| Discussion Forum: Thread 276798 |
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| | | Author: | CALBrickLAB  | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 02:59 | | Subject: | USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 109 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | | Status: | Open | | Vote: | [Yes|No] | |
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| Please make a way for us to charge shipping based on zip code during automatic
checkout.
As I am updating my USPS postage for the price increase on Sunday, I am once
again reminded that we still don't have a way to charge proper shipping by
zones for both First Class and Priority Mail. On one of my shipping methods,
I charge 155% more than the actual price to local customers because I have to
charge the same to them as to people across the country. I normally give partial
refunds to people that are overcharged, but it ends up being less than the actual
difference because of the non-refunded PayPal fees.
There has got to be a way to make it interface directly with PayPal similarly
to the new sales tax changes. We can now even give refunds directly from BrickLink.
Is there no way to harness PayPal's shipping calculations?
BTW, I'm loving the automatic sales tax because it's way more accurate
that what I was doing before, undercharging and paying the difference. My sales
tax filing is also only going to take me 10 minutes next quarter!
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| | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 03:06 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 23 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| Correction to my post: I charge 155% of the actual price, not 155% more than
the actual price. The range goes from ~$8.10 to ~12.50 for a Reginal Rate A box.
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| | | | | Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 04:16 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 30 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | Please make a way for us to charge shipping based on zip code during automatic
checkout.
As I am updating my USPS postage for the price increase on Sunday, I am once
again reminded that we still don't have a way to charge proper shipping by
zones for both First Class and Priority Mail. On one of my shipping methods,
I charge 155% more than the actual price to local customers because I have to
charge the same to them as to people across the country. I normally give partial
refunds to people that are overcharged, but it ends up being less than the actual
difference because of the non-refunded PayPal fees.
There has got to be a way to make it interface directly with PayPal similarly
to the new sales tax changes. We can now even give refunds directly from BrickLink.
Is there no way to harness PayPal's shipping calculations?
BTW, I'm loving the automatic sales tax because it's way more accurate
that what I was doing before, undercharging and paying the difference. My sales
tax filing is also only going to take me 10 minutes next quarter!
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The lack of a good automatic zip code based shipping calculation tool is why
I still calculate by hand. Although, I have created a database of zip codes,
zones, and shipping rate tables that allow me to input a zip code and spit out
a price based on First Class Domestic. The rates are read from a table I can
then paste into the new rate data whenever USPS makes an update.
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| | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 15:02 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 22 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, kzinti writes:
| | The lack of a good automatic zip code based shipping calculation tool is why
I still calculate by hand. Although, I have created a database of zip codes,
zones, and shipping rate tables that allow me to input a zip code and spit out
a price based on First Class Domestic. The rates are read from a table I can
then paste into the new rate data whenever USPS makes an update.
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This is what I had set up before I decided to go with automatic checkout. I still
have an option for buyers to ask for an invoice if they want the lowest shipping.
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| | | | | Author: | cosmicray | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 07:56 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 41 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | Please make a way for us to charge shipping based on zip code during automatic
checkout.
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While you do have a point, this gets really really complex. It involves a rather
large two dimensional matrix (3-digit sending prefix by 3-digit destination prefix),
then looking up the correct amount based on weight, class of service, etc. THEN
you have to deal with dimensional packages. I wish everyone the best in this
endeavor, but it is a mighty complex issue, which also depends on which boxes
each seller has available at any given moment.
Nita Rae
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| | | | | | | Author: | TallyToyBricks | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 12:01 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 22 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, cosmicray writes:
| | In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | Please make a way for us to charge shipping based on zip code during automatic
checkout.
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While you do have a point, this gets really really complex. It involves a rather
large two dimensional matrix (3-digit sending prefix by 3-digit destination prefix),
then looking up the correct amount based on weight, class of service, etc. THEN
you have to deal with dimensional packages. I wish everyone the best in this
endeavor, but it is a mighty complex issue, which also depends on which boxes
each seller has available at any given moment.
Nita Rae
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But it would be rather simple to roll-out for First Class; only 3 factors needed
(3-digit sending, 3-digit receiving and weight). At least that would be a start.
Plus that covers 75% of my orders. 
Joe
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| | | | | | | Author: | RecycledBrick | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 13:26 | | Subject: | (Cancelled) | | Viewed: | 28 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| | (Cancelled) |
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| | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Oct 17, 2020 15:40 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, cosmicray writes:
| | While you do have a point, this gets really really complex. It involves a rather
large two dimensional matrix (3-digit sending prefix by 3-digit destination prefix),
then looking up the correct amount based on weight, class of service, etc. THEN
you have to deal with dimensional packages. I wish everyone the best in this
endeavor, but it is a mighty complex issue, which also depends on which boxes
each seller has available at any given moment.
Nita Rae
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While it would be this complex if BrickLink were automatically printing out the
shipping for us, this wouldn’t be the case. I ALREADY have personalized settings
that judge what packaging I use for each weight/size/class. That’s the part that
each seller can dial down themselves based on how they like to ship. The only
part missing is the zip code lookup so that I don’t have to assign a flat rate
for each shipping method.
Integrated shipping is definitely more complicated unless BrickLink did it through
another service. We used to have a stamps.com account because that’s what another
large marketplace used to use for their on-site shipping. That site’s new system
is worse that Stamps’. I guess a lot of the large marketplaces made their systems
a lot simpler by convincing everyone that they would never make sales without
free shipping.
I always figured BrickLink offered minimal services because it kept them out
of the marketplace designation and they wouldn’t have to set up the complicated
sales tax system. Now we have streamlined sales tax and clunky shipping.
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | cosmicray | | Posted: | Oct 18, 2020 09:24 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | The only
part missing is the zip code lookup so that I don’t have to assign a flat rate
for each shipping method.
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What I've been doing, is to analyze my past year's shipments, as to weight
vs zone vs cost, then arriving at a factor as to how many I normally ship to
each zone, and which column to use. Because I'm in one corner of the country,
my average zone shipped is close to zone 7.
Nita Rae
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| | | | | Author: | cosmicray | | Posted: | Dec 12, 2020 11:33 | | Subject: | Re: USPS postage by zip code zone | | Viewed: | 36 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | Please make a way for us to charge shipping based on zip code during automatic
checkout.
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Once again, I'm going to comment on this suggestion (which I think is spot
on) …
If BL could give us the ability to filter shipping methods shown to the customer,
based on zones, I would happily set up 8 shipping methods, each one containing
the postage rates for that zone. It would require BL to use the sending and destination
zip codes, then do an API call to USPS to convert to zone, then filter the shipping
methods by zone. That way, the customer would only see the rates applicable to
their order.
BL would no longer have to concern itself with the actual rates, that would be
a seller responsibility.
If a customer in HK wants to use a re-shipper in Oregon, it's only fair that
they see zone 8 rates for Florida - Oregon.
Nita Rae
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USA, California
