipped in a Large Tube should just consolidate them all into one Large Tube. You can take advantage of this technicality to consolidate items for shipping calculation, even if you aren't literally using any tubes for real.



Products configured to ship in any Tube container will consolidate into the largest such Tube configured for a product in an order, up to the packing capacity specified for that product. If the example above for Products A and B were using Tubes rather than Boxes (all other factors being the same), then the shipping calculator would add your cost/weight for only one Large Tube, since the 3 unoccupied "slots" in A's Large Tube could be taken by up to 3 units of any other product that ships in the same or smaller Tube size.



Again, all this is only relevant for how Shipping fees get calculated and added to the order. However you choose to actually pack and ship the order need not correspond, and in most cases you may wind up slightly ahead on Shipping charged vs. your actual shipping expenses.

[bigcatart]

Thank you so much for your response! Very detailed and helpful. I can see now that I will be configuring my shipping using the "tubes" as that is exactly what I want it to do - put smaller items in with larger ones depending on the order. Now I just have to blast through this darn formula to try to make it give me the amounts I want for each order... Thanks again!

[E-junkie_Guru]

I'm not sure if we provided this to you already, but you may find it helpful to know the basic formula our Shipping calculation follows:



((cost per oz.) X (total product wt. + container wt.)) + (container cost) + (handling cost)



For simplicity's sake I have left out the Quantity factor, which would of course affect the (total product wt.) factor, and to a lesser degree the (container wt.) factor depending on what packing capacities you set. The (cost per oz.) part would be determined either by a flat per-oz. rate you specify for Domestic or International shipping, or otherwise by standard USPS rates if you have your zipcode entered without any custom rates in Seller Admin > Cart Shipping Settings (we compare USPS First Class vs. Priority and apply whichever rate is cheaper). Note that you can "game" the formula by applying non-literal figures for various settings, so the formula adds up the way you want.

[bigcatart]

I had seen this formula on other posts, and I appreciate you posting it here as well. I have punched the formula into an Excel spreadsheet and manipulated the values until I got what I wanted as an end result for shipping prices, and am fairly confident it will work out well no matter what my customers order. If anyone else reading this is confused by the formula, or how to make it work for them - please reply to this post (I'll get an e-mail stating you replied) and I can help you out as to how to build an Excel spreadsheet to help you calculate this. It took me a little while, but this formula is very easy to play around with as long as you keep in mind you can use arbitrary values.



Thanks Tyson for all of your help! I appreciate it greatly and look forward to becoming a super-happy customer of E-Junkie just like everyone else I've heard of!

[solmn]

Help! I think I have a simple problem but I haven't figured out how to get it to work and my eyes are crossed by now - Here it is:



Item Purchase Weight Container US Canad/Mex Int’l

SK 10.00 19 oz Priority Flat Rate Box 4.95 10.95 12.95

LP 2.50 3 oz Envelope .80 1.50 2.50

NS 2.50 1.5 oz Envelope .65 1.10 1.75

EN .25 .5 Envelope .44 .72 .96



Is there any way that I can get the system to calculate the appropriate rates? Greatly appreciate it if you could help me build the Excel spreadsheet - but even more to tell me where to put what values inside e-junkie.



Thanks so much - you're helping a non-profit that helps people.

[E-junkie_Guru]

If you use our standard USPS rate calculation, then we will query USPS.com for the exact postage for the order's actual weight and destination -- we obtain First Class vs. Priority Mail rates and apply whichever is cheaper. To use this, just make sure you go into Seller Admin > Cart Shipping Settings and enter your zipcode, and you can also enter the empty weight of any packaging container types you will be using, and click Submit to save changes. Then configure each product with Shipping enabled and specify the weight of each product unit, what type of packaging container it goes in, and how many units can fit in that type of container.



If you would rather disable USPS postal rates, then just leave your zipcode blank in Cart Shipping Settings, and this page will give you some creative approaches to custom shipping calculation:

http://www.e-junkie.com/ej/help.shipping.htm



Note that custom shipping calculation can only distinguish Domestic vs. International destinations; we presently cannot define rates on a per-country basis or subdivide International more specifically. However, upcoming enhancements to our Shipping features are planned to add the ability to define per-country custom rates.

[solmn]

Hi Tyson,



Gee, you're everywhere!



For some reason, it won't give me a shipping cost less than $1, no matter how microscopic the weight - i.e., .02 ounce



We are shipping leaflets which are 1 page of legal size paper folded to fit in a standard business envelope. Its conceivable that someone would order 1 leaflet for .25 and should only pay for 1 stamp postage, but I've been working over 4 hours and late last night and no matter how I configure it - it doesn't work right.



I am using the HTML code to place on Google sites - is it possible that the code is not updating appropriately?



