Mal's Shopping Cart Shipping Options

Mal's e-commerce Shipping Options

Part 1: Quick and Simple Method

The following shows you a quick and easy method on how to set up shipping using a different dollar value for each product.

Step 1: Logon to your Mal's e-commerce account. Next, go to the Cart set-up >> shipping page and choose Option 3. Enter the value of 1.000 into the edit box and save your settings. This procedure is shown in the Mal's e-commerce account screen shot below.

Step 2: Enter your shipping values into the XLEcom program. Use the column labeled "Shipping Units" for Mal's e-commerce. In the example below, the values you enter into the cells are dollar values. The following is a screen shot from the Database sheet showing the Shipping values for a typical Product Ad.

After you publish your website, your Product Ads will look similar to the one in the screen shot below. This particular Product Ad example is from the demonstration website included with the program:

The following is a screen shot of Mal's e-commerce shopping cart showing the shipping value for the above Product Ad:

 

For comparison purposes, the following is a screen shot of Paypal's shopping cart showing the shipping value for the same Product Ad:


Part 2: XLEcom and Mal's e-commerce Settings

Setting up your Shipping options is mainly a function of the Shopping Cart itself and not the XLEcom program. You do however have some shipping options via the program. The Database field labeled "Shipping Units" is defined as follows:

Shipping Units if using Mal's e-commerce (Optional)
This Unit value is only used for Mal's e-commerce. It can be a weight or other value for calculating shipping (default = 0). Enter numerical values only without the unit descriptor. Leaving a value in place does not affect any Paypal settings.

There are also some View Cart shipping settings within your Mal's e-commerce Shopping Cart Setup within the program as shown in the screen shot below.:

Controlling Shipping via your Mal's Account Control Panel

Mainly, you need to control Shipping via your Mal's account Shopping Cart Setup at Mal's site. After you login to your Mal's account, go to the Cart setup feature and select the Shipping function.

Below are Mal's definitions for Setting up Shipping:

There are now eight different ways of calculating shipping. These include the option to use weight, or some other unit.

You can make all shipping free with orders over  in value. Set the value to 0.00 (zero) if you don't want this.

You can also add a flat handling fee of  which is always added whatever the shipping method. Set the value to 0.00 (zero) if you don't want this.

No shipping
If you don't wish to have shipping calculated or shown in the cart.

Option 1: Fixed Value
Shipping can be a simple fixed amount which is added to every order.

Option 2: Calculated from quantity
Shipping can be calculated from the number of items ordered multiplied by a fixed amount for each item.

Option 3: Calculated from weight or other value
As items are added to the shopping cart you can assign a weight, or some other value such as volume or value, to the item on which shipping can be calculated using a fixed cost for each unit assigned.

One of the most common options is to have shipping based on the value of the order, for example 10% of the total. To do this check the box below and you won't have to include a units in field in your links.

Option 4: Calculated by quantity from an array
With this option you can set up an array so that shipping is calculated on the basis of the number of items ordered. For example; for the first item shipping might cost $10. For the second to ninth items, $5 per item, and for more than ten items, free of charge. You can set the bands where you want.

Finally you can assign shipping to a maximum of five zones, for example; local, national, international and so on.

Option 5: Calculated by weight or other value from an array
With this option you can set up an array so that shipping is calculated on the basis of values you asigned to each item when they were added to the cart. For example; for the first Kilo shipping might cost $10. For the second to ninth Kilos, $5 per Kilo (or per units), and for more than ten Kilos, free of charge. You can set the bands where you want.

You can assign shipping to a maximum of five zones, for example; local, national, international and so on.

Option 6: Calculated by quantity in bands
This option is similar to option 4 except that the same shipping charge is made for all orders that fall within the bands you set. For example; the first item might be charged $10 and any additional quantity between two and five items an extra $2. So a customer is charged $12 regardless of whether they buy two items or six items. Note that the charges and quantities are cumulative.

Finally you can assign shipping to a maximum of five zones, for example; local, national, international and so on.

Option 7: Calculated by weight or other value in bands
The principle is exactly the same as option 6 but is based on the sum of the values posted (with the units field).

Option 8: Posting your own total
In this case the cart doesn't calculate shipping at all but you calculate it and post it in. There are two different ways of doing that. Either include a field called shipping in your Buy Now links or with an external shipping calculator.

