Shipping rates and methods

If shipping zones are the where, methods and rates are the how much. A method is a delivery option a shopper can pick, and its rate is the price that option costs. This page gives a concept-level overview of the two kinds CIQRA supports.

Conceptual overview, and here is the honest reason

The admin does have Shipping carriers and Shipping rates screens under Settings. This page still explains the model rather than walking through those screens, because the steps have not been checked against them as they are today. The limit is this documentation, not the product.

Methods attach to a zone

Rates don’t float on their own — you attach one or more methods to a shipping zone. When a shopper’s destination matches that zone, the zone’s methods become their delivery choices at checkout. A zone with no method attached quotes nothing, so shoppers there see no option.

Flat rates

A flat rate charges a single fixed price for a method, regardless of what’s in the cart. Ship anything to that zone and the cost is the same. Flat rates are simple and predictable, which makes them a good default when your delivery cost doesn’t really change from order to order — for example a standard domestic parcel.

Table-rate methods

A table-rate method lets the price vary by the order rather than staying fixed. Instead of one number, the rate is worked out from a characteristic of the cart, such as:

• Order weight — heavier orders cost more to ship.
• Order price — the rate scales with the order’s value (useful for tiers like free shipping over a threshold).

Table rates let you reflect real shipping costs more closely than a single flat price can — charging more for a heavy order, or offering free delivery once a shopper spends enough.

Caution

Table-rate methods depend on the data they read. A weight-based rate needs the products in the cart to carry a weight; without it, the engine can’t work out a price and the option won’t appear. Make sure your products carry the attributes your rates rely on — see Shipping isn’t calculating at checkout.

Putting it together

A shopper sees a delivery option only when three things line up:

1. A zone covers their destination.
2. That zone has at least one method attached.
3. For table rates, the order carries the data the rate needs (like weight).

When all three hold, CIQRA quotes the right price for the right order in the right place. For the end-to-end flow, see How shipping works.