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LTL Freight QuotesABF Freight Edition for Shopify |
The ABF LTL Freight Quotes app retrieves your negotiated LTL rates, takes action on them according to the app settings, and displays the results as shipping options in the Shopify checkout process. ABF Freight Systems is a subsidiary of ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB). Headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas, it provides a variety of freight and logistics services, including less-than-truckload (LTL). If you don’t have an ABF Freight account, contact them at 800-610-5544.
Basic Plan $20/month
Retrieves your negotiated LTL freight rates.
Supported origins: Canada, United States.
Supported destinations: Canada, United States.
Customize the text used to label quotes displayed to shoppers.
Elect to display the carrier’s transit time with the rate estimate.
Pallet Packaging feature which is required for merchants with density-based tariffs and is optional for merchants with Freight Class/NMFC based tariffs. A step-by-step graphical illustration of the packaging solution is saved with the order.
Support for items that ship as multiple handling units (e.g. pallets). (Requires use of the optional Pallet Packaging feature)
Define multiple warehouse locations.
Identify products that drop ship from vendors.
Compatible with Shopify Locations.
Basic option for residential delivery.
Basic option for lift gate delivery.
Mark up quotes by a dollar amount or percentage.
Assign products and variants a shipping weight, freight class and optionally dimensions.
Access to a built in density calculator.
Dynamic presentation of parcel and LTL freight rates with the installation of compatible apps from Eniture Technology
Standard Plan $25/month
Everything in the Basic Plan, plus…
Automatic detection of residential addresses allows the carrier’s residential delivery fee to be automatically included in quotes.
Option to require lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected.
Allow customers to choose between a standard option for LTL freight and one that includes lift gate delivery.
Do not display rates if a post office box is detected.
Support for products that ship hazardous material.
Advanced Plan $40/month
Everything in the Standard Plan, plus…
Offer and option for in-store pick up based on the customer’s distance from your warehouse.
Offer local delivery based on the customer’s distance from your warehouse.
Charge a fee for local delivery.
Hold At Terminal – Offer an option to have the order held at the local delivery terminal which will be cheaper for customers who would otherwise pay for lift gate delivery and/or residential delivery.
Support for products that can be nested when shipped, such as garbage cans or drinking cups.
Current version: 1.0
Requirements
A Shopify account with the Real-Time Carrier Shipping feature enabled. The feature is standard on the Advanced Shopify subscription package. It can be added to other packages by contacting Shopify customer service.
A ABF Freight account number.
Your ABF API ID.
FAQ’S
How do I get this application?
This application can only be installed from the Shopify App Store. Click here to locate the app in the Shopify App Store and then click the GET button to install the app. You must have the Shopify store owner credentials to perform the installation.
How do I get an ABF Freight account number?
Call ABF Freight at 800-610-5544.
Where do I find my ABF Freight username and password?
Contact ABF customer service or request a username and password online.
Why are the shipment charges I received on the invoice from ABF Freight different than what was quoted by the app?
Common reasons include a difference in the quoted versus billed shipment parameters (weight, dimensions, freight class), or additional services (such as residential delivery) were required. Compare the details of the invoice to the shipping settings on the products included in the shipment. Consider making changes as needed. Remember that the weight of the packing materials is included in the billable weight for the shipment. If you are unable to reconcile the differences call ABF Freight customer service for assistance.
Why do I sometimes get a message that a shipping rate estimate couldn’t be provided?
There are several possibilities:
The most common reason is that one or more of the products in the shopping cart did not have its shipment parameters (weight, dimensions, freight class) adequately populated. Check the settings for the products on the order and make corrections as necessary.
The city entered for the shipping address may not be valid for the postal code entered. A valid City+State+Postal Code combination is required to retrieve a rate estimate and Shopify does not perform this level of address validation. Contact us by phone (404-369-0680) or email (support@eniture.com) to inquire about solutions to this problem.
Your shipment exceeded constraining parameters of ABF Freight’s web service.
The ABF Freight web service isn’t operational.
Your ABF Freight account has been suspended or cancelled.
There is an issue with the Eniture Technology servers.
Your subscription to the application has expired because payment could not be processed.
There is an issue Shopify’s servers.
How do I determine the freight class for my product(s)?
The easiest thing to do is to contact your ABF Freight representative and ask for assistance. However, the official source is the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory maintained by the National Motor Freight Transportation Agency (NMFTA.org). You can purchase a hard copy of the directory or obtain an online subscription to it from their web site.
How does the density calculator work?
The density calculator will calculate a freight class by performing a calculation using the product weight and dimensions as inputs. In most cases the returned freight class will match the product’s (commodity’s) freight class as recorded in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory. However, this is not always true and in the event there are differences, the freight class recorded in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory takes precedence. An incorrectly identified freight class can result in unexpected shipping charges and even fees. You are solely responsible for accurately identifying the correct freight class for your products. If you need help doing this, contact your ABF Freight representative for assistance.
