The Advanced Rate table is very flexible. Unlike the Basic Rate Table, the Advanced Rate Table allows you to set shipping prices based on distance. The Advanced Rate Table is similar to what USPS, UPS and FedEx use for their shipping calculations. It is an excellent way to charge for local deliveries and truck freight. This is the table yo use if you have your own zones.

Using the Advanced Rate Table, you can calculate shipping by Weight of items (in pounds), Quantity, or Price. That is, do you want:

• the price of shipping to increase the farther an item goes and the more it weighs >> choose Weight
• the price of shipping to increase the farther an item goes and the more items customers purchase >> choose Quantity
• the price of shipping to increase the farther an item goes and the more it costs >> choose Price

Setting up an Advanced Rate Table
> Click on the Shopping Cart icon at the top
> Scroll down to the Shipping Options section
> Click on the Set Shipping Charges Link
> Under the Advanced Rate Table section, check the box to use the Advanced Rate Table
> Scroll down to the bottom and click on the Update Shipping button

> Under Shipping Options, click on the Advanced Rate Table link
> Fill in the required information: type in the shipping Origin Zip code, the Display Name, type in the distances from your origin zip code (in miles), under unit type select the Unity type (Weight, Quantity or Price), and fill in the Units x Zone chart
> Click on Submit at the bottom to save your changes

The example Advanced Rate Table above uses Unit Type Quantity. Ordering under the chart above, customers would see the following prices:

• Customers ordering 1 unit (i.e., one item), who are less than 40 miles from your origin zip code fall into Zone 2. They would pay $4.00 for shipping
• Customers ordering 2 units (i.e., two items), who are less than 2000 miles fall into Zone 7. They would pay $17.00 for shipping
• Customers ordering 5 units (i.e., five items), who are less than 300 miles fall into Zone 5. They would pay $25.00 for shipping
• NOTE: If you stop at 5 units, customers will see a notice that says: "Contact for Shipping Rates" because the system does not have any parameters for handling an order that has more than 5 items. This means you should consider your customer's shopping habits and figure out the most items you think they will order (or the most dollars they will spend or the heaviest items they will buy). (See below for graphic)

What your customers see on the Check Out page:

Because you have an origin zip code, your customers will be prompted to enter their zip code.

What U.S. Customers Will See: On the check out page, your customers will see something similar to the page below (without all the blue text of course). Using the table above, customers who order 3 items and have them shipped from zip code 32250 to 48104 pay $17.00 for shipping. They pay $17.00 because the distance from zip code 32250 to 48103 is approximately 1,040 miles. This puts the shipment into Zone 7 for three units.

If customers purchase more units than your Rate Table considers, then the system will present your customers with a notice that says Contact for Shipping Rates.

You can use your Advanced Rate Table in addition to your other rates. If you want to use your Advanced Rate Table in addition to USPS, UPS, or FedEx, you MUST have weights entered for all your items and you must use the Unit Type Weight on the Advanced Rate Table. You can also use the Flat Rates in addition to these options. Finally, you can also use the Basic Rate Table.

What International Customers Will See: When you have international customers, they will still be prompted to enter their zip code. The shopping cart will check the zip code they entered against the zip code list in our system to determine whether they are a US customer, a Canadian Customer or a customer from some other country.

Notice that the default shipping price listed changed from $27.00 for U.S. to $22.00 for Canada and International. If you scroll up and double check the settings for the Advanced Rate Table, you will notice that the $22.00 is the price for Zone 1. That is, the system will calculate the Units and then display the shipping price listed in Zone 1. You will need to explain to your international customers (including those from Canada), that they will need to choose the appropriate shipping price from the drop down box (just like US customers who want shipping other than standard Shipping listed). You can add this explanation to your check out page (as you see above) and/or to a separate shipping page.
To add the explanation as you see above:
> Click on the Shopping Cart icon at the top
> Click on the Set Checkout Page link under Page Style & Options
> Check the Include Comments Box
> Type the message you want to appear (you can use HTML)

You can learn more about International and Canadian shipping here.

It is important that you do double check your work. Make sure you go to your website and add a few items to your cart to see what happens to shipping. Your customers will probably want to know your shipping charges before adding items to their cart. This information is good to add to a Shipping page.