Third-party shipping providers have agreements with multiple carriers, allowing them to offer a range of shipping options that balance cost with speed.
Enable shipping providers
Shipping integrations must be enabled by the operator for the marketplace.
- Log in to the Operator portal.
- Go to Configuration > External Account Settings.
- Check the Allow sellers to use 3rd-party shipping services for e-commerce orders? box.
Shipping rate calculations
Third-party shipping providers can use flat rates or calculate shipping costs based on the dimensions and weight of the line item. For packages to have the shipping rates calculated correctly, each product/variant needs to have its dimensions and weight configured. This can be done in two ways:
- The operator can set the dimensions and weight for each category. The product taxonomy needs to be designed with shipping in mind, but this works well for categories where the dimensions and weights are the same for each item.
- A seller can set the dimensions and weight for each product and/or variant.
If an item has both category dimensions and weight and product and/or variant dimensions and weight, the product or variant dimensions and weight are used when generating shipping orders and costs. If both product and variant dimensions and weight are set the variant dimensions and weight are used.
The shipping provider calculates the volume of the item based on the dimensions and then uses their own standard multiplier to determine the dimensional weight of the item. Shipping charges are based on the larger of the dimensional weight of the item and the configured weight of the item.
If no dimensions and weight are specified, the carrier uses a default weight for the package. If this is incorrect, it can lead to significant costs to the seller and delays in shipping with the courier.
The shipping rate charged to the seller is determined outside of the marketplace, between the shipping provider and the seller. Marketplacer remits the shipment cost as paid by the shopper. Promotion and offers that discount shipping will still take effect at the checkout.
Providers
Marketplacer integrates with the following shipping providers:
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