Hey, everyone!
It's Māris from Printful.
Let's talk about shipping!
In this video, we'll cover:
1.
What are Printful's shipping rates and how do they work
2.
How Printful's shipping rates are calculated 3.
How to calculate shipping costs for your products 4.
How to set up shipping for your online store
So let's start with the first topic—what are Printful's shipping rates and how do they
work
All Printful products have their own shipping rates.
You can see them on our Shipping page.
These rates are fixed and calculated based on the average shipping cost for each product
and the shipping destination.
The rates on our Shipping page are the exact rates we'll charge you to ship your products.
Here's how Printful's shipping rates work with your store:
1.
You set up your own product and shipping prices for your customers.
2.
A customer, let's say, Andrew, buys from you.
3.
You charge Andrew the product and shipping price you set.
4.
And then Printful charges you for the product and shipping to fulfill Andrew's order.
Next, let's take a closer look at Printful's shipping rates and how you should understand
them.
As I said earlier, the rates you see on our Shipping page are fixed and safe to use for
setting up shipping costs on your store.
Let's see how the shipping cost varies depending on:
* shipping destinations; * and product categories.
Shipping destinations.
Printful offers international shipping across the world!
Each part of the world has different shipping rates, so we divided the costs based on orders
going out to: * the USA;
* Canada; * Europe;
* and Worldwide.
Take into account where your customers are located, and set your shipping prices accordingly.
Product categories.
Printful shipping rates are calculated based on product categories.
All products in their shipping category have similar dimensions, weight, packaging, and
pricing.
Colors and apparel product sizes don't impact shipping price.
The shipping for a red t-shirt in size small would cost the same as shipping for a black
t-shirt in extra large.
There you have it—that's how shipping rates change based on the shipping destination,
method, and product category.
Next, let's dive into how to calculate shipping costs for your products.
We'll talk about how to calculate shipping costs for orders with:
* one product; * similar products;
* different products; * products that ship separately;
* and products that you keep in Printful's warehouse.
When it comes to cost calculations, the table on our Shipping page is your best friend.
Use the rates listed there to set up shipping on your store.
Our shipping rates may change over time.
So always refer to the shipping page for current prices instead of this video.
Okay, let's start with calculating shipping costs for orders with one product.
Orders with one product
In our shipping table, find the product category with your product.
Take a look at the First product row—that's the shipping cost for an order containing
only one product.
For example, the cost for shipping one t-shirt to the USA is $3.99.
Easy!
Now let's take a look at how to calculate shipping costs for orders with multiple products
in one category.
Orders with multiple products in the same category
Similar products are items that are grouped together under one shipping category and have
the same shipping rates.
For example, hoodies and sweatpants are in the same shipping category.
Tote bags and fanny packs are all in one category, too, and have the same shipping rates.
To calculate the shipping cost for an order with similar products, add the cost from the
Additional product row to the cost you have in the First product row.
For example, the cost for shipping one t-shirt to the USA is $3.99 which is the price in
the First product row.
Then if an order has 2 t-shirts, the shipping for the second t-shirt will cost $1.25 which
is the price in the Additional product row.
All together the cost for shipping two t-shirts to the USA would be $5.24.
Next, here's how to calculate shipping costs for orders with different products.
Orders with multiple products in different categories
The products that are not grouped together under a category count as different products
in terms of shipping prices.
For example, hoodies and all-over print leggings are in different categories with different
pricing.
To calculate the shipping cost for an order with different products, find both product
categories in the shipping table.
See which of your products has the highest shipping cost in the First product row and
use that as a base.
Then look at the Additional product row for both categories and see which has the lowest
price, then add that price to the one in the First product row.
That's it!
For example, to get the shipping cost for an order with a hoodie and a t-shirt, see
whichever one has the highest shipping cost in the First product row and the lowest in
the Additional product row.
Shipping a t-shirt to the USA costs $3.99 and $1.25 for each additional product, and
for a hoodie, it's $6.50 and $2 for each additional product.
The highest price for the First product in this example would be for the hoodie, so you
should use that as a base price and add the Additional product shipping cost of a t-shirt
to cover that.
All together, shipping a hoodie and a t-shirt would cost $7.75 in this example.
Now let's take a look at how to calculate shipping costs for orders with products that
ship separately.
Orders with products that ship separately
There are some products that we'll ship separately due to packaging differences and you can see
a list of them on our Shipping page.
To calculate the shipping cost for orders with products that ship separately, you'll
have to add the shipping price from the First product row of both products.
For example, to get the shipping cost for an order with a t-shirt and a canvas, add
the shipping price from the First product row of both products.
Shipping a single t-shirt to the USA costs $3.99, we know that already.
Now we just add the shipping price for a canvas, let's say for the 12x12 size.
That's $9.99, which is the price you see in the First product row.
All together, the shipping cost of an order with a t-shirt and a canvas would add up to
be $13.98.
If you sell Printful products that require separate shipping, we advise you to set the
rates for these products using the costs in the First product row only.
This will ensure you don't lose profit on shipping.
Lastly, here's how to calculate shipping costs for orders with non-Printful products kept
in your warehousing inventory.
Orders with warehousing products
To calculate the shipping costs for your non-Printful products, you'll need to check how much our
carrier partners would charge for orders containing your products.
Find a shipping rate calculator on one of our supported carrier sites and add your product
details there.
You’ll see what the approximate shipping rates for this product will be for different
shipping destinations.
Our shipping algorithm chooses the most cost effective shipping option for each order.
So for you to get the most accurate shipping rates for your warehoused products, we suggest
calculating the shipping rates with multiple carriers and using the average.
That's it!
That's how you calculate shipping costs for your products!
The final part of setting up shipping on your store is actually doing it.
So here's how to set up shipping for your online store.
Configuring shipping is different for each platform.
All platforms have their own shipping settings from shipping by weight to shipping by region.
We advise you to head to our Shipping page and choose the integration you're using, then
just follow the on-screen guide to set up shipping on your storefront.
The most popular shipping settings you'll have to choose from are:
* Free shipping; * Flat rates;
* Weight based rates; * Live rates.
The Free shipping setting is the easiest to set up for your store.
Offering free shipping to your customers is a good selling point.
However keep in mind that Printful will still charge your for the order shipping, so make
sure you include the shipping price in your product price.
This ensures you don't miss out on your profit!
The Flat rates shipping setting means you'll take the same rate for all purchases.
It's a good choice if you sell products of similar shipping price.
The Weight based rate settings allows you to charge different shipping rates for products
or orders of different weights.
It's the best option for stores that sell products with different shipping costs, like
baby clothes and framed posters.
With Weight based rates, you can assign an arbitrary weight for products that have similar
shipping costs.
For example, you can set the weight of your t-shirts to 1lb and assign the shipping price
of $3.99 for that weight.
The weight you add won't show up on your storefront and won't impact the shipping cost on Printful's
side—it'll only be used to calculate and display shipping costs for your customer's
order during checkout.
Setting up Weight based rates is different for each platform so be sure to browse through
their resources!
Some integrations support Live rates.
That means your customers see carrier-calculated, real-time rates during checkout.
You can check out the ecommerce integration comparison chart to find which integrations
support live rates, link in the description below.
There are other ways how to set up your shipping rates so be sure to take your time and figure
out the best solution for you.
For more information, check the FAQs for your integration and reach out to our customer
support team if you have any more questions.