Custom rates based on subtotal or weight

With the help of custom tables, you can specify how much to charge for different subtotals or weights for customer orders:

Weight-based rates are usually more accurate than subtotal-based rates because they reflect the actual costs of shipping.

Custom tables can be based on Range only or they can be more complex and depend on Range, subtotal, and weight:

If you choose Range only when creating a custom table, the shipping cost will be a flat rate that applies within a set subtotal/weight range:

In the illustration above the shipping fees would be:

$5.00 for orders up to $9.99
$10.00 for orders from $10.00 to $49.99
$20.00 for orders above $50.00

If you choose the Range, subtotal, and weight option for a custom table, the shipping will be calculated within the set subtotal/weight range as a combination of a flat amount per order, a percent charge, a per-item fee, and a per weight unit fee:

In the illustration above the shipping fee for orders up to $9.99 will be calculated as:

$5.00 + $1.00 per each item in the cart + 5% of the cart price + $0.50 per lb.

You can add as many custom tables as you need to cover all the destination zones you ship to.

Rates based on subtotal

If you prefer the shipping cost to be contingent on customers' order amounts (for instance, offering free shipping on orders over $500 and charging a shipping fee for all smaller orders), you can establish a table based on the required subtotal ranges. You have the option to set up separate tables for the various countries or areas you ship to.

Example:

You have set up a table for an area that includes New York with the following subtotal ranges and shipping rates:
$15 shipping to NY for orders up to $50
$10 shipping to NY for orders over $50
$5 shipping to NY for orders over $100
$0 (free shipping) to NY for orders over $300

If a customer located in NY orders $35 worth of products, they will be charged $15 for shipping at checkout.
If a customer from NY orders $310 worth of products, they will receive free shipping.

To add a custom table with shipping rates based on the total cart price:

1. From your store admin, go to Shipping & Pickup.
2. Click +Add Shipping.
3. Select how you ship your goods (by a shipping carrier or a local delivery service) and click Set up. 
4. Click Set up Custom rates.

5. On the custom table setup page choose Subtotal from the Table based on drop-down.
6. Choose the shipping rate calculation method from the Rate based on drop-down.

7. Set the subtotal ranges to which the rates will apply. Click Add row for extra rows in the table.
8. Set the shipping rate you want to charge for each subtotal range.

9. (Optional) ClickAdd description for customers and enter the details you want to display at checkout. For example, enter the delivery speed and time it takes for orders to arrive when shipped with this method.
10. (Optional) Click Limit availability by order subtotal, if you want to inform of this shipping option those customers who are not eligible for it due to a less order sum. Then specify the minimum order subtotal at which this shipping option becomes active at checkout, i.e. the sum of all items in the cart before adding shipping costs and discounts. When this limit is reached, customers will be able to choose this shipping option at checkout.
11. Optional: Click Show approximate delivery date at checkout to display the approximate delivery date next to shipping options at checkout.
    When it comes to shipping, customers want to know when they will receive their order. A specific delivery date at checkout gives your buyers a better customer experience — they can clearly understand when to expect to receive their order, resulting in a higher number of successful sales.

    Then set it up:

    • In the Estimated transit time specify how long it usually takes for the package to be delivered after being handed in to the shipping company. You can find the information at the carriers’ website.
    • In the Days when packages are delivered, specify days of the week when your orders can be delivered. These days will be taken into account when calculating and displaying the approximate delivery date for customers at checkout.
    • In the Order preparation time specify how many days it usually takes for you to prepare an order. That time will be taken into account when calculating the delivery date for customers.
    • In the Days when you pack orders specify when you pack orders for shipment. Also set the final time to pack orders in the I pack orders received past this time on the next day box. Your schedule will be taken into account when calculating the delivery date for customers.

    Your store will automatically calculate the delivery time and show it at the checkout so your customers can clearly see it.

12. Click Set shipping region to specify the destination you will ship to with this method.
13. Click Save & Finish.

Now your custom shipping rate will be shown to customers with their corresponding order total at checkout.

Example:

Here is an example of a custom table set up in store control panel based on order subtotal tiers:

According to this example setup, there will be:

• $8 shipping costs for orders under $100
• $5 shipping costs for orders in the $100-$299 subtotal range
• $0 shipping costs for orders over $300

At checkout customers will see the shipping rates that apply to their order subtotal:

Rates based on weight

You can set up a table with tiered rates based on the total weight of an entire order. This method helps you to cover the actual cost of delivering products with different weights to certain destinations or to cover the expenses of shipping large orders by freight.

Example:

$5 shipping to NY for orders up to 10 lb
$10 shipping to NY for orders over 10 lb
$15 shipping to NY for orders over 30 lb
If a customer from NY orders products with a total weight of 20 lb, she/he will be charged $10 for shipping at checkout.

To add a custom table with shipping rates that depend on the total weight:

1. From your store admin, go to Shipping & Pickup.
2. Click +Add Shipping.
3. Select how you ship your goods (by a shipping carrier or a local delivery service) and click Set up.
4. Click Set up Custom rates.

5. Choose Weight from the Table based on drop-down.
6. Choose the type of shipping rate calculation from the Rate based on drop-down.

7. Set the weight ranges for each rate - click Add row for extra rows in the table. Make sure that there are no gaps between your weight ranges.
8. Set the shipping rate you want to charge for each weight range.

9. (Optional) Click Add description for customers and enter the details you want to display at checkout. For example, enter the delivery speed and time it takes for orders to arrive when shipped with this method.
10. (Optional) Click Limit availability by order subtotal, if you want to offer this shipping method only to customers with orders over a certain sum. Then specify the minimum order subtotal, i.e. the sum of all items in the cart before adding shipping costs and discounts. When this limit is reached, customers will be able to choose this shipping option at checkout.
11. (For a local delivery only, optional) Click Limit availability to operating hours if you want this shipping option to be available to customers only on certain days of week or business hours and set the necessary limitations.
12. Click Set shipping region to specify the destination you will ship to with this method.
13. Click Save & Finish.

Repeat the above steps if you need to add another weight-based table for any different destination zones you deliver to.

Now your custom shipping rate based on total order weight will be shown at checkout.

Example

Here is an example of a custom table set up in store control panel based on order weight tiers:

According to this example setup, there will be:

• $55 shipping costs on any order in the 300-500 lbs range
• $75 shipping costs for any order over 500 lbs.

During checkout, customers will view the applicable shipping rate for their order based on weight. In this example, the item weighs 310 lbs, falling within the 300-500 lbs range, resulting in a shipping freight of $55 at checkout.