Offer live shipping rates
Let shoppers pick a carrier service at checkout, priced for their address and cart from your own carrier accounts.
Instead of one shipping price, a store can ask the carriers. Once a shopper types their address, checkout shows the cheapest services for their cart (for example USPS Ground Advantage, UPS Ground, USPS Priority Mail) with their prices and delivery estimates. The shopper picks one.
Where the rates come from
You choose, in Settings → Shipping → Live rates and weights:
- SKUFlow labels: the account you buy labels on. That's SKUFlow's carrier account, or your own EasyPost or Shippo account if you connected one. On SKUFlow's account the cost is the label price (postage plus SKUFlow's small markup).
- ShipStation carrier accounts: the carriers connected to your ShipStation (see Ship from ShipStation).
Each store's option can use your default or pick one of the two.
Set up a live rate option
Choose live rates
Open the store's Settings tab (or the Selling step when you create a store). Under Delivery and tax, set an option's Type to Ship to each person and its Price to Live carrier rates.
Choose what shoppers see and pay
- Rates from: your default, SKUFlow labels or ShipStation carriers.
- Only these carriers: for example
USPS, UPS. Leave it empty to allow any carrier. - Services offered: how many of the cheapest services shoppers see (1 to 10).
- Markup % and Handling: added to the carrier's cost.
- Free shipping over: shipping is free once the goods reach this amount. Leave it empty for never.
- If rates can't be found: the price shoppers pay when no carrier answers. For example, if the address can't be rated or your account can't buy labels right now.
Save
Click Save changes. Shoppers see the option as Calculated until they type their address.
The price is always worked out by SKUFlow, never taken from the shopper's browser. Rates are kept for 15 minutes for that cart and address. If the shopper changes their cart or address, or waits longer, checkout asks them to choose their shipping again.
Weights
Rates depend on the package's weight. SKUFlow adds up each item's weight from its product variant. A variant without a weight uses a default for its kind (apparel, headwear, drinkware, bags or other), which you can change in Settings → Shipping → Live rates and weights. The store's Overview and Products tabs show "N products have no weight; using defaults" until every product has its weights. Set them on the product's variants for exact rates.
On the order
The store order shows the service the shopper chose, where the rate came from, what the shopper paid and the cost that was quoted. Once you ship it, with a SKUFlow label or from ShipStation, the order also shows the actual label cost and the difference. The shopper is never charged again.
The cost and the difference are shown only to people who can see costs.