User’s Guide
To use these instructions you must be logged into Shopify as the store’s administrator, or with a login that has administrative privileges.
Setting up the application to display LTL freight quotes consists of the following steps:
Other information contained in this guide:
1. Prepare Shopify to use the application. |
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You must have the Third-party calculated shipping rates feature on your Shopify plan to have live carrier quotes displayed in the checkout process. It is standard on the Shopify Advanced plan and can be added to other Shopify plans by calling Shopify Customer Service at 888-746-7439. (Learn more)Navigate to the Settings>Shipping page. Click on the Manage rates link for the General shipping rates in the Rates at checkout section.
In the General shipping profile, locate the shipping origin from which you want the app to provide quotes.
If the only shipping zone you have is Rest of world, click on the Create shipping zone link and then enter a zone name (i.e. “Domestic”).
Locate the shipping zone for which you want to app to provide quotes. Click the Add rate button.
Select the option Use carrier or app to calculate rates.
It may take a moment for Shopify to retrieve the list of apps capable of providing shipping quotes for your store. After it has, the appearance of the Add rate page will be similar to the image below. Perform the following actions:
- Select the app from the drop down list.
- Enable the Services are selected in the app preferences setting. If this setting isn’t available to enable, don’t be concerned. Click the Done button at the bottom of the page and continue on to the next step.
- Click the Done button at the bottom of the page.
Repeat the steps above to enable the app for any other shipping zone. You should only enable the app in shipping zones that the app is capable of returning quotes for. Check the Features tab for origins and destinations that the app supports.
2. Obtain an ABF Freight API ID |
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To successfully connect the app to ABF Freight you need an API ID. If you don’t have one, access the API Registration form (https://arcb.com/apps/api). You’ll need to log in to the site to access the form.
Complete the form and afterward, copy the API ID you are given. You’ll use it later.
3. Choose the desired plan. |
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Begin by selecting Apps from the Shopify menu. Locate the entry for the ABF LTL Freight Quotes app and click on the app name to access the app preferences.
The Plans page is used to confirm the plan you are currently subscribed to, see the features offered on each plan, and to perform upgrades or downgrades according to your needs. The plan you’re currently subscribed to will have This is your current plan above the monthly subscription rate. To change plans, click on the desired plan’s monthly subscription rate. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to change plans.
4. Connect the application to the ABF Freight API. |
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The Connection Settings page is used to establish the app’s connection to ABF’s web services. Enter the information prompted for, then click Save Settings. After the settings have been saved, click the Test Connection button. You will see a success message if your credentials validated. If not, correct them and try again.
| ID | Enter the API ID you obtained in Step 2 of these instructions. |
| Request LTL freight quotes as… | Choose how to request your shipping rates. Most merchants will identify themselves as the shipper. |
5. Identify your warehouse and drop ship locations. |
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You can choose to use the app’s warehouse and drop ship functionality, or Shopify’s Locations feature to determine the shipment origins for orders placed on your store. Make your selection using the drop-down field labeled, How will your shipment origins be identified?
If you ship from only one location, it doesn’t matter which option you choose. However, your decision will matter if you ship from more than one location.
The app’s functionality assumes than an unlimited amount of inventory is available from each stocking location. The app has two types of stocking locations: warehouses and drop ship locations. If multiple warehouses exist, the one closest to the ship-to address is used as the ship-from location. This approach minimizes the estimated shipping costs and, if you have the setting enabled, presents your shopper with quicker estimated delivery dates. When an item is assigned to a drop ship location, it always ships from there.
Shopify Locations introduces the ability to do inventory tracking at multiple locations. Shopify Locations may be a good option for you if:
- You have visibility to the inventory levels at all your shipping locations.
- You will maintain accurate inventory counts in Shopify.
- You have items that can ship from more than one location, but not all locations.
Be aware that Shopify’s selection of the ship-from location isn’t influenced by its proximity to the ship-to address. Instead, you’ll list your locations in the order in which you want Shopify to look for available inventory. Once Shopify finds it, that location (or locations) becomes the ship-from address even if the next one on your list is across the street from the ship-to address and has enough inventory to fulfill the order. To get a better understanding of how Shopify Locations identifies the ship-from location, look over the example borrowed from Shopify’s Help Center.
If you choose to use Shopify Locations, you’ll lose visibility to how the app built the shipping quote when Shopify determines that more than one location is needed to fulfill the order. This occurs because Shopify makes individual shipping rate requests for each location and doesn’t provide enough information to relate each of them back to the same order. The section in this document titled, What you see, has examples of the information normally captured with an order. This information will be missing when Shopify Locations is used, and more than one location is used to fulfill the order.
Click the Add button in the appropriate sections to add warehouse and drop ship locations. Warehouses should have a complete inventory of all products not otherwise assigned to a drop ship location. If you have more than one warehouse defined, the warehouse closest to the shopper will be used to retrieve shipping rate estimates.
