Shipping Configuration

Shipping options control how buyers pay for delivery and what timeframes they see at checkout. You can create multiple options — standard, express, free — and CaratX will present them to buyers based on their location. --- ## Getting There Go to **Seller Dashboard > Shipping** to manage your shipping options. --- ## 1. Creating a Shipping Option Click **Add Shipping Option** and fill in the form: | Field | What to enter | |---|---| | **Name** | Label buyers will see, e.g. "Standard Shipping" or "Express (2-3 days)" | | **Description** | Optional details, e.g. "Tracked via USPS Priority Mail" | | **Rate** | The flat fee charged per order, e.g. `9.95`. Enter `0` for free shipping | | **Region** | Who this option applies to (see section 2) | | **Min / Max Days** | Estimated delivery window (see section 5) | | **Free Shipping Threshold** | Order amount above which shipping becomes free (see section 3) | | **Default** | Whether this option is pre-selected at checkout | | **Status** | Active = visible to buyers; Inactive = hidden | Click **Save** when done. --- ## 2. Domestic vs International Shipping Each shipping option is scoped to a **region**: - **Domestic** — shown only to buyers with a domestic shipping address - **International** — shown only to buyers with an international address - **All** — shown to all buyers regardless of location **Typical setup:** Create one option set with region "Domestic" and a separate set with region "International" at a higher rate. Buyers only see the options that match where they are shipping to. If a buyer's address falls in a region where you have no active options, shipping will default to $0 at checkout and no delivery estimate will be shown. --- ## 3. Free Shipping Thresholds To offer free shipping above a spend amount, set the **Free Shipping Threshold** field. **Example:** Rate = `8.00`, Free Shipping Threshold = `75.00` - Buyer spends $60 → shipping charge is $8.00 - Buyer spends $75 or more → shipping charge is $0.00 (free) The buyer sees a note at checkout when they are close to qualifying for free shipping. To offer unconditionally free shipping, set Rate to `0` and leave the threshold blank. --- ## 4. Setting a Default Option Check the **Default** box on the option you want pre-selected when a buyer reaches checkout. - Only one option can be the default at a time — marking a new default automatically clears the previous one. - If no default is set, CaratX automatically pre-selects your cheapest active option for the buyer's region. The buyer can always switch to a different option before placing their order. --- ## 5. Estimated Delivery Times Set **Min Days** and **Max Days** to show buyers a delivery window. | Min Days | Max Days | Displayed as | |---|---|---| | 3 | 5 | "3-5 business days" | | 7 | — | "7+ business days" | | — | 10 | "Up to 10 business days" | | — | — | No estimate shown | These are business days. Be conservative — it is better to over-deliver than to miss an estimate. If you do not know the delivery time, leave both fields blank. --- ## 6. Managing Multiple Shipping Options You can have as many active options as you like. Common setups: **Basic two-tier:** - Standard Shipping — $6.95, 5-7 days, Domestic - Express Shipping — $19.95, 2-3 days, Domestic **Free shipping incentive:** - Standard Shipping — $8.00 (free above $75), 5-7 days, All **International add-on:** - International Shipping — $24.95, 10-21 days, International **To deactivate an option** without deleting it, set its Status to Inactive. This hides it from buyers but preserves it for your records. **To delete an option**, click Delete on the shipping list page. Options that have been used on existing orders cannot be deleted — deactivate them instead. The order options appear on your list is the order they appear at checkout. Drag to reorder them. --- ## 7. How Buyers See Shipping at Checkout At checkout, buyers see: - A list of your active shipping options filtered to their region - The name, rate, and estimated delivery window for each option - Your default option pre-selected - A free shipping badge when their order qualifies based on your threshold When a cart contains items from multiple sellers, each seller's shipping options appear separately. The buyer selects a shipping option per seller, and the total shipping is the sum of all selections. If you have not configured any active shipping options, your items ship at no charge and no delivery estimate is displayed.