Chapter 5:  Shopping Cart

In this chapter:

• 5.1: Introduction
• 5.2: Cart Options
• 5.3: Payment Options
• 5.4: Shipping Setup
• 5.5: International Shipping
• 5.6: Tax Setup
• 5.7: Confirmation Setup

• UPS Shipping Cost
  This option will require EDatCat to go to UPS at the point of checkout and retrieve exact shipping costs based on the origin destination and product specs (weight, dimensions) provided in each product's records.  There are several other options you will need to config if you choose this option:

To use UPS shipping costs, you must supply enough information so that EDatCat can generate accurate costs.  In addition, since this feature relies on third party software, you must also tell EDatCat what to do in the event that the UPS server is unavailable.  The information you must provide is as follows:

Default Shipping Weight
Provide a default shipping weight in the event that a product does have a weight entered in its record.

Shipper Zip
This should be the zip code of the mechant who will be shipping the goods.

Shipper Number
The shipper number is provided by UPS to the merchant and use din the tracking process.

Delivery Confirmation
Select the type of delivery confirmation you wish to use.

Confirmation Required
This is used for confirming large orders.  For instance, if you ship $5,000 worth of your products, you might not want UPS to leave it on the front porch if no one is home.  You can specify the amount over which confirmation of delivery is required.

Pickup Type
This is determined by the merchant's arrangement with UPS, if any.  If they do not have a pick-up arrangement, select Customer Counter.

Default Shipping Costs
In the event that the UPS server is unavailable or inthe event of an error, EDatCat needs to be able to provide base fees for shipping options.  Enter default costs for each of:  Ground, 2nd Day Air, and Next Day Air.

Use Dimensions
Dimensions are not required for actual UPS costs.  If you would like to use product dimensions in your shipping costs, EDatCat can take into account the containers you use to ship items.  For instance, if someone buys 10 apples from you, EDatCat knows how many will fit within each container you use to ship and get the shipping costs accordingly.

Default Dimension
This dimension will be used if no dimensions are found in a product's record.   This should be the average size of your products.

Largest Container
Enter the Length, Width, and Height of your largest container (box) that you use to ship your orders in the following format:

L,W,H, or 36,36,36

Smallest Container
Enter the Length, Width, and Height of your smallest container (box) that you use to ship your orders in the following format:

L,W,H, or 24,24,24

For additional information on the UPS options above, please see the UPS web site at http://www.ups.com/ or contact your local UPS office at 1-800-PICK-UPS (1-800-742-5877).

• Cost based on total order weight
  This will be a percentage-based shipping fee.  Weight is calculated using the weight field in each product's record.  You may provide the parameters for this option by using the four fields below the main features (Freight Rate, Min. Cost, Max. Cost, Handling Fee).

• Cost based on total shipping costs in product file
  If you specified specific shipping charges for each product, this option will add those together to create the shipping total.  You may provide the parameters for this option by using the four fields below the main features (Freight Rate, Min. Cost, Max. Cost, Handling Fee).

• Cost based on fixed price per order
  This is a flat-rate shipping fee.  You can also add an handling fee to this charge by providing the amount in the Handling Fee field.

• Cuctom Freight Table
  You can provide your own freight table based on order total.  For instance, you can charge $5 shipping for orders totalling $0-$25, $10 shipping for orders totalling $26-$50, etc.  You can also add an handling fee to this charge by providing the amount in the Handling Fee field.

• Cost based on percentage of order total
  If this option is selected, then the shipping fee will be a percentage of the total order amount.

This section will allow you to provide additional details based on your settings above.

How do I offer Free Shipping?
To offer free shipping to your customer, which can greatly influence their decision to purchase, simply select the third option (Fixed Price per Order) and supply 0.00 as the amount.

Next:  International Shipping