If you are using your own external shipping calculator then enter a message with an HTML link to it below. The special string {x} will be replaced with a query string containing the total units currently in the cart plus the language and currency variables. There is space for up to 150 characters. For example you might enter

To calculate shipping for this order
<a href="http://www.yoursite.com/cgi-bin/ship.cgi?{x}"><b>click here</b></a>

Note: If you want to post in the cost of shipping for each item then use Option 3 instead.

There is more information on Shipping Zones within your Mal's account Shopping Cart Setup at Mal's site.


Setup Your Shipping - Taken from Mal's Site Support Section
Reference: http://www.mals-e.com/help.php?pg=9

For more information, see the following Mal's support pages:

There are seven basic methods for calculating shipping. The first three are relatively easy to understand but the final four, which involve setting up an array of prices, are quite complex but powerful. Of course you don't have to use shipping at all and you can have the entire shipping line removed from the cart.

Option 1 : a fixed value
This is simply a fixed value that is added to each order to cover for shipping.

Option 2 : based on quantity of items purchased
In this case shipping is calculated by multiplying the total number of items in the cart by a fixed amount. This is fine if all your items are around the same size and weight; for example, like CD's.

Option 3 : based on a total of weight or some other value
To use this option you will need to include the extra field "units" to all your links or forms that add items to the cart. The value of "units" would be the weight, or whatever unit you choose, for one item of that product. Shipping is then calculated by multiplying the total number of units by a fixed amount per unit.

Another typical use is to set "units" equal to the value of the item. For example; if the price=9.99 then units=9.99. It is then possible to do a calculation of shipping based on the total value of the order; 10% would equal a rate of 0.1 per units. You can have the cart do this automatically for you by checking the special shipping by value checkbox. You then don't need to include a units field at all.

Option 4 : shipping array by quantity
This is the first of the two mechanisms that use an array or table of values to calculate shipping. In this case, as in Option 2, the calculation is based on the total quantity of items in the cart. However the value of the shipping applied to each product depends on the number of products purchased.

As an example; your customer chooses to purchase 6 items from your store. You charge the customer $10 for the first item and $5 for the next 3 items and nothing for the last 2 items making a total of 1 * $10 + 3 * $5 + 2 * 0 = $25 for shipping. You can use up to five bands in this way creating a scale of shipping charges.

Finally you can choose to set-up an array for up to five different geographical areas, such as, Local, National, International, etc. The customer is prompted to select which of these is relevant to them from a drop down list. You choose the description for the areas that go in this list. Alternatively you might want to offer different shipping rates; Standard, Next day and three day instead.

Option 5 : shipping array by alternative unit
This is a hybrid of Option 3 and 4. In this case you will need to post the field "units" along with each product as it is added to the cart. Shipping is then calculated using the array but using the sum of the "units".

As in the case of option three, whilst the unit is often weight, you could use something else, for example, the value or the volume of the order.

You can have units set automatically to the same as the price; shipping by value.

Option 6 & 7 : shipping array by bands
These are very similar to options 4 and 5 except in this case shipping is charged in bands.

For example, you might charge the first item $10 as before but any quantity between two and eight items an extra $5. And so on for up to five bands. So in this case someone buying two items pays the same as someone buying 8 items, $15.

With options 6 the calculation is based on the total quantity of items in the cart, with option 7 it is based on the sum of the "units" field (as in options 4 and 5).

Option 8 : Posting in your own shipping cost
You can post in your own total shipping cost for an order using the the field named shipping. You can include it when you are adding a product to the cart but in practice it's probably most useful with a Review Cart link:

<A href="http://www.aitsafe.com/cf/review.cfm?userid=your_userID&shipping=9.99"> Add shipping </A>

You can also post in any data you like, for example if you want to record what options the customer choose when they used your shipping calculator. Use a field named shipopts. The data is not displayed to the customer but it is stored along with the rest ot the details about the order.

Shipping API
There is a simple shipping API (Application Programming Interface) if you are using your own external shipping calculator. Provided that the total units in the cart are more than zero the customer will be forced to add shipping from your calculator before they can move on and pay for the goods.

Enter an HTML link to your calculation script in the message box. The special string {x} will be replaced with a query string containing the total units currently in the cart plus the language and currency variables: For example you might enter in the set-up

To calculate shipping for this order
<a href="http://www.yoursite.com/cgi-bin/ship.cgi?{x}"> click here </a>

The fields included in {x} are:

units - the total units in the cart
value - the value of the cart contents before tax, discounts and shipping
return - the current URL for the Continue shopping button
lg - the current language
sd - your session data

You may not be using some of these fields, they are optional, but they are there so that you can maintain continuity if you need to.

Sam Raheb
XLEcom Program Developer