I saw somewhere where the code was explained, and perhaps I could adjust it to get the right postage.



So using this calculation:

E-junkie shipping calculation

((cost per oz.) X (product wt. + package wt.)) + (package cost) + (handling cost)



for 1 leaflet, the cost per oz is 88 cents (.44 stamp for .5 oz), but for 1 newsletter, the cost per oz is 4.2 cents (.65 stamp for 1.5 oz) and for 1 lit package of 8 leaflets plus 2 other peices, cost is 20 cents per oz



Ugh! Help!!!



C

[solmn]

If you're going to do this instead of using USPS rate lookups for the bulk weight of each order (this normally returns the First Class Package rate for weights up to 13oz. total), then you should also leave your zipcode blank in Seller Admin > Cart Shipping Settings to disable USPS rate lookups.



Then you can set your Domestic rate as 1.00, then set each product's Weight as what it would cost to ship each unit of that product.

[E-junkie_Guru]

If you're going to do this instead of using USPS rate lookups for the bulk weight of each order (this normally returns the First Class Package rate for weights up to 13oz. total), then you should also leave your zipcode blank in Seller Admin > Cart Shipping Settings to disable USPS rate lookups.



Then you can set your Domestic rate as 1.00, then set each product's Weight as what it would cost to ship each unit of that product.

[shineprojectken]

I have another question. the "tube" boxes seem ideal, but the seller admin only allows for 3 different types of "tube" boxes. Is there any way we can add more? Using the others wouldnt work because they don't calculate the same way "tubes" do, which is ideal for what we sell.



Ken

[shineprojectken]

Also... is it possible for customers to click on a business address option and save $25 more?

[shineprojectken]

figured out the discount



What does Max Cart items, ounces, and total items mean?



Ken

[E-junkie_Ninja]

Sorry for the delay in responding to your forum post.



Your question above is that for discounts or shipping?

[shineprojectken]

I sort of figured out the discounts. Im curious if there is any way to have more than just 3 "tube" options? the tube option works very well for us...



Ken

[E-junkie_Guru]

Sorry, we only have the 3 Tube container types. Were you actually taking advantage of the special shipping-calculation property of Tubes, where products configured to ship in different Tubes can be consolidated into the largest Tube with vacant capacity in the order? If not, and you just have more than 3 types of actual tube that you ship in, you can just pretend that the other container types are tubes; the shipping calculator won't consolidate items from small-into-large containers with those, but it will still consolidate items that ship in the same container type.



Aside from packing-capacity consolidation behavior, the packaging container names, by themselves, don't affect how shipping rates are calculated -- i.e., USPS doesn't know or care what kind of container it's being shipped in. We just gave them names to be easier to keep track of which is which, vs. calling them Container A, B, C, etc.

[shineprojectken]

hey guys,



I am definitely taking advantage of the tube calculation system. It is ideally what we need.



http://www.shineautoproject.com/specgt.htm



However, I can see how the product is limited by only allowing 3 different types of tubes when companies can have 5-10 different types of packages that can go into each other. Perhaps consider something more customizable by the user and you should have no problems.



I am using 3 boxes... but we have about 7 different boxes. Luckily the extra 4 boxes are small.





For example we have tube 1 at $65

tube 2 at $125

tube 3 at $170



All shipments within the u.s are capped at $170 because all packages will fit into this large sized tube.



However, if we have a small package... for example at $25 using the "small box" option...



The calculator will add $170 + $25 as boxes don't fit into tubes. It would be nice if can custom make more "tubes."



Envelopes and boxes are the same , so there are 6 of those, but only 3 tubes.



Ken

[E-junkie_Guru]

I'll pass along your request to Development for consideration on the Wishlist. :^)

[shineprojectken]

I think the packaging capacity calculator is flawed.



these are my setting.



Small tube $65

Regular tube $125

Large Tube $170



I have an item where only 1 can fit into a small tube. So for packaging capacity, I have it set at 1.



I also have a larger item where 5 can fit into a regular tube. I have packaging capacity for that set a 5 and regular tube.



The smaller tube item should also be able to fit into the regular tube package capping it at $125. However, the calculator gives me $190. The only way it will give me $125 is if I change the capacity of smaller tube to 2 or greater. However, I feel this is a flawed way to do it because someone looking to purchase 2 of the smaller item will only be charged $65 instead of $130 since.



There should be an option for the user to decide how many "small tubes" can fit into "regular tubes" and how many regular tubes can fit into 'large tubes" to avoid this problem.



Ken

[E-junkie_Guru]

Ah, I see what you mean and have reproduced the problem myself. It worked properly last I knew, so this must be a bug that crept in very recently somehow. I've informed our Lead Developer about this, so we should have a fix in soon, and we'll let you know when that's done. Thanks for reporting this!