Drop ship locations usually represent vendors that supply items that you don’t inventory. These items are shipped directly to your customer on your behalf. An item can be assigned to only one drop ship location. Items not assigned to a drop ship location are assumed to ship from your warehouse(s).
When an order will ship from more than one stocking location (e.g. warehouse and drop ship locations or more than one drop ship location) a single figure will display for the shipping rate estimate labeled “Shipping”. The amount of the quote will be equal to the sum of the cheapest shipping option for each location.
A best practice is to define at least one warehouse, even if all your products are drop shipped. If all your products are drop shipped (you have no warehouses), make the highest volume drop ship location a warehouse. This ensures that shipping rate estimates will still be returned in the event a product was added to your catalog and its drop ship location wasn’t identified.
| Nickname | Enter a nickname for the location. It will only be seen in the app settings. |
| Street Address | Enter the street address for the location. This is important for features in the app that need to know the distance between the location and the ship-to address. Examples are the In-store pick up and Local Delivery features. |
| ZIP | Enter the postal code for the location. Enter only the five digit ZIP Code for US addresses. |
| City | The plugin will attempt to prefill the City based on the postal code. Edit it if the prefilled value is incorrect. |
| State | The plugin will attempt to prefill the State based on the postal code. Edit it if the prefilled value is incorrect. |
| Country | The plugin will attempt to prefill the Country based on the postal code. Edit it if the prefilled value is incorrect. Use only the two character standardized country code. |
| Handling Fee / Markup | Increases the amount of the quote received for this location by a specified amount prior to displaying it/them in the shopping cart. The number entered will be interpreted as dollars and cents unless it is followed by a % sign. For example, entering 5.00 will cause $5.00 to be added to the quotes. Entering 5.00% will cause each quote to be multiplied by 1.05 (= 1 + 5%).
Note: The app has four different settings that can be used to mark up shipping quotes. They are applied to shipping quotes in the following order: 1) Product-specific Mark Up (Product settings); 2) Location-specific Handling Fee / Mark Up (Warehouse settings); 3) Service-specific Mark Up (Quote settings); and 4) General Handling Fee / Mark Up (Quote settings).
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The locations you identified in Shopify will be displayed on the page when you select Shopify Locations from the How will your shipment origins be identified? drop down. Any changes to your locations will need to be made in Shopify. If you are on the app’s ADVANCED plan you can use the Edit link to enable and manage your in-store pickup and local delivery settings.
5a. In-store pick up settings |
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The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.
Click on the text Advanced plan required to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
In-store pick up can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. The settings for In-store pick up are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.
| Enable in-store pick up | Check the box to enable the in-store pick up feature. |
| Offer if address is within (miles) | The distance in miles within which you’d like to offer in-store pick up. The distance is route miles (driving distance). Leave blank if you don’t want to use distance to determine if in-store pick up should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, in-store pick up will display if either is satisfied. |
| Offer if postal code matches | The postal codes to which you’d like to offer in-store pick up. Enter only the five digit ZIP Code for US addresses. Leave blank if you don’t want to use postal codes to determine if in-store pick up should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, in-store pick up will display if either is satisfied. |
| Checkout description | The description to use to identify the option in the checkout process. The most obvious candidate is In-store pick up, but you can make it anything you’d like. |
| Expected pickup time | Choose the option that best describes when items in the Cart are usually ready for in-store pickup. Your choice will be included in the description of the option. |
5b. Local delivery settings |
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The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.
Click on the text Advanced plan required to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
Local delivery can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. Local delivery can display as a free option or have a charge associated with it. Other shipping options provided by the app can be suppressed when local delivery is to be offered. The settings for Local delivery are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.
| Enable local delivery | Check the box to enable the local delivery feature. |
| Offer if address is within (miles) | The distance in miles within which you’d like to offer local delivery. The distance is route miles (driving distance). Leave blank if you don’t want to use distance to determine if local delivery should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, local delivery will display if either is satisfied. |
| Offer if postal code matches | The postal codes to which you’d like to offer local delivery. Enter only the five digit ZIP Code for US addresses. Leave blank if you don’t want to use postal codes to determine if local delivery should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, local delivery will display if either is satisfied. |
| Checkout description | The description to use to identify the option in the checkout process. The most obvious candidate is Local delivery, but you can make it anything you’d like. |
| Local delivery fee | Enter the amount to charge for local delivery. Leave blank to offer local delivery for free. |
| Suppress other rates | Check the box to show only the option for local delivery when the criteria for doing so (distance or postal code) is met. Leave unchecked to have local delivery offered in addition to the shipping options normally displayed by the app. |
6. Choose the desired quote settings. |
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On this page you will choose the settings that will affect every LTL freight quote your shopper sees. Enter the information prompted for, and then click on the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page. This will conclude the application setup. Next you will identify which of your products will ship via LTL freight and enter the corresponding shipment parameters.
