You must set up shipping methods before you can open an order cycle.
Click **Enterprises **in the blue horizontal menu, and then click **Manage **next to your enterprise. Then, click Shipping methods in the menu on the left hand side.
The first step in setting up a Shipping Method is to tick your enterprise, in the box on the right hand side of the page titled Hubs. This indicates that the shipping method you are about to create will apply to your enterprise.
Name: Choose a name for this shipping method. (i.e. Delivery, pick-up from farmer’s market, or postal service). It will be displayed at check out and on order confirmation emails.
Description: Here you can provide further details about the shipping method. This will be visible to the customer when they checkout. For instance, the screenshot below shows that when this customer selects ‘collection from farm’, the grey box on the right hand side shows the description ‘We are happy for you to collect direct from the farm…’
**Zone: **Select the appropriate zone.
**Category: **Is this method a delivery or pick-up?
**Calculator:**Select the way that shipping fees will be applied to this shipping method. Note that a shipping fee can be zero.
By clicking **Create, **the shipping method will be created, and you will then be provided with new fields, to add details of the shipping method charges. The fields presented will depend upon which shipping fee calculator you have selected. As indicated, if you are changing the calculator type, you must save first before you can edit the calculator settings.
**Weight (per kg) **– this fee is applied to products on a per kg basis. The fee will only be applied to products which are priced at a per kg rate, not products listed as items (e.g. A product listed as ‘1 bunch of parsley’ will not receive this fee)
**Flat Percent **– This fee is charged as a percentage of the total amount charged in the order.
**Flat Rate (per order) **– This fee is applied as standard fee to all orders, regardless of the size of the order.
Flexible Rate – This calculator is typically used for promotional discounts where you charge a reduced fee as the customer makes more purchases of that item.
- ‘First Item Cost’: The fee charged for the first item in the order.
- ‘Additional Item Cost’: The fee charged for items beyond the first item.
- ‘Max Items’: The maximum number of items on which the fee will be applied. Items purchased beyond this amount will be not be charged the fee.
For example: If the first cost is $2, Additional Item Cost is $1 and the maximum items is three. If a customer orders 5 of the item, they will be charged $2 for the first item, $1 for the second and third, and no fee for the fourht and fifth.
Flat Rate (per item) – This fee is a constant fee, applied to products listed as ‘items’. (it will not be applied to products listed as per kg, or per L)
**Price Sack **– This fee is used to charge a discount on fees for orders which exceed a certain dollar amount.
- ‘Minimum Amount’: If the order’s total is below this amount, they will be charged the ‘Normal Amount’.
- ‘Discount Amount’: Orders which are equal to or greater than the minimum amount will be charged the ‘Discount Amount’.
Shipping method charges are important in situations where the producer or hub contract another party to perform shipping. However, shipping method charges can be zero. For producers selling direct to customers, the price of shipping may be incorporated into the price of the goods. However, while you may not need to charge customers who collect their orders, for delivery it is reasonable to charge extra.