Sell by piece or weight?

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We are farmers that raise grass pastured chickens, and want to sell them online using CubeCart Version 6.0.12.

Our price is $4.50 per pound.  The weight of each chicken is different, and we always sell the whole chicken.  Each flock of 500 birds has a known weight statistic (ie. minimum, average, and maximum weight for each bird in the flock) which we could use to approximate the cost of one average chicken.  When customer is on CubeCart, we do not know which chicken any particular customer will receive.

How should we define "Quantity" and "Price" in CubeCart?

For example, if we define Quantity as the number of chickens the customer desires, then we do not know the total weight and cannot calculate the total price to charge the customer.

Due to the large variation in individual weights of a bird within he flock, if we were to set our Price as $ per chicken regardless of weight, we as farmers will make out OK on average, but some customers will get a great deal (they get a bigger chicken), or are ripped off (they get a small chicken)

Alternatively, if we define Quantity as kg, what do we do when the customer specifies a weight that does not correspond to the actual weight of 1 or more chickens?

We have thought about charging a fixed $/chicken deposit, but then we have 2 transactions for each customer (first the deposit, then the adjustment to the actual weight and total price when we ship or the customer finally arrives to pick up their chicken).  Inconvenient, costly, and we may lose sales due to complexity.

Is there a Mod that facilitates this problem?

[bsmither]

I do not know of a CubeCart mod that will solve your marketing problem.

But it seems to me that one should be able to separate the product into manageable weight classes and set a price for a unit of each class appropriately.

Then, for the unit product, assign options, with price differentials, of "Small", "Medium +$1.00", "Large +$2.00". (Each option also includes a fixed weight - not a weight differential.)

[BooJewels]

I order my Christmas turkey on-line, pay a deposit, then collect it in person and pay the balance depending on the actual weight of the bird I'm getting.

But initially, I choose the type of turkey I want and then I choose a weight category for that bird - just as bsmither described.  The price is done in bands depending on size.  I just looked at the on-line supermarket I sometimes use and for joints of meat they have a range in a drop down menu with different weight with corresponding increasing prices.

In CubeCart, it can work just as bsmither described it - start with a base price for the smallest and add a price for larger ones.  I did have an item in my shop that did just this, but I've just realised I've taken it out of my new store, so can't show you it, but it will work like that.  That seems like it will be fair to both you and the customer.

[bsandall]

If you set your payment gateway to do authorizations instead of captures and use the average weight to calculate the base price, then you can edit the order with the actual weight and capture the appropriate amount. Unfortunately, you have to do all of that manually so it will take time, but if you or someone you hire is code-savvy, you could probably figure out a way to automate it.

Or as others have stated, make some options for your chicken: Chicken @ $4.50 / lb, choose: 7lb, 8lb, 9lb, etc. If a customer orders 10 8lb chickens, you could let them know that each individual chicken's weight may vary, but the total of all 10 chickens will be 80 pounds - that would give you some leeway when choosing chickens to fill the order and still give the customer the full weight. Or you could spend the time to find 10 chickens that are each 8 lbs.