Learn how to set up tiered shipping options
Tiered shipping can be based on shopping cart price and/or weight using Price tiers and Weight tiers, or for specific countries based on the zone you add the rules to (more info below).
you will need to have at least one shipping zone set up prior to creating your tiered shipping. You will also need to add tiered shipping to each applicable zone as your tiers may vary from zone to zone.
Add tiered shipping - Rule examples and guidelines
To create tiered shipping, add a rule using the instructions for flat rate shipping. Add multiple tiers to one rule to create a tiered shipping option.
Here is an example of tiered shipping and how to create the rules for it:
Configure one rule with multiple tiers to create tiered shipping that will charge 15 USD for orders with cart totals up to 199 USD, 10 USD for orders from 200 USD to 299 USD, and 5 USD for orders 300 USD and up.
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*Example: Create 15 USD shipping for any order less than 200 USD (not including 200 USD)*
- Your rule should look like either this: If subtotal is
less than**199.99* **shipping =***15 USD
- Your rule should look like either this: If subtotal is
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*Example: Create 10 USD shipping for any orders from 200 USD to 299.99 USD (including both 200 USD and 299 USD)*
- Your rule should look like this: If subtotal is
between199.99* and*299.99* shipping =*10
- Your rule should look like this: If subtotal is
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*Example: Create 5 USD shipping for any order 300 USD and up*
- Your rule should look like this: If subtotal is
greater than299.99* shipping =*5.00
- Your rule should look like this: If subtotal is
Collectively, these examples represent tiered shipping.
Custom shipping rule builder and ranges - General guide for free, flat rate, and tiered shipping
Custom shipping options are created with rules which use a rule builder with ranges to help set the parameters of when your rule should be active. It’s important to understand how the ranges work, and which values are included in the range you’ve set for the rule so that your desired shipping rates are returned when intended.
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The
greater thanoption is not the same as "greater than or equal to." Entering “greater than50 USD” really means 50.01 USD and greater. -
Example: If you wanted to create a rule that charges 5 USD shipping on order subtotals of 500 USD and up, your rule would look like this: If subtotal is
greater than499.99shipping =5 -
The
less thanoption, on the other hand, is the same as "less than or equal to." Entering “less than50 USD” means 50 USD and less.- Example: If you wanted to create a rule that charges 20 USD shipping on order subtotals of 100 USD and below, your rule would look like this: If subtotal is
less than100.00shipping =20.00
- Example: If you wanted to create a rule that charges 20 USD shipping on order subtotals of 100 USD and below, your rule would look like this: If subtotal is
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Similarly, the
betweenoption does not include both of the two figures at the beginning and end of the given range. The first number in the range is not included, but the second is. Entering "between100 USD and 199.99 USD" actually means from 100 USD.01 to 199.99 USD.- Example: If you wanted to create a rule that charges 15 USD shipping on order subtotals from 100 USD to 199.99 USD, your rule would look like this: If subtotal is
between99.99and199.99shipping =15
- Example: If you wanted to create a rule that charges 15 USD shipping on order subtotals from 100 USD to 199.99 USD, your rule would look like this: If subtotal is
Tips for successfully creating custom shipping options
If you are using weight tiers for shipping rates, you must have item weights set for each item in your shopping cart platform in order for the rules to work properly.
Dimensional weights
If you have items or boxes larger than 11” on any side, your items may need to be calculated with dimensional weight to get accurate quotes. Please contact support@zonos.com for options.
Troubleshooting tips
- Potential issue: My tiered shipping option is not showing up during checkout or mock checkout.
Possible solution: Check to see if you have any shipping buffers set up that might conflict with your shipping options and disable them.
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Possible solution: Check to see what zone you enabled or created your tiered shipping option in. When you create your tiered shipping you do it in a zone, so it will only show up for shipping addresses that are in a country in the zone you created it for.
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Potential issue: My tiered shipping option is charging the wrong amount during checkout or mock checkout.
- Possible solution: Check to see if you have any shipping buffers set up that might change/add costs to your shipping prices and disable them.
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Potential issue: I want only my tiered rate shipping option to show up at checkout. How do I turn off other service levels/options so that only my tiered shipping option shows up?
- Possible solution: Go to Settings -> Shipment rates -> Shipping zones and select the zone in which you’re testing the shipping. Scroll down to Enabled service levels and deselect all service levels except the one you want to appear at checkout for this zone. If it’s a custom shipping option that you want to appear, ensure the rule is created in this zone and deselect all enabled service levels.
Next steps
- Free shipping- Create a free shipping rule.
- Flat rate shipping- Create a flat rate shipping rule.
- Test your shipping - Test your shipping rates before they are used in production or go live on your website.
Tiered shipping