Woocommerce How To Charge Shipping Each Product

WooCommerce: How to Charge Shipping Per Product (The Easy Way)

So, you’re running a WooCommerce store and you’ve hit a snag: figuring out how to charge shipping separately for each individual product in a customer’s cart. Maybe you sell a mix of light, easily shippable items and bulky, expensive-to-ship products. A flat rate just won’t cut it, and you don’t want to lose money on shipping!

This guide is for WooCommerce newbies who need a straightforward way to tackle this common challenge. We’ll break down the simplest method, explain why it works, and give you real-world examples.

Why Charge Shipping Per Product?

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Imagine this scenario:

You sell:

• Lightweight Stickers: Easy to ship, cost you $2 to ship each.
• Heavy Ceramics: Each vase weighs a ton and costs $20 to ship.

If you charge a flat rate of, say, $10, you’re overcharging customers who only buy stickers and *undercharging* customers who buy ceramics! This can lead to abandoned carts and lost revenue.

Charging per product is often the most fair and accurate way to manage shipping costs, especially when dealing with products of vastly different sizes and weights. It allows you to:

• Accurately reflect shipping costs: No more eating losses.
• Offer fair pricing: Attract more customers with reasonable shipping fees.
• Handle varied product types: Perfect for diverse product catalogs.

The Simplest Solution: WooCommerce’s Built-In Options

WooCommerce offers built-in tools to handle per-product shipping, although it might require a bit of setup. We’ll use the “Shipping Class” method. Think of Shipping Classes as labels you attach to products that Learn more about How To Bulk Modify Ad Attributes On Woocommerce have similar shipping characteristics.

Here’s the step-by-step guide:

1. Create Shipping Classes:

• Go to WooCommerce > Learn more about How To Add Custom Payment Method In Woocommerce Settings > Shipping.
• Click on the Shipping Zones tab. (If you haven’t set up zones, do that first. For example, “United States”).
• Within your Shipping Zone, click Edit on the Shipping Method (e.g., Flat Rate, Free Shipping). If you don’t have a shipping method, add one (Flat Rate is a good starting point).
• In the Shipping method settings, you will find Shipping classes. If not, you can add it by editing shipping zone settings. You’ll then see a section called “Shipping classes” with options to Add shipping class.
• Click “Add shipping class”.
• Enter a “Name” (e.g., “Stickers,” “Ceramics,” “Oversized”).
• Add a “Slug” (a short, URL-friendly version of the name – e.g., “stickers,” “ceramics,” “oversized”). This isn’t crucial but helps with organization.
• Optionally, add a “Description”.
• Click “Save shipping classes”.
• Repeat for each type of product needing a unique shipping cost.

Example:

• Shipping Class 1: Name: “Stickers,” Slug: “stickers”
• Shipping Class 2: Name: “Ceramics,” Slug: “ceramics”
• Shipping Class 3: Name: “Oversized,” Slug: “oversized”

2. Assign Shipping Classes to Products:

• Go to Products in your WordPress dashboard.
• Edit the product you want to assign a shipping class to.
• Scroll down to the “Product data” section.
• Click on the “Shipping” tab.
• Use the “Shipping class” dropdown to select the appropriate class for this product (e.g., “Stickers” for a sticker product).
• Update the product.
• Repeat this process for all your products.

3. Configure Shipping Costs Based on Shipping Classes:

• Go back to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.
• Click on the Shipping Zones tab.
• Click Edit Learn more about How To Customize The Product Background In Woocommerce Single on the relevant shipping zone.
• Click Edit on the shipping method (e.g., Flat Rate).
• *Now*, you’ll see options for setting shipping costs based on your shipping classes. This is where the magic happens!

In the “Shipping class costs” table, you can specify a cost for each shipping class. You can choose:

• Cost per class: The shipping cost is added once for each class present in the cart.
• Cost per product: The shipping cost is added for each product belonging to that class.

We want the second option for charging per product.

• Fill in the costs in the following format:

* Stickers: `2 * [qty]` (This means $2 per sticker ordered)

* Ceramics: `20 * [qty]` (This means $20 per ceramic ordered)

* Oversized: `30 * [qty]` (This means $30 per oversized item ordered)

• Leave the “No shipping class cost” field empty or set it to a base rate if you have items without a shipping class.
• Click “Save changes”.

 // Example WooCommerce Settings - Flat Rate Shipping Method 

// Shipping Zones > United States > Flat Rate > Edit

// Shipping class costs:

// Stickers: 2 * [qty]

// Ceramics: 20 * [qty]

// Oversized: 30 * [qty]

// No shipping class cost: 5 // Base rate for items without a shipping class

Explanation of `[qty]`:

The `[qty]` placeholder is a WooCommerce variable that represents the quantity of items of that specific shipping class in the cart. Multiplying your base shipping cost by `[qty]` ensures you charge per product within that class.

Real-Life Examples and Reasoning:

* Scenario 1: Selling T-Shirts and Posters:

* T-Shirts: Assign to a “T-Shirts” shipping class and set the cost to `$5 * [qty]` (e.g., $5 per t-shirt).

* Posters: Assign to a “Posters” shipping class and set the cost to `$3 * [qty]` (e.g., $3 per poster).

This ensures each t-shirt adds $5 to the shipping cost, and each poster adds $3.

* Scenario 2: Selling Lightweight Jewelry and Heavy Sculptures:

* Jewelry: “Jewelry” shipping class, `$2 * [qty]`

* Sculptures: “Sculptures” shipping class, `$40 * [qty]`

This accurately reflects the higher shipping costs associated with the sculptures.

Important Considerations:

• Free Shipping: Consider offering free shipping over a certain order value. You can configure this in WooCommerce’s shipping settings, potentially excluding certain shipping classes (e.g., oversized items).
• Shipping Plugins: While WooCommerce’s built-in options work, some plugins offer more advanced shipping calculations (e.g., based on dimensions, destination, etc.). If you need more granular control, explore options Learn more about How To Import Woocommerce Products Csv File like “WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping.”
• Packaging Costs: Remember to factor in the cost of packaging materials when calculating your per-product shipping rates.

By following these steps, you can effectively charge shipping per product in WooCommerce, ensuring fair pricing for your customers and profitability for your business. Good luck!