Shipping Configuration - 1st class not showing up

[bruce clumpner]

I'm using shopsite 10 hosted at Ipower.com with the stock sidebar template. I'm having trouble configuring the shipping module.

I have many products with a shipping weight less that 1/2 lb, and so 1st class mail will be an economical alternative for shipping. When I select USPS and in configure click on the radio button for 1st class, it doesn't show up in the shopping cart. I've republished the site and even removed all other options, and it is still not visible. Is there anything special with my USPS account that would affect this?

Is there a way can I verify the numbers that Shopsite is pulling from all 3 carriers as being accurate for my products?

Bruce Clumpner

[ShopSite Lauren]

Bruce, there was a change with USPS at the beginning of this year which affected many merchants. There is a fix that needs to be added to your store. Login to your ShopSite store, and on the very first screen, at the bottom in little text you will see "ShopSite Pro (or whatever your level is) 10 r6 (or 10 r7)." If you have 10 r7, then you already have the patch installed and the issue may be something else. If you have 10 r6, then you would need to contact your host and have them install the patch in your store. More information about this issue can be found at the following URL:
http://support.shopsite.com/KBase/questions/2530

The rates that are displayed for USPS, UPS and FedEx are coming directly from their servers; ShopSite does not calculate the rates. You can check the rates on your website verses the rates on their website directly by going to USPS.com and entering in the package information to get the rate information. Note that there are settings that can change the rates in your store such as the pick up/drop off method, minimum cost or weights, etc.

[bruce clumpner]

Lauren,

Looks like we're running 10 r7.4, so I'll assume we're up to date and running the patch to work with the USPS. I'll go back an verify the prices are accurate because they seem a bit too high for the size & weight I've put into the system.

But do you have any idea why the 1st class option would not show up in the shopping cart?

[Jim]

First class will only showup in the cart if the product in the cart has been designated to ship by First Class on the Edit Product Info screen.
Also the rates in the cart are calculated to have the entire order sent at once, so If there are multiple products in the cart and one of them does not have the First Class option checked then the order will not be sent by first class. In this case the next possible shipping option (probably priority mail) will be displayed.

[bruce clumpner]

Jim,

thanks for the explaination.. I've configured our smaller products so they show up with the 1st class option, and the pricing is in line with what's shown on the USPS web site. Everything is working, but I'd still like to fine-tune our shipping pricing so it's more under our control. I'm still finding the shipping configuration a bit confusing with all the different options located within the different screens. Has anyone done a white paper or FAQ that discusses how all these different shipping options interact within Shopsite? I'd think it would be invaluable...

-Bruce