| Label As | Identify how you want the quote labeled in the checkout process. A common choice for this field is “LTL Freight” or “ABF Freight”. If left blank quotes will be labeled “Freight” |
| Show Guaranteed Options | When checked, the carrier’s guaranteed services will be displayed. |
| Delivery Estimate Options | Don’t display delivery estimates Select this option if you don’t want information about the delivery estimate to display with the shipping quote. Display estimated number of days
Select this opiton to display the number of days the shipment will be in transit. Display estimated delivery date
Select this opiton to display the orders estimated delivery date. The shipment date will be the date of the order, unless you are using the Order Cut Off Time, Shipment Offset Days or Shipping Days Of The Week features to adjust the shipment date. |
| Cut Off Time & Ship Date Offset | The Standard Plan is required to use these settings. The settings are only relevant if you have the Display estimated delivery date setting enabled.
When the app requests shipping quotes, it identifies a ship date. The estimated delivery date is dependent on the ship date. These settings allows you to influence the ship date so that it aligns with your fulfillment operations. Order Cut Off Time
Enter the cut off time for orders. Orders received before the cut off time are quoted using the order date as the ship date. Orders received after the cut off time use the next workday as the ship date. Workdays are Monday through Friday except for public holidays on which the carrier does not provide pick up service. When left blank, the order date will be the ship date. Orders received on weekends will use the next workday as the ship date. Fulfillment Offset Days
Enter the number of days to offset the ship date. This setting allows you to postpone the ship date by a specified number of workdays. Example 1 Example 2 Workdays are Monday through Friday except for the public holidays on which the carrier does not provide pick up service. What days do you ship orders?
Identify the days of the week on which you ship orders. The ship date used for the rate request will be modified accordingly, which may affect the expected delivery date. |
| Residential address settings | Do not return rate if the ship-to address appears to be a post office box Enable this setting you don’t want the application to present shipping quotes when the ship-to address appears to be a post office box. If the app is on the BASIC subsription plan, text string matching is used to identify post office boxes. This method is not infallible or guaranteed. When the app is on the STANDARD or ADVANCED subscription plan, post office boxes in the United States are reliably identified through an API sourced from the US Postal Service. Text string matching will continue to be used for other countries. Always quote residential delivery
Enable this setting if you want the residential delivery fee always included in shipping rate estimates. Automatically detect residential addresses
The Standard Plan is required to use this settings. Enable this setting to have the app determine if the ship-to address is a residential address. If it is, the freight quote(s) will include the residential delivery fee. This setting allows the address type to be determined real-time so that quotes to commercial addresses don’t include the residential delivery fee. Default unconfirmed address types to:
Displays only if the Automatically detect residential addresses setting is enabled. In rare cases the app my be unable to confirm the address type. This occurs when a match for the address can’t be found in the USPS database. Invalid addresses are the most common reason for this. In rare cases an address may be valid, but the match found in the USPS database has a low confidence metric. Choose how you want addresses treated in these cases.
Residential
Default. Choose this option if you want unconfirmed address types to be treated as residential. Commercial
Choose this option if you want unconfirmed address types to be treated as commercial. Address type disclosure
Inform the shopper when ship-to address is identified as a residential address
Default. When enabled, the visitor will be informed if the shipping quote includes the residential delivery fee. Don’t disclose the address type to the shopper
Choose this option if you don’t want to visitor to be informed that a shipping quote includes the residential delivery fee. |
| Lift gate delivery settings | Always quote lift gate delivery. Select this option if you want quotes to always include lift gate delivery Offer lift gate delivery as an option.
The Standard plan is required for this option. Select this option if you want shoppers to be given an option for lift gate delivery. Always include lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected.
The Standard plan is required for this option When enabled, if a residential delivery address is detected the lift gate delivery fee will be included in the shipping rate estimate. In such cases, the option to Offer lift gate delivery as an option will be suppressed, even if enabled. Enabling both the Offer lift gate delivery as an option setting and the Always include lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected setting allows commercial customers to choose whether or not lift gate service is needed while always requiring it for residential customers. |
| Hold At Terminal | The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will be displayed. Click on the Advanced plan required text to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
When checked, an option to have the order held at the delivering terminal will be one of the shipping methods presented to the user. The quoted amount will be the same as a quote to the ship to address if it were a commercial address and would not require lift gate delivery (the “standard LTL rate“). This will be a more economical option for customers who would otherwise be subject to the residential address and/or lift gate delivery fee(s). If you want the amount quoted for the Hold At Terminal option to be different than the standard LTL rate, use the field below the checkbox to modify the rate. The adjustment will be interpreted as dollars and cents unless it is follow by a % sign. |
| Handling unit settings | Weight of Handling Unit Enter in pounds the weight of your pallet, skid, crate or other type of handling unit you use. The amount entered will be added to shipment weight prior to requesting a quote. Maximum Weight per Handling Unit
Enter in pounds the maximum weight that can be placed on the handling unit. If the total weight of the cart exceeds this value, the weight of additional handling units will be added as needed. For example, if the maximum weight is 500 LBS, and the total weight of the cart is 1200 LBS, the weight of the handling units added to the shipment shall be 3 times the weight entered in the Weight of Handling Unit field. (=roundup(1200/500,0)*Weight of Handling Unit) |
| Handling Fee / Mark Up | Increases the amount of the quote(s) by a specified amount prior to displaying it in the shopping cart. The number entered will be interpreted as dollars and cents unless it is followed by a % sign. For example, entering 5.00 will cause $5.00 to be added to the quote. Entering 5.00% will cause each quote to be multiplied by 1.05 (= 1 + 5%). |
| Weight threshold | This setting requires that one of Eniture Technology’s Small Package Quotes apps is also installed.
