switching shipping module

[cutecube]

I started using the All-in-one-shipping module on CC6 about 1.5 years ago. Now I want to change/add/? a ship by category or ship by item module.

What's the best way to add/convert to another shipping module without bringing the whole site down? Can you have more than one shipping module installed so I can start using the new module for the new category that I added?

Also, any recommendations on which module is the best?

Thanks

[bsmither]

I do not know how any third-party module actually performs. So, the following is a discussion on the CubeCart,Inc. supplied modules.

The Per Category module allows one to set distinct prices for each category. The relevant category is the product's main category, not any secondary categories.

The Per Item module simply multiplies the total number of tangible items in the cart by an amount, then adds an optional flat fee.

CubeCart's stock behavior is to have each module add to an array of shipping methods its final calculation. (Some modules, such as the UPS, will create a sub-array of its shipping methods.) No module will affect the result of any other module's calculations.

[cutecube]

Thanks, bsmither,

I was worried about the interaction between the modules if I added another shipping module.

[Noodleman]

Can you walk through a couple real world examples of how you want your shipping calculations to work? It will help provide the context for what you are looking for. There are a variety of ways the type of pricing can be setup, but knowing which one is best for you depends entirely on how you want to use it

Alec.

[cutecube]

My wife and I make unique handmade jewelry items. None of these weight more than 6-8 oz. So, we offer flat rate shipping both domestically and internationally. This has worked flawlessly for over 1.5 years now.

We now have a new category of items, called DataPets. These weight more than any jewelry item, so we want to charge a different flat rate for this new category of items.

Right now, the shipping cost of any DataPets is more than what we charge to ship jewelry items, so we're losing a small amount of money on each DataPet order.

Pretty simple shipping calculations, thanks for asking. Open for any suggestions from a more experienced e-commerce person.

[Noodleman]

It sounds like you can use this module:
https://www.cubecart.com/extensions/shipping-methods/per-category

You can install and test this along side your existing shipping module. You can have as many active shipping modules as you wish, only those enabled will return a shipping rate. It's a good way to try it out and configure it and test it it meets all of your requirements.

I think it's the most simple solution, assuming you can get the prices as you want them to be.

 

 

I've also got a shipping module that will do what you want. You can instal the module and try it out to see if it's actually able to do what you need. This would be a medium complexity solution.
https://www.cubecart.com/extensions/shipping-methods/multi-level-shipping-by-quantity-product-category-level

Direct download of the most recent version is here:
https://www.noodleman.co.uk/downloads/multilevel_shipping/1.0.3_multilevel_shipping.zip

 

 

There is also a third option, although it's a little more complex to setup BUT it may give you the overall level of configuration that you are looking for, and are familiar with. You can clone the All in one shipping module, essentially giving you two versions of it. One will be for use with your existing products and essentially remains as is. The other, will be specifically for your DataPets inventory. You can configure the shipping rates you would like for those items. You can then use the module linked below to configure that DataPets products use the DataPets shipping module, and all other items use your standard rates. The module then adds all the rates together to gather the final shipping price.
https://www.cubecart.com/extensions/shipping-methods/link-cubecart-products-to-specific-shipping-services-/-modules

 

[cutecube]

Thanks, Noodleman.

The third method sound like it might limit future growth if we added yet another category that required different shipping fees.

I'll check out the other suggestions you made within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for taking the time to follow up on this.

[Noodleman]

"The third method sound like it might limit future growth if we added yet another category that required different shipping fees."

Actually, it may be the most flexible, but it is the most complex to setup. Once setup you should be in good shape. If you were to add another category in the future, and for example sold Bricks, they are heavy and need special shipping. The Bricks category can be linked to another module where you define special rates for bricks and those products get linked. If a customer buys a mixture of all your good types they will get a combined rate from all the underlying shipping modules. But, as I said, it is the most complex to setup which does often stop people going down that route.  I just helped setup another forum user with this method for their store who had a more complex shipping issue to resolve.

 

I would definately start with the most simple option first, and work your way from there. There is no point in making it more complex that you would need.