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Figuring out your actual shipping costs can be frustrating, and it can also make or break a sale. So how do you figure shipping correctly? Do you offer a flat rate, free shipping, or use actual sizes and weights? How does WooCommerce calculate shipping in the first place?

For example, let’s say we have a 12x12x8 12lb box, and our items are 10×5 and weight 1lb each; depending on how many the customer buys, the system will “pack” the items in a box until the size or weight limit is reached, then “pack” another box, giving the customer a fairly accurate shipping cost. We can then go into the system and adjust items accordingly once we determine an actual shipping cost. We are able to control the handling cost of each product individually, so product A we add $.50, product B we add $1.00, so on and so forth, until the shipping charges are extremely accurate. The image to the right shows the options available, along with price adjustment for dollars and percentage. This is where you will enter a price or percent for the specific shipping option you have enabled.

WooCommerce allows to manually adjust shipping rates based on a specific item. To the right, you’ll see the options available for a simple product. You are able to add a shipping class, tax rate, and size and weight (the remaining options are covered in another article). WooCommerce will use this information to virtually “pack” your items and deliver the customer a shipping cost. Once you close the order in WooCommerce, you need to ship the item via carrier of your choice, UPS, USPS, or FedEx. Once you physically ship your item, you will get an actual shipping cost, we use this cost to compare the estimate that was calculated by WooCommerce, and make adjustments accordingly. Within just a few shipments, your shipment costs will be calculated quickly and efficiently.