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Shipment automation rules

Automatically modify shipments as they are created, based on conditions you define.

Shipment automation rules adjust a shipment as it is created, based on its data. Define a rule once and Zonos applies it to every matching shipment—no setting the service level, packaging, or signature by hand on each one.

Each rule is a pair of expressions:

A condition that decides when the rule applies.
One or more actions that change the shipment when the condition matches.

Rules run automatically whenever shipments are created.

How a rule works

Each rule is made up of:

Part↕	Description↕
Condition	When the rule applies, based on the shipment's data (see the condition fields below).
Actions	What the rule changes on the shipment when the condition matches (see the actions below).
Starts at	The date the rule becomes effective. If empty, the rule is disabled.
Ends at	The date the rule stops being effective. If empty, the rule has no end date.

Condition fields

These are the read-only facts about a shipment that a condition can reference. Conditions can compare against them, but actions cannot change them.

Weight and dimensions

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`weight`	Number	Total weight of the shipment.
`weight_unit`	String	Unit of weight (for example, `lb`, `kg`, `oz`).
`dimension_unit`	String	Unit of dimensions (for example, `in`, `cm`).

Geography

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`ship_to_country`	Country	Destination country.
`ship_from_country`	Country	Origin country.
`ship_to_state`	String	Destination state or province code.
`ship_to_postal_code`	String	Destination postal code.

Shipment flags

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`is_domestic`	Boolean	`true` when the origin and destination country match.

Customs and compliance

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`ddp`	Boolean	Whether the shipment is DDP (duties prepaid).
`ddu`	Boolean	Whether the shipment is DDU (duties unpaid).
`base_currency`	Currency	Base currency of the merchant.
`hs_codes`	String list	All HS codes in the shipment.
`countries_of_origin`	String list	Countries of origin for all items.

Monetary amounts

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`items_total`	Money	Total value of the items.
`shipping_total`	Money	Shipping cost.
`duty_total`	Money	Total duty amount.
`tax_total`	Money	Total tax amount.
`grand_total`	Money	Grand total (`items_total` + `shipping_total` + `duty_total` + `tax_total`).

Item data

Field↕	Type↕	Description↕
`sku_list`	String list	All SKUs on the order.
`item_count`	Number	Total number of items in the shipment.

Actions

When a rule matches, its actions assign values to the fields below. After all actions run, the changed values are applied back to the shipment.

Action↕	Type↕	What it does↕
`service_level`	String	Sets the shipment's service level by code or ID.
`package_type`	String	Sets the packaging type on every carton.
`signature_required`	Boolean	When `true`, requires a direct signature on each carton; when `false`, sets no signature.
`insurance`	Boolean	When `true`, insures the shipment for the full `items_total`; when `false`, sets the declared value to `0`.
`customs_description`	String	Sets the customs description on all items in the shipment.

How actions are applied

An action only takes effect if it changes the existing value.
A package_type value that doesn't match a known packaging type is skipped.
If one rule fails (for example, an invalid expression), it is skipped and logged. It does not block other rules or fail the shipment.

Examples

A few common ways merchants use shipment automation rules:

Require a signature and set a packaging type on shipments over a certain weight.
Add insurance to high-value DDP shipments.
Set a customs description for items in a specific product category.
Upgrade the service level for shipments to a specific destination.

Setting up rules

To get shipment automation rules created for your account, contact your Zonos representative. Share the conditions you want to match and the actions you want applied, and the Zonos team will configure the rules for you.

Auditing applied rules

Every time a rule is applied to a shipment, Zonos records an applied-rule entry capturing the before and after values of the affected fields. These entries are available on the shipment so you can audit exactly which rules ran and what they changed.

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