Weight threshold
Enter the weight, in pounds, that you want to use as the threshold for LTL freight. When all the items in the Cart are defaulted to Quote as a parcel shipment (a setting in the Small Package Quotes apps) and the total weight of the Cart meets or exceeds the weight threshold, the LTL Freight Quotes app will also return LTL freight rates. Continue to display parcel rates when the weight threshold is met.
Choose this option if you want quotes for parcel services to continue to display after the weight threshold is met. Suppress parcel rates when the weight threshold is met.
Choose this option if you don’t want quotes for parcel services to be offered after the weight threshold is met. |
| Error management | Quote shipping using known shipping parameters, even if other items are missing shipping parameters. Choose this setting if you want the app to return shipping quotes using the known shipping parameters of the items in the Cart. If the shipping parameters of items in the Cart are incomplete, they will be excluded when retrieving shipping quotes. Don’t quote shipping if one or more items are missing the required shipping parameters.
Choose this setting if you don’t want the app to return shipping quotes if any of the items in the Cart have incomplete shipping parameters. |
| Quote Details | Write the quote details to the Additional Details widget Choose this option if you want the details of the shipping quote selected by the shopper to be recorded in the Additional Details widget. Write the quote details to More Actions > Shipping quote details page
Choose this option if you want the details of the shipping quote selected by the shopper to be recorded in this alternate destination. You should choose this option if you have other apps installed that also record information in the Additional Details widget. Each app writing to the Additional Details widget will replace the information previously recorded there. |
7. Identify Pallet Sizes |
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The Pallets tab will allow you to identify the sizes of pallets or handling units that you have on hand. You don’t need to enable this optional, usage-based feature if your pricing tariff is based exclusively on traditional freight classes. However, if your pricing tariff requires that your shipments be dimensionally rated then you will need to enable this feature.
Product dimensions are required for this feature to work. For more information on entering product dimensions, see the section on Product Shipping Parameters.
When enabled, the packaging algorithm will select the smallest pallet possible from your list of identified pallets. The selected pallet will be the one with a width or length greater but closest in size to the item in the cart with the largest dimension. If there is more than one possibility, the pallet with the smallest square area (length x width) will be chosen. This ensures the greatest edge-to-edge coverage on the pallet and therefore the lowest shipping costs when shipments will be dimensionally rated.
When the Pallet Packaging feature is enabled, the packaging solution is saved as a step-by-step graphical illustration which you can access from the Order Details page. Use the step-by-step instructions to pack the order exactly as it was quoted.
7a. Enable the pallet packaging feature. |
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The top of the Pallets page contains information to aid you in managing this usage-based feature. A charge of 3 cents is incurred each time the packaging algorithm executes.
| Enable checkbox | Check this box to enable the pallet packaging feature. While enabled a charge of 3 cents will be incurred for each calculated packaging solution unless the capped amount for the billing cycle has been reached. If the capped amount has been reached you can re-enable the feature by increasing the capped amount. |
| Current usage | Shows the usage of the feature at the time the page loads. |
| Capped amount | The amount entered into this field is the maximum you can be charged for the Pallet Packaging feature in a billing cycle. (Learn more about “Capped amounts” and how Shopify bills for usage charges.) |
| Notification email address | An email will be sent to the email address entered when the usage of the Pallet Packaging feature reaches 80% of the capped amount. Taking action to increase the capped amount immediately after receiving the email will mitigate the risk of the feature being disabled, which may prevent the retrieval of LTL freight quotes or, if they are retrieved, their accuracy. |
7b. Identify your pallets or handling units. |
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To add a pallet, click the Add Pallet button.
