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Product Category Shipping

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The Challenge

Meet Mike’s Multi-Category Store - He sells various product types that need different shipping approaches:
  • Regular items (clothing, books): Standard $8 shipping
  • Fragile items (glassware, electronics): Extra careful handling, $8 + $5 fragile fee = $13
  • Heavy items (furniture, appliances): Weight-based shipping $15 base + $3/kg
  • Digital products (software, ebooks): No shipping needed - $0
Mike needs different shipping rules for different product categories without confusing customers.

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Smart Shipping Solution

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Step 1: Create Product Groups

Group 1: Regular Products
  1. Go to Product Groups → Create Group
  2. Name: “Regular Items”
  3. Select products: clothing, books, accessories, etc.
Group 2: Fragile Products
  1. Create Group → Name: “Fragile Items”
  2. Select products: glassware, electronics, ceramics
Group 3: Heavy Products
  1. Create Group → Name: “Heavy Items”
  2. Select products: furniture, appliances, exercise equipment
Group 4: Digital Products
  1. Create Group → Name: “Digital Downloads”
  2. Select products: software licenses, ebooks, digital courses

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Step 2: Create Zone and Base Rates

Create Zone: “United States” - Select US Base Rate (for products not in any group):
  1. Create Rate → “Standard Shipping”
  2. Rate type: Flat Rate
  3. Price: $8.00
  4. Product group: “All Products” (default)

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Step 3: Set Up Product Group Rates

Regular Items Rate:
  1. Create Rate → “Regular Shipping”
  2. Rate type: Flat Rate
  3. Price: $8.00
  4. Product group: “Regular Items”
Fragile Items Rate:
  1. Create Rate → “Fragile Item Shipping”
  2. Rate type: Flat Rate
  3. Price: $8.00
  4. Product group: “Fragile Items”
  5. Flat rate addon: $5.00 (adds fragile handling fee)
Heavy Items Rate:
  1. Create Rate → “Heavy Item Shipping”
  2. Rate type: Weight Based (Per Unit)
  3. Base price: $15.00
  4. Price per unit: $3.00 per kg
  5. Product group: “Heavy Items”
Digital Products Rate:
  1. Create Rate → “Digital Delivery”
  2. Rate type: Flat Rate
  3. Price: $0.00
  4. Product group: “Digital Downloads”

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Customer Experience Examples

Order with regular t-shirt:
  • Shows: “Standard Shipping: $8”
Order with wine glasses:
  • Shows: “Fragile Item Shipping: $13” ($8 base + $5 fragile fee)
Order with 5kg table:
  • Shows: “Heavy Item Shipping: $30” ($15 + 5kg × $3)
Order with ebook:
  • Shows: “Digital Delivery: Free”
Mixed cart (t-shirt + wine glasses):
  • Shows: “Fragile Item Shipping: $13” (most expensive rate applies)
Result: Mike’s customers see appropriate shipping costs based on what they’re buying. Fragile items get extra care, heavy items are priced fairly by weight, and digital products ship free - all automatically!