1.7 USPS carrier modules missing. Basic Configuration

[Nepherael]

I have been unable to locate the USPS module that has always been provided with Prestashop and, after a lot of research, I've found that it has been abandoned in 1.7. The 1.6 USPS Carrier module cannot be installed. It looks like the original USPS carrier module that has always been free is now in the module store for 1.7 for a mere $65 so I am forced to use a paid option that I cannot currently justify... For those looking to configure their carriers without using a paid module (because when starting a business every dollar counts and we can't always spend on a shiny new module) I have two ways I am currently handling it.

For most products I am selling I am rolling the shipping cost into the item and offering free shipping. For products that I want to price more competitively I am offering a flat rate shipping cost and pricing each product respectively. This is limiting for international shipments because of the wide range of possible shipping cost. However, estimating the cost on USPS.com to some of the most popular countries is enough for me to try and offer specific rates for each product. Sometimes this forces me to create many carriers but this has been the only way around getting the paid modules.

For anyone that can only offer priority options because of weight, I highly recommend creating a carrier for each priority mail flat rate box and use the measurement options in the carrier setup. This will be fairly easy for domestic shipments within the US. For international shipments it will require quite a bit of leg work but you can go to USPS.com and estimate the shipping cost to multiple countries (based on the regions in the carrier setup page) and use those costs. Hopefully it will get you close.

Hopefully this helps those having issues configuring their carriers. The flat rate shipping option is the better choice because rolling shipping cost into each item can be very unfair to customers that purchase multiple items. It just requires a lot of estimating and legwork. I know it's difficult if you have a lot of products and there may be mistakes but you can always fix them and reconfigure as issues arise.

 

If anyone has suggestions on carrier configuration to accurately estimate USPS rates domestically and internationally please share them!

 

I would like to add that I have used Prestashop for 5 years. I have successfully setup stores not only for myself but for other companies and I find it REPREHENSIBLE to abandon support for an important part of the core system. Prestashop is a free platform and it has now become something much less than that by forcing users to purchase modules to gain access to the full functionality of the system.  Forcing users to setup all of their carriers is no different than asking users to build their own module. If a user was to accurately estimate USPS First Class, USPS Priority Mail, USPS First Class International, and USPS Priority Mail International rates according to the sizes and weights of all of their products this is NO DIFFERENT than forcing a user to do the legwork that the original module did in an instant by communicating with the USPS API.

The original prestashop USPS shipping module was barebones at best but it accessed shipping rates enough to allow the average user to setup shipping without having to FEAR losing money by misconfiguration or bad estimation. We always had the option to purchase a better, more feature rich module once our company became successful. However, now I am forced to restructure my entire pricing system or spend money that I can't justify on a module that I don't know will work for my needs just to have a functional online store. I was so excited for the release of 1.7 but this lack of support on a free platform has been disheartening at best. I have been deciding whether to downgrade to 1.6 or move platforms altogether...

Edited March 30, 2018 by Nepherael (see edit history)

[Nepherael]

Purchased the $65 USPS module from the developers main site. Worst decision I could have made. It does not take into account item dimensions or weight, in fact I don't even know where it gets it information to calculate pricing because First class letter is there but first class package is not and priority mail is there but it's just listed at its minimum price. No matter how I change product info or module configuration I still always have letter and priority mail.

That's exactly why I am hesitant to spend money on this platform. I now own a module that is a recreation of the original USPS module (which was free) but has more bugs. And because now it is a paid module, there's no topics on it because people don't want to pay for and then troubleshoot broken modules...

[markcm]

Good information, I've been on oscommerce, and then oscmax for the past 4 years or so and looking for something new. Those had issues with USPS too, I think USPS constantly changes their variables and lacks in documentation.

Either way, I rely on USPS and prestashop doesn't seem to care much. Does anyone have a suggestion of what the best USPS option is for a small side-business owner?