Follow the instructions below. Repeat for each pallet or handling unit that you stock.
| Nickname | Enter a nickname for the pallet. This will be used to identify the pallet in the graphical representation of the packaging solution that can be viewed on the Order Detail page. The nickname is not visible to shoppers. |
| Length | Enter the length of the pallet in inches. |
| Width | Enter the width of the pallet in inches. |
| Pallet Height | Enter the height of the pallet in inches. This is the height of the pallet without anything on it. |
| Pallet Weight | Enter the weight of the pallet in pounds. This is the weight of the pallet without anything on it. |
| Max Height | Enter in inches the maximum height that you are willing to allow the pallet to reach as items are placed on it. |
| Max Weight | Enter in pounds the maximum weight that you are willing to allow the pallet to reach as items are placed on it. |
| Available | Enable this checkbox to make the pallet available to the algorithm that determines the packaging solution. |
7c. Items that ship as multiple pallets or handling units |
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When you enable the Pallet Packaging feature, a setting is available on the Product Shipping Parameters page to allow you to specify that the item ships as multiple pallets or handling units.
When you enable the setting, the item will appear on the Pallets page in the Items that ship as multiple handling units section.
Click the Add a handling unit link. A popup will display to collect information about the handling unit.
Enter the handling unit shipping parameters.
| Quantity | Enter the number of handling units that are of this size. |
| Nickname | Enter a nickname for the handling unit. The nickname will be used to identify the handling unit in the graphical illustration of the packaging solution. The nickname is not visible to shoppers. |
| Freight Class | The Freight Class of the item. If you choose Density Based, dimensions are required. Dimensions aren’t required if you choose a Freight Class other than Density Based unless the handling unit will be subject to the overlength fee (a.k.a. excessive length fee). (Learn about Freight Classes) |
| Length | The length of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Width | The width of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Height | The height of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Weight (Required) | The weight of the pallet or handling unit in pounds. |
8. Enter the product shipping parameters. |
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Now that the application settings have been established, it’s time enter the product settings. Repeat these instructions for every product that you want to ship LTL freight.
Select Products from the Shopify menu. Locate the product on the list and choose it by clicking on it. You will be delivered to the product’s details page. Click the More actions button at the top of the page to reveal the installed apps and select the app from the list.
You’ll be delivered to a page on which you will enter the product’s freight class, weight and dimensions. Enter the information prompted for, and then click the Save & Return button at the bottom of the page to return to the product’s Shopify product details page.
| Quote as an LTL shipment | Check this checkbox if you want this product to be quoted as shipping LTL freight. |
| Weight | Enter the weight of the product in pounds. Include the weight of any packaging materials that are used to ship the product. |
| Freight Class | Select the product’s freight class from the drop down list. You may also select Density Based from the list, which will calculate freight class on the fly using the product’s weight and dimensions. The density based calculation will return the correct freight class in most, but not all cases. You are solely responsible to identify the correct freight class of your product(s). If you need assistance, contact your ABF Freight representative or refer to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory published by the National Motor Freight Transportation Agency (NMFTA.org). |
| NMFC | Usually an NMFC number is not required to get an LTL freight quote. However, in certain circumstances, an LTL freight provider may require it for individual accounts. If you are required to provide a commodity’s NMFC number to obtain an LTL freight quote, enter it here. |
| Length | Enter the length of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. |
| Width | Enter the width of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. |
| Height | Enter the height of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. |
| Fulfillment Offset Days | The Standard Plan is required to use this setting. The setting is only relevant if you have the Display estimated delivery date setting enabled on the Quote Settings page.
When the app requests shipping quotes, it identifies a ship date. The estimated delivery date is dependent on the ship date. The Quote Settings page has three settings that are applied globally that will alter the ship date so that it aligns with your fulfillment operations. The product-level setting for Fulfillment Offset Days allows the offset to be different for individual products. The product-level setting for Fulfillment Offset Days takes precedent over its globally applied counterpart on the Quote Settings page. In cases where the Cart contains multiple products with different Fulfillment Offset Days, the largest number of offset days is used to adjust the ship date. Enter the number of days to offset the ship date for this product. |
| Handling Unit Settings | The Quote Settings page has handling unit settings that are applied globally. If different handling unit settings are required for an individual product, enter them here. Leave these settings blank to utilize the global handling unit settings on the Quote Settings page. Product-level handling unit settings take precedent over the global handling unit settings.
Weight of handling Unit
Enter in pounds the weight of your pallet, skid, crate or other type of handling unit you use. The amount entered will be added to shipment weight for this product prior to requesting a quote. Maximum Weight per Handling Unit
Enter in pounds the maximum weight that can be placed on the handling unit. If the total weight of the the product exceeds this value, the weight of additional handling units will be added as needed. For example, if the maximum weight is 500 LBS, and the total weight in the Cart for the product is 1200 LBS, the weight of the handling units added to the shipment shall be 3 times the weight entered in the Weight of Handling Unit field. (=roundup(1200/500,0)*Weight of Handling Unit) |
| Nested item | The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.
