If you charge for shipping by item weight, there are two things you can do: (1) You can charge a flat rate per pound (e.g., $4.00 shipping per pound) or (2) You can make your own rate table.

The flat rate per pound option is good if you have items that cost specific amounts to ship and you want to set the shipping price for each item. You can designate these shipping charges by putting in that amount (e.g., 4.99) as the weight of the item and then setting the flat rate value at $1.00. That is, type the amount you want to charge for shipping as the weight of the item. Then follow the steps below under Option 1 to set the flat rates per pound and set the rate at 1. This option allows you to set individual shipping amounts for each item.

The rate table option is good if you want to charge a scaled rate based on the weight of each item (e.g., from 1-3 pounds, $5; for 4-8 pounds, $8; etc).

There are two rate tables available: Basic Rate Table and Advanced Rate Table (set up instructions for Advanced Rated Table). (There are also rate tables available for Canada and for International (countries other than Canada). These rate tables are set up the same way you set up the Basic Rate Table). More about international shipping.

OPTION 1: To Charge a Flat Rate per Pound
> First you must have weights entered for all the items for which you want to charge shipping. If you want to charge $5.00 per pound, then you can either ether 1 pound for each item and then 5.00 in the Standard Value (see below) OR you can set each item to weigh 5 pounds and then type 1.00 in the Standard Value
> 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 Alternate Shipping Methods section select Charge by Item Quantity
> Under the Alternate Shipping Charges section, type the amount you want to charge per item
> You can also type in an Alternate Method Name. If you are using an alternate shipping method or rate table in addition to other options such as USPS or UPS shipping, you can specify the name to be displayed up to 25 characters. If nothing is specified it will be labeled Standard shipping on the Check Out page.

> Scroll down to the bottom and click on the Update Shipping button
> Click on the Website Home icon at the top and double check your work

What your customers will see when they go to your check out page when your settings are Charge by Item Weight and the Standard Value is set at $5.00 per pound. Note that the product weight for each item below was set to 1 pound.

Notice that customers pay $10 for shipping (because 2 items at 1 pound each x $5 per pound is $10). Notice that next to shipping, you see the words Standard. If you put something else into the Alternate Method Name section, then you would see those words in that space along with the space in the drop down Shipping Options box.

OPTION 2: Making your own Rate Table

Difference between Basic Rate Table and Advanced Rate Table
The Advanced Rate Table (set up instructions) allows you to set shipping prices based on set units delivered to a specified distance. The Basic Rate Table does not include calculations for distances. 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.

Setting up Basic 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 Alternate Shipping Methods section select Charge by Item Weight
> Under the Alternate Shipping Charges section, check the box to Use Your Own Rate Table
> You can also type in an Alternate Method Name. If you are using an alternate shipping method or rate table in addition to other options such as USPS or UPS shipping, you can specify the name to be displayed up to 25 characters. If nothing is specified it will be labeled Standard shipping on the Check Out page.

> Scroll down to the bottom and click on the Update Shipping button
> Under Shipping Options, click on the Basic Rate Table link
> Because you are charging based on Weight, type in the information for Weight and Cost ONLY. More examples of using the Basic Rate Table.
> Scroll down to the bottom and click on the Submit button to save your changes
> Click on the Website Home icon at the top and double check your work

The settings in the above table will result in the following shipping charges when your customers make purchases:

• Recall that all items are set to weigh 1 pound
• When your customers purchase 1 item, they will pay $5 for shipping
• When your customers purchase anything between 1 and 5 items (including 5), the weight range will be from 2 - 5 pounds, they will pay $8.50 for shipping (See below for graphic)
• When your customers purchase 10 items, the weight will be 10 pounds and thus, they will pay $12.00 for shipping
• NOTE: If you stop at 10 items, 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 10 items. This means you should consider your customer's shopping habits and figure out the most items you think they will order. (See below for graphic)

What your customers see on the Check Out page:

Instructions on setting up the Advanced Rate Table.