Shipping zone postcode overrides shipping class costs – How do I stop this?

What shipping method(s) are you using for the rates within the zones?

It’s possible to use the “Flat Rate” method with shipping classes as outlined here: https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/flat-rate-shipping/#section-3 is that what you’re currently using?

If you could provide a bit more info about your setup, that will help us figure out if there’s a solution for your needs. Thanks!

Hi Zach,

Thanks for your reply.

I am using a flat rate for certain postcodes. However, I would like the customer to be able to select a free sample with only ￡3.99 shipping rate which I have set as a shipping zone but if they are from within one of the postcodes that have a flat rate price increase, they get charged at the higher rate.

I’m working on a local set up so I can’t really show you what I mean. I’ve uploaded some screenshots (see below), not sure if they will help you.

https://ibb.co/fyDg4T
https://ibb.co/ccpM4T

Thanks for those screenshots!

From what I can tell, it looks like you should remove the “FREE” shipping zone and “Flat Rate” method associated with it, and instead make sure you add the same “FREE Sample” shipping class cost shown here to that same area in each of your other zones:

https://cld.wthms.co/L8oSVG

Can you try that?

If that doesn’t help, can you clarify something for me? You want the “FREE Sample” shipping class cost to be available for all shipping zones and cost an additional ￡3.99 for shipping just that product (add that cost to the rest of the flat rate costs for the order), correct? Or something else?

Hi Zach,

I do want the Free sample shipping class for all shipping zones and override any other shipping fee. This is when the customer selects FREE SAMPLE as a product variation. (see screenshot below).

https://cdn.pbrd.co/images/Hxhcop8.png

As an example, let’s say someone in Aberdeen wants to order a bulk bag of gravel from us, this would cost a ￡49.00 shipping fee but if the same customer wants to order a free sample of the gravel first to make sure they like it. We can send that in post/mail so it wouldn’t need a ￡49.00 shipping fee, just ￡3.99. Does that make it clearer?

@decopak,

It looks like you’re strugging with understanding the relationship between shipping zones and shipping classes.

The way you currently have it set up, that FREE shipping class will NEVER be actvaited unless the customer’s address falls outside of the postcodes that you’ve set up for all the other zones.

Shipping zones are evaluated from top to bottom. Therefore, the Aberdeen postcode will be found in the ￡49 shipping zone, which means the generic UK shipping zone that you’ve labelled as FREE will NEVER be called into action.

Your shipping zone is a geographical demarcation e.g. UK, US, CA or Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland (for the cosntituent countries that make up the UK). You should generally name them as such. The name you give to a zone is really unimportant, it is more so you know what locations are targetted. The shipping costs should only be reflected in the shipping methods assigned to that zone.

It seems to me like the only shipping class you need is the FREE class for your Free Samples. So your ￡49 shipping zone should look like this screenshot – https://cld.wthms.co/zv4vF7

You’ll want to replicate the same setting for all your existing shiping zones, changing the price of the “No shipping class” to fit your needs.

Thank you so much for your help! I get it now.