Enable this checkbox if the item can be stacked into another identical item when it is shipped. An example would be 13 gallon trashcans or plastic cups. When this setting is enabled, the Freight Class is always Density Based. |
| Nested dimension | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Identify the dimension (length, width or height) on which the nesting occurs. |
| Nesting percentage | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Enter the percent of the item that can be nested inside of another identical item. For example, if an item is 10 inches in height and after stacking two together the total height is 11 inches, the stacking percentage is 90%. (11 inches = 10 inches + (10 inches x 90%)) |
| Maximum nested items | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Enter the maximum number of items you’ll allow in a single stack of nested items. |
| Stacking property | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Select Maximized or Evenly. If your Maximum nested items is 6, and there are 7 items in the cart, then the Maximized option will result in one stack of 6 and one of 1. If the Stacking property is set to Evenly, it will result in one stack of 4 and one of 3. |
| Pallet properties | These settings require the optional Pallet Packaging feature to be enabled.
Allow item to be rotated vertically when placing it on a pallet
Enabling this setting allows the item to be rotated while identifying a packaging solution using the Pallet Packaging feature. This setting provides the most flexibility for arriving at a packaging solution. This item ships as its own handling unit
When enabled, the item will be quoted as shipping as it own handling unit. It will not be combined with other items on a common handing unit. Packaging algorithm usage charges are not incurred for items with this setting. This item ships as multiple handling units
When enabled, the item will be listed on the Pallets tab in the section for items that ship as multiple handling units. Refer to the section in the User Guide that documents how to define items that ship as multiple handling units for instruction. Packaging algorithm usage charges are not incurred for items with this setting. |
| In-store pickup properties | These settings only apply when the in-store pickup feature is enabled. For in-store pickup to be an option during checkout, in addition to enabling the feature in the Warehouse settings, all the items in the Cart must be located at the same location.
Available for shipping or pickup (default)
Choose this setting if the item can be shipped or it can be picked up by the customer. Available for shipping only
Choose this setting if the item will be shipped and can not be picked up by the customer at the stocking location. Available for pickup only
Choose this setting if the item won’t be (can’t be) shipped and the customer will be required to pick it up at the stocking location. |
| Local delivery properties | These settings only apply when the local delivery feature is enabled. (Warehouse settings.)
Available for shipping or local delivery (default)
Choose this setting if the item can be shipped with a commercial shipping provider or you be delivered it your own equipment within the specified delivery area. Available for shipping only
Choose this setting if the item will only be shipped with a commercial shipping provider. Available for local delivery only
Choose this setting if the item will only be delivered using your own equipment within the specified delivery area. |
| Markup | Use this field to modify the shipping quotes returned by app. Enter a dollar amount (e.g. 1.00 or -1.00) to increase or decrease the shipping quotes. The amount of the adjustment will be multiplied by the quantity of the item in the Cart. Enter a percentage (1.0% or -1.0%) to have a percentage of the item’s price added to or subtracted from the shipping quotes. When a percentage is entered and there is more than one of the item in the Cart, the percentage will be applied to the extended price (quantity x price).
Note: The app has four different settings that can be used to mark up shipping quotes. They are applied to shipping quotes in the following order: 1) Product-specific Mark Up (Product settings); 2) Location-specific Handling Fee / Mark Up (Warehouse settings); 3) Service-specific Mark Up (Quote settings); and 4) General Handling Fee / Mark Up (Quote settings).
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| Hazardous Material | The Standard Plan or higher is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Standard Plan or higher the words Standard plan required will be displayed. Click on the Standard plan required text to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
Check this checkbox if this item must be identified as hazardous material. When checked, the carrier’s hazardous materials fee will be included in the quote if this item is present in the cart. |
| Drop ship this product | Check this box if this item is drop shipped from a location other than your warehouse. |
| Drop ship location | Select the drop ship location from the drop down. These locations are defined on the Warehouses tab in the app settings that was described in step 3. |
What your customer sees. |
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Once you’ve completed the preceding steps, your Shopify store is ready to begin quoting LTL freight. Any time one or more products in the shopping cart are flagged as shipping LTL freight, all of the products are assumed to ship LTL freight as this will be more economical than splitting the shipment between two or more shipping methods. In the absence of a freight class, as may be the case for products not set up to ship LTL freight, the application will take advantage of any available information to ensure the return of an LTL freight quote if at all possible. To ensure the best possible outcome, it is highly recommended that the freight class, weight and dimensions be entered for every product you sell, even if they are not defaulted to ship LTL freight.
When LTL rates are displayed, the exact presentation will depend on the options selected in the Quote Settings.
What you see. |
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The app populates shipping related information in the Additional details widget on the Order Details page. The content of the widget falls into two categories: 1) Shipment Origin & Services; and 2) Shipment Content.
Shipment Origin & Services
This information block will identify the shipment origin, the selected carrier service and a list of any additional services (such as residential delivery) associated with the shipment. A separate Shipment Origin & Services information block will appear for each shipping location that will participate in fulfilling the order. This is particularly useful for stores with multiple warehouses and drop ship locations.
