Difference between revisions of "Shipping Estimate based on ZIP code only"

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'''Question'''
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'''Why shipping estimator requires more than just the zip-code to get estimates?'''
  
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Is this possible to use only the zip code to give an estimate for shipping on items?
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In AC5.x and the initial release of AC7 the shipping estimate used to work based on zip code only. In the final release of AC7 fields like country, province and city were also added.
  
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'''Answer'''
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There are many reasons for making country, province and city fields required for shipping estimator.
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* Firstly, the shipping estimate needs to work for countries other than US.
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* Secondly, some of the carriers require more address information than just the zip-code. For example FedEx requires zip-code and city.
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* Thirdly, and most importantly, the shipping estimator can not work correctly with shipping zones defined in the store if zip-code is the only information available to determine the applicable zone.
  
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It depends on the shipping methods. Some of carriers require more address information than just the zip code. For example, FedEx requires the zip code and the city. Even then, the estimate will often be higher than the actual cost (which is based on the street address, city, and zip).
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==Links==
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Related post in forums by evanb@firefold.com http://forums.ablecommerce.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=8159
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You could subscribe to a zip code service and then add code that looks up a city based on the zip code. But that will probably lead to even worse estimates. Many zip codes touch multiple cities and the the shipping cost to each can vary quite a bit. If your code simply picked the first city in the list, the estimate would be wrong quite often.
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Reference: http://forums.ablecommerce.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=8159
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Latest revision as of 02:52, 10 September 2008

Why shipping estimator requires more than just the zip-code to get estimates?

In AC5.x and the initial release of AC7 the shipping estimate used to work based on zip code only. In the final release of AC7 fields like country, province and city were also added.

There are many reasons for making country, province and city fields required for shipping estimator.

  • Firstly, the shipping estimate needs to work for countries other than US.
  • Secondly, some of the carriers require more address information than just the zip-code. For example FedEx requires zip-code and city.
  • Thirdly, and most importantly, the shipping estimator can not work correctly with shipping zones defined in the store if zip-code is the only information available to determine the applicable zone.

Links

Related post in forums by evanb@firefold.com http://forums.ablecommerce.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=8159

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