Shipping option for size of package not just weight of package? (Royal Mail large letter)

[alwaysperplexed]

Hi there,

 

There's something I've been wondering about for a while now. In the UK the Royal Mail (post office) have had different prices for different sizes of packages as well as different weights of packages.

 

For example:

 

Small parcel - length 45cm, width 35cm, depth 8cm. Weight limit 2kg

Medium parcel - length 61cm, width 46cm, depth 46cm. Weight limit 20kg

 

This usually works out OK in PS, but there is also another size option called Large Letter, and it's really for packages that can fit through a UK letterbox.

 

Large Letter - Length 35.3cm, width 25cm, thickness up to and including 2.5cm. Weight limit 750g.

 

As we can input all the length, width, depth and weights for all our products, is there not some way of being able to add these dimensions to the carrier options?

 

Example - this week a customer bought 2 items and the postage was calculated at £2.60 for small parcel in PS. I took it to the post office and they told it would be £1.10 as it qualified as Large Letter (they have a little slot that they put packages through and if it goes through OK then it's large letter, if it doesn't fit then it has to be charged as small parcel rate.

 

I refunded the customer £1.50 difference in postage charges, but it would be nice if PS could calculate this based on the dimensions of the items ordered then it would save me having to do refunds and perhaps would encourage more customers to buy when they don't think they are being overcharged for postage.

 

Is there any way of doing this?

 

Thanks

[precisebusinessadvice]

Hello,

 

I think the general misconception of postage and packaging is that people actually forget about the packaging side of things and the cost it costs "us" the retailer to parcel up, and the time down the postoffice....especially with smaller parcels

 

Unfortunatly for us, the royal mail has a very strange system for parcels which makes it akward for us when we are sending small packages

 

What version of prestashop are you on?

[alwaysperplexed]

1.4.10

[alwaysperplexed]

So there's no solution?

[precisebusinessadvice]

Hi,

 

Iv had a look on mine which is version 15.4

 

in the products section, you can select the dimensions of the item, and also the weight of the item - see attached image

 

then if i head to "shipping > carriers then edit one of my carriers with the edit button, i see an option for dimensions at the bottom which say max dimensions and max weight

 

It might take some time to implement it, and i think you will have to set the default billing for the carrier as "by weight".

 

so in summary, create a couple of carriers (eg, small letter, large letter, parcel) to the dimensions of royal mail in the shipping>carriers section, and add the max weight too............. then head to your products and add the dimensions and weight too.

 

please note that I havnt used this method before so i dont know how it exactly works....

 

say for example if I order 1 item, that is within royal mails large letter, it would work fine and the option would be "large letter" in your checkout - BUT, if i ordered 10 of the same item, can you get 10 items into a large letter, or does prestashop add up the sizes, or does it work by weight? - thats the bit im unsure of...

 

 

But basically, that is the only way in option 1.5.4

 

hope it helps somewhat and if anyone knows how sizes/weight shipping works that would be great too

Edited May 13, 2013 by precisebusinessadvice (see edit history)

[alwaysperplexed]

Hi, Iv had a look on mine which is version 15.4 in the products section, you can select the dimensions of the item, and also the weight of the item - see attached image then if i head to "shipping > carriers then edit one of my carriers with the edit button, i see an option for dimensions at the bottom which say max dimensions and max weight It might take some time to implement it, and i think you will have to set the default billing for the carrier as "by weight". so in summary, create a couple of carriers (eg, small letter, large letter, parcel) to the dimensions of royal mail in the shipping>carriers section, and add the max weight too............. then head to your products and add the dimensions and weight too. please note that I havnt used this method before so i dont know how it exactly works.... say for example if I order 1 item, that is within royal mails large letter, it would work fine and the option would be "large letter" in your checkout - BUT, if i ordered 10 of the same item, can you get 10 items into a large letter, or does prestashop add up the sizes, or does it work by weight? - thats the bit im unsure of... But basically, that is the only way in option 1.5.4 hope it helps somewhat and if anyone knows how sizes/weight shipping works that would be great too

 

Hi there and thanks for the reply. I can add width and height in products in 1.4.10 which is the version I'm on but there are no options in carriers for that so I should probably upgrade to 1.5.4 if those options are there. I will install a test version and see if it does work that way or not - as you say does it add up the sizes or the weights - because our wonderful post office works on size and weight lol