Understanding shipping in Launch Cart
Your online store products can be configured to have specific shipping prices and rates. These rates can vary depending on the product, what geographic location they are being shipped to, and much more. Let's take a look how shipping works with Launch Cart.
Only products that have been marked as "physical products" are eligible to be assigned to a shipping rule.
Before you continue reading about shipping rules, make sure your products have been enabled for shipping calculation. To do this, go to > Products and click "edit" on any product and make sure the "This product is a physical product" checkbox is activated. (For products created via 3rd-parties like Printful.com, this checkbox is automatically checked and rates are automatically calculated. See App shipping rules below).
Shipping rules are a set of rules, for specific products, that tell the Launch Cart system how to calculate shipping costs for your store customers.
You can use the default general shipping rule for all your products or create custom shipping rules for specific products.
Shipping rules help you charge accurate shipping rates for everyone of your products. You can use shipping rules to set shipping rates for specific products, and charge different amounts based on where you're shipping your products to and from. You can add products that should share shipping rates in a shipping rule, and then set up shipping locations and rates for each location that a customer can receive those products to.
Each Launch Cart store comes with a default shipping rule. If you want to have the same shipping rates for all your products, then the default rule might be sufficient for your store's shipping setup (you can easily edit the existing rates). All your existing and new products are added to the default shipping rule. If a product or variant isn't in a custom shipping rule, then it uses the default shipping rates in your default rule.
The default shipping rule already has shipping locations configured for domestic and international locations. It also comes with flat shipping rates for your domestic and international locations too. You can easily edit these locations and rates by editing the default rule.
When you want to configure different rates, for specific products, then you'll need to create a custom rule. A custom rule allows you to set different "shipping locations" and "shipping rates" for certain products. Go to > Settings > Shipping > then click on "Create custom rule" and give it a name.
All rules are based on answering 3 simple questions.
1) What products are affected by this rule?
2) Which locations can these products be shipped to?
3) What are the shipping rates?
Let's break these down, one by one.
Use the Edit Products button, to find, add, or remove products from a rule. If you remove a product from a custom rule, it will be auto-assigned back to the Default Shipping Rule.
Use the Add Location button to select which parts of the world you'll ship these products to. You'll need to select every available location if you want to offer world-wide shipping. You can create more than one location, and during the next step, you be able to set a different rate for each location you've created in this step.
What happens if you don't select certain locations?
If you don't select all available locations, then your customer's won't be able to checkout and order if they enter an address that is currently within a location you don't offer.
We recommend using the "rest of world" toggle to create a shipping location for every location that you haven't previously configured. The system will automatically and dynamically update this location to include all areas that haven't been previously assigned to another location in this rule.
Use the "Add shipping rate" button to setup the cost the customer will pay to have these products shipped to their location. You'll be able to set a rate for 1 single location or a group of locations. If you're looking to create different rates for different locations, then you'll need to create multiple shipping rates per location you want to charge different rates for.
Products that are created with apps such as Printful or Printify will inherit shipping rates from their app automatically. These are also called "live rates" and automatically configured for you. There is no need to edit your default rule or create a custom rule for 3rd-party apps unless you want to charge a custom shipping rate for these products.
What are live rates?
Live rates provided by 3rd-party apps are shipping rates that match what the seller is charged. (For example: If you're selling products from Printful.com through your Launch Cart store, then Printful is going to charge you (the seller) the shipping cost to ship the products to your customers. This shipping cost is also the same rate that Launch Cart will charge your customer. This means the seller (you) wont loose any money on shipping charges from Printful since the customer is paying the exact rate for shipping that you're being charged.)
What products are available to be charged for shipping?
Only products that have been marked as "physical products" are eligible to be assigned to a shipping rule.
Before you continue reading about shipping rules, make sure your products have been enabled for shipping calculation. To do this, go to > Products and click "edit" on any product and make sure the "This product is a physical product" checkbox is activated. (For products created via 3rd-parties like Printful.com, this checkbox is automatically checked and rates are automatically calculated. See App shipping rules below).
Shipping Rules
Shipping rules are a set of rules, for specific products, that tell the Launch Cart system how to calculate shipping costs for your store customers.
You can use the default general shipping rule for all your products or create custom shipping rules for specific products.
Shipping rules help you charge accurate shipping rates for everyone of your products. You can use shipping rules to set shipping rates for specific products, and charge different amounts based on where you're shipping your products to and from. You can add products that should share shipping rates in a shipping rule, and then set up shipping locations and rates for each location that a customer can receive those products to.
Default Shipping Rule
Each Launch Cart store comes with a default shipping rule. If you want to have the same shipping rates for all your products, then the default rule might be sufficient for your store's shipping setup (you can easily edit the existing rates). All your existing and new products are added to the default shipping rule. If a product or variant isn't in a custom shipping rule, then it uses the default shipping rates in your default rule.
The default shipping rule already has shipping locations configured for domestic and international locations. It also comes with flat shipping rates for your domestic and international locations too. You can easily edit these locations and rates by editing the default rule.
Custom Shipping Rules
When you want to configure different rates, for specific products, then you'll need to create a custom rule. A custom rule allows you to set different "shipping locations" and "shipping rates" for certain products. Go to > Settings > Shipping > then click on "Create custom rule" and give it a name.
All rules are based on answering 3 simple questions.
1) What products are affected by this rule?
2) Which locations can these products be shipped to?
3) What are the shipping rates?
Let's break these down, one by one.
Products
Use the Edit Products button, to find, add, or remove products from a rule. If you remove a product from a custom rule, it will be auto-assigned back to the Default Shipping Rule.
Shipping Locations
Use the Add Location button to select which parts of the world you'll ship these products to. You'll need to select every available location if you want to offer world-wide shipping. You can create more than one location, and during the next step, you be able to set a different rate for each location you've created in this step.
What happens if you don't select certain locations?
If you don't select all available locations, then your customer's won't be able to checkout and order if they enter an address that is currently within a location you don't offer.
We recommend using the "rest of world" toggle to create a shipping location for every location that you haven't previously configured. The system will automatically and dynamically update this location to include all areas that haven't been previously assigned to another location in this rule.
Shipping Rates
Use the "Add shipping rate" button to setup the cost the customer will pay to have these products shipped to their location. You'll be able to set a rate for 1 single location or a group of locations. If you're looking to create different rates for different locations, then you'll need to create multiple shipping rates per location you want to charge different rates for.
App Shipping Rules
Products that are created with apps such as Printful or Printify will inherit shipping rates from their app automatically. These are also called "live rates" and automatically configured for you. There is no need to edit your default rule or create a custom rule for 3rd-party apps unless you want to charge a custom shipping rate for these products.
What are live rates?
Live rates provided by 3rd-party apps are shipping rates that match what the seller is charged. (For example: If you're selling products from Printful.com through your Launch Cart store, then Printful is going to charge you (the seller) the shipping cost to ship the products to your customers. This shipping cost is also the same rate that Launch Cart will charge your customer. This means the seller (you) wont loose any money on shipping charges from Printful since the customer is paying the exact rate for shipping that you're being charged.)
Updated on: 26/07/2022
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