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| | | Author: | jennnifer  | | Posted: | Sep 24, 2021 13:01 | | Subject: | Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 101 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| I am on Step 2 of adding Instant Checkout to my store. Here was the result of
Step 1. 
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1304345
I have wound my way through the process of adding a new shipping method. I read
through enough of the shared methods to make my eyes blur and found not one of
them was helpful or up to date. Sigh...
So, I created my own First Class method with the current commercial rates. Now,
here is what I need help with:
1) How are US sellers handling the lack of location-based pricing? Are you charging
for the furthest zone or averaging out the costs somewhere in the middle? I am
in Chicago, so my 4oz rate varies from $3.03 to my next-door neighbor and $3.35
to California. A 16oz package would range from $5.23 to $5.81. Priority rates
can vary as much as $6 so I don't think I will be using IC for that anytime
soon.
2) How much 'padding' are you adding to adjust for packaging and how
are you doing it? I've started with a weight percentage increase of 20%.
Does this seem right to you for mostly bubble mailers? If not, what is your solution?
Thanks so much for any advice and information!
Jen
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| | | | | Author: | cosmicray | | Posted: | Sep 24, 2021 16:52 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 47 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, jennnifer writes:
| | I am on Step 2 of adding Instant Checkout to my store. Here was the result of
Step 1.
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1304345
I have wound my way through the process of adding a new shipping method. I read
through enough of the shared methods to make my eyes blur and found not one of
them was helpful or up to date. Sigh...
So, I created my own First Class method with the current commercial rates. Now,
here is what I need help with:
1) How are US sellers handling the lack of location-based pricing?
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Carefully, with much spreadsheet calculation.
| | Are you charging
for the furthest zone or averaging out the costs somewhere in the middle?
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As I'm in Florida, and the two most popular zones I ship to are 5 and 8,
I settled on some number in the neighborhood of zone 6.8. It's a SWAG, but
I want the amount coming in to (roughly equate what I am paying on postage, in
the aggregate. Unless you dump IC, there is no way to get proper zoned postage.
| | I am
in Chicago, so my 4oz rate varies from $3.03 to my next-door neighbor and $3.35
to California. A 16oz package would range from $5.23 to $5.81. Priority rates
can vary as much as $6 so I don't think I will be using IC for that anytime
soon.
2) How much 'padding' are you adding to adjust for packaging and how
are you doing it? I've started with a weight percentage increase of 20%.
Does this seem right to you for mostly bubble mailers? If not, what is your solution?
|
All my /sets/ have custom weights, that include the packaging weight to ship
one of that set. The dimensions are set to 1mmx1mmx1mm to route sets-only orders
to a group of shipping methods, that have a very small size plus no packaging
weight. Orders containing /parts/ get sent to a different group of shipping methods,
where the packaging has a weight.
| | Thanks so much for any advice and information!
Jen
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If you have not already done so, you should look at opening a second account
to test with. Do not actually create live orders, but it will let you try adding
stuff the the cart, and see of IC is doing what you want it to.
Nita Rae
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| | | | | | | Author: | jennnifer | | Posted: | Sep 25, 2021 11:25 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, cosmicray writes:
| | As I'm in Florida, and the two most popular zones I ship to are 5 and 8,
I settled on some number in the neighborhood of zone 6.8. It's a SWAG, but
I want the amount coming in to (roughly equate what I am paying on postage, in
the aggregate. Unless you dump IC, there is no way to get proper zoned postage.
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So, I had to look up SWAG in this context... funny!
I guess since most of my orders are zones 5 and 7 that going with Zone 6 prices
is smart. I don't like the idea of overcharging, but I keep reading about
buyers preferring convenience over thrift with these small amounts, so I can
live with that.
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All my /sets/ have custom weights, that include the packaging weight to ship
one of that set. The dimensions are set to 1mmx1mmx1mm to route sets-only orders
to a group of shipping methods, that have a very small size plus no packaging
weight. Orders containing /parts/ get sent to a different group of shipping methods,
where the packaging has a weight.
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I am not familiar enough with the groups and dimensions yet to grasp what you
mean here. I will be sure to ask again when I get to the sets and instructions.
(Luckily, I don't sell too many sets.)
| | If you have not already done so, you should look at opening a second account
to test with. Do not actually create live orders, but it will let you try adding
stuff the the cart, and see of IC is doing what you want it to.
Nita Rae
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I have the test account, but I was nervous about testing stuff while my store
was open. I guess it's probably better to close for a few days and get this
all hammered out at once.
Thanks for your reply!
Jen
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | cosmicray | | Posted: | Sep 25, 2021 17:29 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, jennnifer writes:
| | I am not familiar enough with the groups and dimensions yet to grasp what you
mean here. I will be sure to ask again when I get to the sets and instructions.
