Woocommerce Shipping Help

Hi @thewildbonbon,

Could someone point me in the right direction for setting up shipping costs in Woocommerce. I have read all the documentation I can find, but I don’t know how to set different shipping options and prices. I am just starting out and only have three items. One of these is a digital download so I also need to be able to tell Woocommerce that there is no shipping on this item.

From what I understand, you’re having difficulties in setting up shipping costs in WooCommerce, specifically in defining different shipping options and prices. You’re also looking for a way to indicate that one of your items, which is a digital download, does not require shipping.

To set up shipping costs, you need to define your shipping zones first. A shipping zone is a geographical area where you ship your products. You can add as many shipping zones as you need. For each zone, you can add multiple shipping methods (like Flat rate, Free shipping, etc.) and set the rates accordingly.

Here are the steps to set up shipping zones:

1. Go to: WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping > Shipping Zones.
2. Click on ‘Add shipping zone‘.
3. Enter a descriptive Zone Name, and select Zone Regions that apply. Regions can consist of Countries, States, or Continents.
4. Click ‘Add shipping method‘, select the method from the dropdown, and click ‘Add shipping method‘ again.

Now, to set different shipping options and prices:

1. Click on the name of the shipping method you’ve added.
2. Here, you can set the cost based on the shipping method. For instance, if you’ve chosen ‘Flat rate’, you can set a specific cost per item or order.

Image Link: https://snipboard.io/MqYGB6.jpg

For more information on configuring Shipping Zones, you can check out this guide: ?? Setting up Shipping Zones.

Regarding your digital product, you can make it exempt from shipping by marking it as a ‘Virtual’ product in the product data settings. Here’s how:

1. Go to: WooCommerce > Products.
2. Click on the digital product you want to edit.
3. In the Product Data panel, check the box for ‘Virtual‘.
4. Update or Publish the product.

This will ensure that the product is recognized as a digital item and no shipping costs will be applied to it. For more information on adding and managing products, you can check out this guide: ?? Adding and Managing Products.

I hope this helps! If you need further assistance or have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you. I will work on this. One more question. Will customers have an opportunity to choose a shipping method or do I need a plugin to do that?

Hi @thewildbonbon,

Will customers have an opportunity to choose a shipping method or do I need a plugin to do that?

Thank you for your follow-up question.

Yes, customers will have the opportunity to choose a shipping method during the checkout process, provided you have set up multiple shipping methods for their specific shipping zone. Once you’ve set up multiple shipping methods for a zone, the customer will be able to select their preferred method when they enter their shipping address at checkout.

You don’t need a separate plugin for this functionality, it’s built right into WooCommerce. The available shipping methods will automatically be displayed to the customer based on their shipping address and the shipping settings you’ve configured for their zone.

If you want to offer more advanced shipping options, there are additional plugins available, but for basic shipping method selection, WooCommerce’s built-in functionality should suffice.

I hope this answers your question, and best of luck with your WooCommerce setup. If you have any other questions or need further clarification, don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you so much Tamrat for continuing to answer my questions. I cam see now how to set up shipping method options. I have one more question, which is more about asking advice.

As I think I mentioned I am just starting out. I have one book to offer, one music download and one CD to start. I plan on using Media Mail for physical products in the USA, but what happens if someone from another country wants to purchase from me?

What would be your advice for offering my products to other countries? (My book is also available on Amazon, but I am sure most of my profit will be going to Amazon when someone purchases the book through them). Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone in any other country buying books and music from me because of cost prohibitive shipping costs. That being said, what should I do about shipping options to other countries? I know I can set a price for “zones outside my region” on Woocommerce, but given the possible people in other countries that might find me is overwhelming and I’m just not sure how to proceed.

Again, thanks for taking the time to help me

Hi @thewildbonbon

As you’re starting out, it’s understandable to have concerns about shipping internationally. Here’s a few suggestions:

1. Digital Products: For your music download, this is a digital product and can be sold internationally without any shipping costs. This is a great way to reach an international audience without the worry of shipping fees. You can check this support documentation about Digital/Downloadable Product Handling here.
2. Physical Products: This is what was discussed above.
3. Shipping Costs: It’s true that international shipping can be costly. However, you can pass on these costs to the customer by setting up ‘Flat Rate’ or ‘Free Shipping + Product Price Increase’ to cover the cost. You can learn more about Flat Rate here.
4. Third-Party Fulfillment: You might also consider third-party fulfillment services that can handle international shipping for you. They can store your products and ship them as orders come in, often at lower rates due to their volume of business. You can check both these premium extensions: FedEx Shipping Method and USPS Shipping Method that handle international shipping methods.

In addition, kindly be informed that if you want to try our products, it comes with a 30-day refund policy. If the product doesn’t work the way you need it or you think another product would work better, we are more than happy to offer a full refund. You can read more about our refund policy on our website here.

Hope this helps!