Define shipping codes

Shipping codes are used to group shipping charges together. For example, all oversized items could be assigned the same shipping code, Oversized. All fragile items could be assigned the shipping code Fragile. All perishable items could be assigned the shipping code Perishable.

A shipping code indicates which shipping charges are applied to which products in the order. Shipping codes are assigned to products or categories. When a customer purchases a product the codes assigned to it determine the shipping charges that are added to the order.

In order to calculate shipping charges on the order item, assign shipping calculation codes to either a product or category.

For more information about defining shipping codes, and an example, see Define shipping data.

To define shipping codes:

  1. Before defining shipping codes in the Shipping notebook in the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator, determine a strategy for all of the shipping codes you will create.

    • For example, will you create an oversize shipping code that applies to all oversized items in the catalog, or will you create shipping codes for each type of category in your catalog, (clothing, electronics, food)?

    • You can create multiple types of shipping codes, and associate more than one code with a product. For example, you can assign both the shipping codes "oversize" and "electronics" to all televisions in your catalog. Note that the effects of the shipping codes are cumulative, meaning that in the example provided, the total shipping charge of each television will be the sum of the shipping charges of the two shipping codes, plus the shipping charge of any shipping code associated with all products.

  2. Open the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator.

  3. From the Store menu, select Change Shipping. The Shipping overview page is displayed. If you do not see this menu, then your logon ID does not have the appropriate authority to perform this task. Contact your Site Administrator.

  4. Click Shipping codes. The Shipping Codes page is displayed.

  5. To define a new shipping code, click New. The Define Shipping Code Details page is displayed.

  6. In the Name field, type the name of the shipping code.

  7. In the Description field, type a description of the new shipping code.

  8. Click Next. The Assign Shipping Codes to Products or Categories page is displayed.

  9. Select the products or categories that will be associated with this shipping code:

    1. If you select All products, all products in the catalog will be associated with this code.

    2. If you select Specific product(s), the Selected products field displays, with the following options to find a product:

      1. Find products:

        If you select Find products you should know the SKU, name or short description of the product.

        1. Click Find products to find the products you want to select. The Find Products page is displayed.

        2. You must define at least one of the following:

          1. SKU

            1. Type the product SKU. The SKU is the reference number for the product.

            2. From the drop down list, select the search method.

          2. Name

            1. Type the name of the product.

            2. From the list, select the search method.

          3. Short description

            1. Type the short description of the product.

            2. From the list, select the search method.

        3. Click Find. The Search Results page is displayed, listing the results of your search.

        4. Select the product, item or items you want to associated with the shipping code, and click Add. The products or items are displayed in the Selected products field on the Assign Shipping Codes to Products or Categories page.

      2. Browse catalog:

        1. Click Browse catalog to view the catalog and find the products you want to select. The Browse catalog page is displayed, listing the catalog in a tree structure. The catalog hierarchy is displayed in a tree format. Each category or subcategory that has children subcategories or products is displayed beside a collapsible node.

        2. Click the node to expand the category and display its children constituents. To hide the category's subcategories, click the node a second time.

        3. Select the product, item, or items you want to associated with the shipping code, and click Add. The products or items are displayed in the Selected products field on the Assign Shipping Codes to Products or Categories page.

    3. If you select Categories, the Category fields is displayed.

      1. Click List to view the categories in the catalog. The Category List page is displayed.

      2. Select the category you want to associate with the shipping code, and click Add. The category is displayed in the Category field on the Assign Shipping Codes to Products or Categories page.

  10. Click Finish to save your settings and return to the Shipping Codes page. A confirmation dialog is displayed. Click OK. The new shipping code is displayed in the list. A second dialog box is displayed, informing you that create shipping charges associated with this shipping code. Click OK.

  11. Define shipping charges.

After you have defined shipping codes, you are now ready to define shipping charges. As outlined in Set up shipping, continue to step 5, Define shipping charges.

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