how are postal prices calculated

[john harding]

Does anyone know how Actinic calculates the postal price of an order?

It can either add up the weights then apply the postal rate, or it can do the calculation for each item and add up the prices.

Which is it?

[leehack]

It can be either, all depends on how you set it up to work, you decide on the method and the cost.

[john harding]

Ah. I've never stumbled across anything that indicated that. I don't see anything on the Shipping and Handling tabs that seems to bear on it, nor in the associated Help.

I want my postal charges to correspond as closely as possible to what I will actually pay. I sell sheet music, which is very light, but I have customers who order it by the multi-kilo. I've been assuming that Actinic calculates on the basis of the total weight, which means I have to enter the Post Office figures, in 50g steps, up to an absurd weight. It takes best part of a day.

I've no idea what Actinic does with this information.

If Actinic calculated the postal cost of each item, then totalled it, I would have the option of entering Post Office data only up to the weight of my heaviest product, which has its attractions. How can I tell how Actinic is doing the calculation at present, and if I want to switch, how do I do that?

[TraceyHand]

Business Settings > Shipping and Handling > Zone/Class Tables.

Setting up shipping can be laborious, if you want it to properly reflect your actual costs. That's just the way it is

[Golf Tee Warehouse]

I've been assuming that Actinic calculates on the basis of the total weight, which means I have to enter the Post Office figures, in 50g steps, up to an absurd weight. It takes best part of a day.

Why 50g Increments when Royal Mail weight bands are 250g increments upto 2kg and the in 2kg increments above (based on standard 1st and 2nd class postage)

13 weight bands would take you upto 10kg, although I assume you would use a courier long before the weight got to 10kg. Should only take a matter of minutes to enter 13 weight bands.

If Actinic calculated the postal cost of each item, then totalled it, I would have the option of entering Post Office data only up to the weight of my heaviest product, which has its attractions.

The cost of posting 10 items in one parcel is much cheaper than posting 10 individual items so calculating the total weight will surely be more accurate than calculating the postage cost of each item individual.

eg.
Calculating Postal Prices for Each Item:
Cost of posting widget A = £1.72 (200g 1st Class)
Cost of posting widget B = £2.24 (300g 1st Class)
Cost of posting widget C = £2.24 (400g 1st Class)
Total Cost: £6.20

As a single Parcel:
Total Weight - 900g
Total Cost: £3.35

[Mike Hughes]

I've been assuming that Actinic calculates on the basis of the total weight, which means I have to enter the Post Office figures, in 50g steps, up to an absurd weight. It takes best part of a day.

Actinic does use the total weight if you're using shipping by weight.

There is no need to enter every possible weight. All actinic needs to know is the price breaks. For example:

- If each sheet is 10g in weight. First 10 can go as 'Large Letter', anything over that becomes a 'Packet'. The rates for First Class post is then:

<100g 75p (The 'Large Letter' rate)
<250g 196p (now based on the 'Packet' rate)
<500g 248p
<750g 305p
<1000g 351p
<1250g 490p
<1500g 566p
<1750g 642p
<2000g 718p
<4000g 895p
<6000g 1200p

Not that laborious. 5 minutes at most.

Mike

[TraceyHand]

Not that laborious. 5 minutes at most.

Provided you use actual product weights and don't need to 'fudge' them to accommodate different requirements.

With sheet music, I'd have thought it was relatively straighforward, as illustrated above (with some products, however, it can be a nightmare!)

[john harding]

Thanks to all the above.

It's the overseas printed paper rates that go in 50g steps.

If Actinic waits for the total weight before working out the postage I shall have to go on making allowance for the big spenders.

Oh well ....

It doesn't help that I'm halfway to innumerate.

[Golf Tee Warehouse]

If the cost goes up by set amounts per 50g after a certain level you can use the 'Excess rules' to save on typing.

For example if after 300g the charge then increases by 25p per 50g, just enter tabulated values upto 300g and then in the Excess box select 'Highest Value Plus' and then £0.25 in the next box and 0.05 in the box after the 'per'