Before you launch your SHOPLINE store and start selling, it's essential to set up shipping. This includes defining shipping methods, rates, and return options for your customers. By configuring your shipping profiles, you'll enable them to see shipping costs and complete their orders.

This guide will explain the different shipping profile options available in SHOPLINE and walk you through the setup process.

 

In This Article

• Introduction to Shipping Profiles
• Accessing Shipping Profile Settings
• Configuring Shipping Profiles
• Rules for Combining Shipping Rates
• Managing Regional Shipping Profiles

 

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Introduction to Shipping Profiles

A shipping profile defines how you charge for shipping based on product and location. You can use the default general shipping profile for all your items, or create custom profiles for specific needs.

 

General Shipping Profile

This default general shipping profile applies to all your products unless you create custom ones. It's ideal if you have uniform shipping rates across your inventory.

Custom Shipping Profiles

If you need different rates for certain products, create custom shipping profiles! For instance, for fragile items like glassware or ceramics, you can create a custom shipping profile with different rates than your standard inventory.

 

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Accessing Shipping Profile Settings

There are two ways to access the shipping profile settings in your SHOPLINE admin panel:

• New Stores: During store setup, go to Home. In the Setup Guide module, select the Set up shipping section and click the  Set up shipping button.
  
  
  
• Existing Stores: Go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery from your SHOPLINE admin panel.
  

 

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Configuring Shipping Profiles

SHOPLINE offers two types of shipping profiles: general and custom. These profiles let you define different shipping rates for your products.

 

General Shipping Profile

Here are some key things to remember before setting up your general profile:

• Default for All Products: Every SHOPLINE store comes with a general shipping profile that applies to all your products by default, unless you create custom profiles for specific needs.
• Regional Shipping Rates: In the general shipping profile, you can create multiple regional shipping rates to accommodate different delivery areas.
• Comprehensive Setup: To fully utilize the general profile, configure both shipping zones and shipping rates.

 

To set up your general shipping profile, follow these steps:

1. In your SHOPLINE admin panel, go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery > Shipping fees > General shipping rates. Click Add regional shipping fees to begin.
   
   
   
2. Click Add a shipping zone to specify the areas where this shipping rate applies.
   
   
   
3. Give your zone a name and select the countries, regions, states, or cities included. Then, click Create.
   
   
   
4. After creating a zone, click Add the shipping rates.
   
   
   
5. Fill in necessary shipping information, and define your shipping rate based on weight, quantity, or a fixed amount.
   
   
   

   Notes: Consider the following when setting up shipping rates. Combining Shipping Rates: The names you assign to your shipping rates determine if they can be combined at checkout. Use descriptive names that include destination, rate, and delivery time (e.g., "Free Shipping Worldwide (7-15 Days)"). Refer to the "Rules for Combining Shipping Rates" section for more details. Cash on Delivery: Enabling Cash on delivery is supported allows customers to use the Cash on Delivery payment method with this shipping profile.

 

Sample Shipping Rate Calculations

SHOPLINE supports various combined calculation methods. Here are two examples:

• Flat Rate: Create a shipping profile with a flat fee of $0.
  
  
  
• Weight-Based Rates: For shipments between 0-10 kg, set the rate to $5 for the first kg and an additional $3 for each kg after. For shipments exceeding 10 kg, set the rate to $10 for the first 5 kg and an additional $5 for each kg after.
  
  
  

  Note: When defining rates, ensure the weight, price, or quantity conditions cover complete ranges. If a product falls outside these ranges (e.g., product weight is less than the minimum weight for a specific rate), customers won't be able to select a shipping method, preventing them from placing orders.

6. Once you've completed the configuration, click Save and Update to finalize your settings.

 

Custom Shipping Profiles

If you need to set different shipping rates for specific products, custom shipping profiles are the answer! Here's how to create one:

1. In your SHOPLINE admin panel, go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery > Shipping fees > Custom shipping profile. Click Create new profile to begin.
   
   
   
2. Give your profile a clear name and select the products you want to include.
   
   
   

   Note: Adding a product here removes it from the original shipping profile.

3. Follow the same steps as the general shipping profile to set up shipping zones and define the corresponding shipping rates for your custom profile.

 

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Rules for Combining Shipping Rates

SHOPLINE offers flexible options for combining shipping rates at checkout, ensuring your customers receive accurate costs based on their orders.

 

Fixed Shipping Rate Combination

• Matching Names, Added Costs: When fixed shipping rates have the same name across different profiles (e.g., "Standard express"), they are added into a single rate for the customer, displaying all the shipping options with their total costs.

 

• Different Names, Choosing the Cheapest: If fixed rates have different names (e.g., "Standard" vs. "General"), SHOPLINE selects the cheapest option from each profile and adds their costs. Only this cheapest combined rate will appear at checkout, with a generic name like "Shipping." (When the store language is English, the fixed name is "Shipping.")
  
  

 

Combined Shipping Rates

SHOPLINE allows you to create intricate combinations of shipping rates within your profiles, offering your customers more precise shipping cost calculations.

Suppose your shipping rate settings are as shown in the table below:

 

At checkout, shipping rates in different shipping profiles will be added based on the products included in the order to provide customers with more suitable shipping rate options.

 

 

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Managing Regional Shipping Profiles 

This section walks you through managing regional shipping profiles in SHOPLINE, covering adding, editing, and deleting shipping zones and rates for personalized shipping options.

 

Adding Additional Shipping Rates

Once setting up and saving a shipping rate, you will be directed to the shipping zone setting page. If you don't need to add another shipping rate, click Update to save the current regional shipping profile. If you want to add more shipping rates, click Add a shipping rate to include additional shipping rates.

 

Editing Shipping Zones & Shipping Rates

• Shipping Zones: Go to the Zones and shipping rates section of any shipping profile, click the three-dot button, and select Edit zone. Then, reselect the desired shipping countries and regions.
  
  
  
• Shipping Rates: To edit an individual shipping rate, click the edit icon located on the right side of the corresponding shipping rate.
  

 

Deleting Regional Shipping Zones

To remove an individual shipping zone, click the three-dot button on the right side of the corresponding shipping zone, and select Delete.