Setting Up Custom Shipping Profiles and Rates in Your Store

Understanding Shipping Profiles

Shipping Profiles allow you to create tailored shipping rules for specific products, stores, or integrated applications in your CRM. These profiles determine the shipping costs customers see during checkout, using geographic zones and various rate calculation methods. When products aren't assigned to a custom profile, they automatically use the General Shipping Profile, ensuring every order has appropriate shipping rates.

Key Advantages of Using Shipping Profiles

• Granular Control: Apply different shipping rates for heavy, fragile, or oversized items
• Multiple Pricing Models: Choose from flat rates, weight-based pricing, price-based calculations, or free shipping options
• Third-Party Integration: Sync shipping rates automatically from external shipping applications
• Accurate Order Totals: Combine rates from multiple profiles into a single checkout calculation
• Automatic Fallback: Unassigned products automatically use the General Profile for seamless operation

Types of Shipping Profiles

General Shipping Profile

Your store automatically includes a General Shipping Profile that serves as the default for all products not assigned to custom profiles. This profile acts as your safety net for standard shipping rates and when integrated applications don't provide rate information.

Custom Shipping Profiles

Custom Shipping Profiles give you precise control over shipping costs for specific products or product categories. Each custom profile can:

• Apply to one or multiple stores in your account
• Include specific products or product groups
• Define delivery zones by country, state, or province
• Use any combination of rate calculation methods

Products can only belong to one custom profile at a time. Assigning a product to a new profile automatically removes it from any previous profile assignment.

Checkout Logic and Display

When customers add items from multiple shipping profiles to their cart, the system automatically calculates a combined shipping total. If profile names differ, checkout displays a single "Shipping" line item. When profile names match, rates combine under the shared profile name for transparent pricing.

During checkout, shipping options appear sorted by price with the lowest-cost option selected automatically. If free shipping is available, it appears first and is preselected. The system recalculates and resorts options whenever the customer changes their address or modifies their cart contents.

Creating Shipping Profiles

Follow these steps to set up custom shipping profiles:

1. Navigate to Payments → Settings → Shipping & Delivery → Custom Profiles
2. Click "Add Custom" to create a new profile
3. Enter a unique name for internal reference
4. Select which store(s) this profile should apply to
5. Choose the specific products or product groups to include
6. Click "Add Zone" and specify the countries or regions for delivery
7. For each zone, add one or more rate types:
   • Flat rate (fixed amount)
   • Price-based (free shipping over specified amount)
   • Weight-based (cost per weight range)
   • Free shipping
8. Click "Save" to complete the setup
9. Test your configuration by placing a sample order

Pro Tip: Start with your General Profile configuration, then add Custom Profiles only for products or regions that need special shipping considerations.

Restricting Shipping Zones by ZIP/Postal Code

You can create hyper-local delivery areas by restricting shipping zones to specific ZIP or postal codes. When creating or editing a shipping zone, enable the "Limit Shipping to Specific ZIP/Postcodes" option and enter codes using these formats:

• Single code (example: "90210")
• Multiple codes separated by commas (example: "90210,90211")
• Wildcard prefix using an asterisk (example: "90*" matches all codes starting with 90)

Wildcards can only appear as a trailing asterisk. The system prevents saving if restriction is enabled without valid code entries and blocks duplicate or invalid entries during input.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can custom profiles have identical names?

No, each profile requires a unique name to prevent confusion during checkout.

What happens when I delete a custom profile?

Products assigned to the deleted profile automatically return to using the General Shipping Profile.

How does the system handle mixed carts with multiple profiles?

Rates from all applicable profiles combine into a single shipping total displayed at checkout.

Can I override rates from app integrations?

Yes, create a custom profile for the same products to override app-defined shipping rates.

What happens if an app integration fails to return rates?

The system automatically applies the fallback rates from your General Shipping Profile.

What if a customer's ZIP/postal code doesn't match my restricted zone?

That shipping zone won't apply if the customer's code doesn't match your configured entries or wildcard patterns.

How do I create a ZIP/postal code range?

Use a wildcard pattern (such as "90*") to match multiple codes within a range.