Shipment Content
A Shipment Content information block is presented beneath each Shipment Origin & Services information block. It identifies the products that were quoted as shipping from the location.
Updating products with the Import CSV Utility. |
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You can use the app’s Import CSV utility to enter or update the product shipping parameters. This method can be more time efficient than navigating in and out of the app’s user interface, particularly if you have a lot of products.
Navigate to the Import CSV tab in the app preferences.
You can’t use the Import CSV utility to create products in Shopify. The products must exist in Shopify prior to downloading the CSV template if they are to be updated.
Use the link below to access instructions on how to…
- Download the CSV template.
- Use the filters to isolate the product/variant records you want to update.
- Populate the CSV file with your shipping parameters.
- Save the CSV file in the proper format.
- Import the CSV file to the app.
Shipping with FreightDesk Online |
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- How capture the cost of shipping on orders placed online.
- How to ship the order, including how to create the shipping label (or Bill Of Lading in the case of LTL freight), schedule the carrier to pick up the shipment, and update the customer with the tracking number.
Quoting apps, like this one, provide a solution for the first challenge. What are your options for the second challenge?
Option 1 – The carrier’s website: You can log into the carrier’s website and manually enter all of the relevant information. Carrier websites are free to use since the carrier makes money when you use them to deliver an order. However, if you have more than a handful of orders each day this approach is time consuming and ripe for data entry errors which can be costly to correct.
Option 2 – Shopify Shipping: Shopify Shipping offers pretty competitive rates for postal companies like the US postal service, and parcel companies like UPS, and DHL. But if you ship with another provider or have more than a low-to-moderate number of daily orders, you’ll find Shopify Shipping clunky and woefully inefficient.
Option 3 – Cloud-based Shipping Platforms: The next step up in capability are cloud-based shipping systems that will connect to your online store and retrieve the details of your orders, thereby eliminating the need for much of the manual data entry. Many of these shipping systems have arrangements with postal and parcel carriers that are on par if not better than the options available through Shopify Shipping. Where these systems excel is in the efficiency of the fulfillment process. That translates in to a much higher volume of shipments per unit of time. These systems are relatively inexpensive and the reduction in the amount of labor and time it takes to ship your orders will pay dividends.
Option 4 – FreightDesk Online: FreightDesk Online (freightdesk.online) is also a cloud-based shipping system. It enjoys all of the benefits of other cloud-based offerings but expands the solution in two ways:
- It makes use of the detailed information collected by Eniture Technology’s quoting apps (like this one) such as the packaging solution and the additional services included in the shipping option chosen when the order was placed.
- It provideds merchants access to more than two dozen LTL freight providers in addition to the typical postal and parcel integrations offered by other cloud-based solutions.
These expanded capabilities deliver you closer to true “click-and-ship” shipping than any other alternative, whether you’re shipping with a postal carrier, a parcel carrier, or an LTL freight provider.
How to connect your Shopify store to FreightDesk Online |
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First, if you don’t already have one, register for a FreightDesk Online account (https://freightdesk.online/register). You can connect multiple online stores to FreightDesk Online, so you don’t have to create separate accounts for each one.
The pricing for FreightDesk Online is á la carte. You’ll be able to pick a separate plan for parcel (and postal) shipments, and for LTL freight shipments based on the anticipated volume for each type of shipping. Your monthly subscription rate will be comprised of these two selections. You can begin a 30-day trial of both types of shipping by selecting Trial in the corresponding dropdown fields on the registration form.
After you complete the registration process, log into FreightDesk Online. Click on your avatar located in the top right-hand corner of the browser window. Copy your FreightDesk Online ID which will be located below your company name.
Return to the app preferences and click on the FreightDesk Online tab. Enter your FreightDesk Online ID and click the Connect button.
Complete the connection by granting the permissions that Shopify prompts you for.
Now that you’ve connected FreightDesk Online, unfulfilled orders will automatically appear in FreightDesk Online. To view them, log into FreightDesk Online and click on Orders in the navigation menu. You’ll need to connect your shipping providers before you can start shipping. You can find a quick start guide in FreightDesk Online by navigating to Help > Getting Started.
Using Validate Addresses |
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– Benjamin Franklin
Shipping to invalid addresses is expensive and avoidable. The cost of failed deliveries, returned shipments, and carrier fees can quickly change a profitable sale into a loss. Without interfering with the Shopify checkout process, Eniture Technology’s DIY Validate Addresses app immediately identifies orders that are safe to ship or notifies customers to confirm or correct the address. Customer updates are instantly reflected in Shopify so you know when it’s safe to ship the order.
The peace of mind knowing that you are shipping to a valid address can cost as little as 1¢ per order. The DIY Validate Addresses app is available in the Shopify App Store, and more detailed product information, including the User Guide, is available on eniture.com. The links below will take you to these resources:
DIY Validate Addresses Shopify App Store Listing
DIY Validate Addresses product information on eniture.com