(Luckily, I don't sell too many sets.)
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If the Instant Checkout system finds multiple valid shipping methods (i.e. different
box sizes, each with a different weight), and they all have the same group number,
it will show only the one with the lowest shipping cost (shipping cost being
determined by the sum of item weight and packaging weight).
So, if you have several box sizes described, each with it's own proper tare
weight, and the same rate scale, and they all have the same group code (e.g.
8), IC will filter out the ones that have too little volume for the items being
ordered, then it will take the ones remaining, decide which one will have the
lowest shipping cost, and show that one to the buyer ... because they were all
in the same group code.
Say you have one group code for shipping method(s) that describe first class
(all with the same group code, e.g. 4), then another bunch of shipping methods
for priority mail (all with the same group code, e.g. 5). It will pick the one
from group 4 that is least costly, and the one from group 5 that is least costly,
and show those at checkout, for the customer to pick from.
hope that helps.
Nita Rae
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| | | | | Author: | seti587 | | Posted: | Sep 24, 2021 19:06 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| Hi Jen,
As for setting the shipping price, when USPS went to zone based pricing I averaged
each weight class to price shipping somewhere in the middle. With some people
paying less than I was charging, and some people paying more I was hoping what
I got paid in shipping would average out. I ran into two problems. I'm in
Texas and many of my customers seem to be on the west coast, so I was paying
more for shipping than the average on a regular basis. I also commonly run into
situations where I have to ship an order with a lot of bubble wrap or in a small
box to protect it, bumping the package up to the next weight class. When the
new prices came out this year I set the shipping to the zone 9 prices. This eliminates
problem one and lessens the blow for problem two.
As for the package adjustments I set a base weight of .5 ounces and a weight
and dimension margin of 10%. I haven't run into very many problems doing
that. Of course I mostly just sell parts, you may have to use a larger base weight
for sets. I have priority flat rate prices for instant checkout with a message
telling people that normal priority is usually cheaper than flat rate and to
request an invoice to use priority. I think I've had a few people actually
do that. Ninety-nine percent of people using IC just pay for flat rate because
it's convenient. So you should set up priority flat rate. I use a 15% dimensional
margin for flat rate.
Tim
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| | | | | Author: | tons_of_bricks | | Posted: | Sep 24, 2021 19:09 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 30 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| (1). we average
(2). we've split our shipping methods into three brackets: 1-4 oz, 4-12 oz,
12-48 oz.
1-4 oz. gets 2 oz. packaging weight added, 4-12 3.3 oz, and 12-48 gets 4.2 oz.
Works 99% of the time.
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| | | | | Author: | peregrinator | | Posted: | Sep 24, 2021 19:13 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, jennnifer writes:
| | 2) How much 'padding' are you adding to adjust for packaging and how
are you doing it? I've started with a weight percentage increase of 20%.
Does this seem right to you for mostly bubble mailers? If not, what is your solution?
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I apply a base weight of 0.5 oz and a margin of 10% - it's served me well
so far, even for orders that I've sent in boxes. This is just for First Class
- anything over 1 lb I sent Priority Mail and don't allow IC.
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| | | | | Author: | jennnifer | | Posted: | Sep 25, 2021 11:28 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 27 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| Thanks everyone for the help and detailed answers! This is exactly the info I
was hoping for. I am sure I will be back with another round of questions soon.
Jen
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| | | | | Author: | Adjour | | Posted: | Sep 25, 2021 14:52 | | Subject: | Re: Advice for Instant Checkout please | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, jennnifer writes:
| | I am on Step 2 of adding Instant Checkout to my store. Here was the result of
Step 1.
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1304345
I have wound my way through the process of adding a new shipping method. I read
through enough of the shared methods to make my eyes blur and found not one of
them was helpful or up to date. Sigh...
So, I created my own First Class method with the current commercial rates. Now,
here is what I need help with:
1) How are US sellers handling the lack of location-based pricing? Are you charging
for the furthest zone or averaging out the costs somewhere in the middle? I am
in Chicago, so my 4oz rate varies from $3.03 to my next-door neighbor and $3.35
to California. A 16oz package would range from $5.23 to $5.81. Priority rates
can vary as much as $6 so I don't think I will be using IC for that anytime
soon.
2) How much 'padding' are you adding to adjust for packaging and how
are you doing it? I've started with a weight percentage increase of 20%.
Does this seem right to you for mostly bubble mailers? If not, what is your solution?
Thanks so much for any advice and information!
Jen
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I just did trial and error it until I found an average, honestly.
Its not exact, but I don't charge extra fees so no one has complained.
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USA, Illinois
