(FIN) How to set up Shipping Methods on your Website

Use this method if you’re fulfilling products yourself (like originals or merch), not through a vendor like Gooten. It calculates shipping costs based on the product’s assigned weight.

Additionally, you can consider "subtotal-based shipping" as an alternative method, where charges are calculated based on the total order value, offering predictable costs for customers.

Before You Start

Get shipping quotes from your carrier (e.g., FedEx or USPS).
Base quotes on package size + weight.
Collect quotes for at least 3–5 product sizes and locations (e.g., nearby and across the U.S.).

Proper setup of shipping methods ensures customers are not confused by multiple options, such as subtotal-based and weight-based shipping.

Set Up in the Website Back End

Go to your site → Jump To: Shipping Methods.
Click + Add Shipping Method.
Name your method (e.g., "US Shipping") → click Next.
Scroll to Countries → select United States.
Under Calculate Shipping Based On, choose Cart Weight.

Tax Setting – Only for Local Pickup

Leave “Force Local Tax When Selected” off unless you're offering local pickup from a physical location.
If turned on, it will automatically add sales tax for your business’s state—even when not required.

Set Up Weight Tiers

To avoid customers selecting incorrect methods, deactivate any subtotal-based shipping options if you are using weight-based shipping.

Example setup:

0 lb = $0 (for free shipping items like Gift Cards)
1 lb = $6
10 lb = $30
100 lb = $85

*You can use representational weights to group product types by shipping cost—not actual weight.

Assign Weights to Each Product

For each Standard Store product:

Go to the Info tab.
Scroll down to the Weight field.
Assign a value that matches the correct tier above.

Flat Rate Free Shipping

Use this if you want to offer free shipping automatically on your site. It works for both self-fulfilled products (you ship yourself) and auto-fulfilled products (shipped by your print vendor). However, this is not available for Gooten merchandise.

Important Notes

This is not the same as applying a discount coupon.
For self-fulfilled items, contact your shipping carrier first to know the cost per product. Then, build that cost into your product pricing so you're still making a profit.
For vendor-fulfilled items, check their shipping rates or simulate a checkout to see actual shipping costs. Increase your markup if needed to absorb shipping. You will still be charged by your fulfillment vendor for shipping. This setup just prevents your customer from seeing or paying those charges.

Alternatively, you can adjust product pricing to exclude embedded shipping costs and configure shipping rates separately to display them as distinct charges at checkout.

Recommended Minimum Order

Set a minimum cart subtotal of $100 or more to qualify for free shipping. This helps make sure you still profit after covering the shipping cost.

This strategy also helps clarify shipping charges for customers by separating them from product prices.

Set Up in the Website Back End

Go to your site → Jump To: Shipping Methods.
Click + Add Shipping Method.
Name it (e.g., “US Shipping”) → click Next.
On the next page:
- Scroll to Countries → click United States.
- Under Amount By Cart Subtotal:
  - Set Subtotal to 0
  - Set Shipping Amount to $0
- Click Update.

Tax Setting – Only for Local Pickup

Leave “Force Local Tax When Selected” off unless you're setting up a Local Pickup method from a physical location.
If turned on, it will automatically add sales tax for your business’s state—even when not otherwise required.

Prevent Checkout if No Shipping Method

Go to the Shipping Options tab:

Enable: Prevent Visitor Checkout If No Shipping Methods Are Available.
Customize the error message if needed (e.g., “I’m sorry, but we currently do not ship to this location. Please contact me for special orders.”)

Enable Free Shipping

Scroll to Apply Free or Discounted Price to Shipping Methods.
Under Free Shipping Options:
- Check the shipping method you created.
- Set a Minimum Cart Subtotal (e.g., $100) to limit when free shipping applies.
Scroll to the bottom → click Update.

Shipping Options – Prevent Checkout, Free and Discounted Shipping

Prevent Checkout if No Shipping Method Is Available

Go to your site’s Shipping Methods section via the Jump Menu.
Click the Shipping Options tab.
Toggle Prevent Visitor Checkout If No Shipping Methods Are Available to Yes.
- This blocks orders from locations you don’t support.
Customize the Warning Text (e.g.,
"Sorry, we currently do not ship to this location. Therefore, we are unable to process your order at this time.")

Free Shipping Setup

You can offer free shipping for any method—self-fulfilled or vendor-fulfilled—without using discount codes.

You will still pay shipping costs to your vendor. This just means you're not charging the customer for it. Ensure this cost is built into your product pricing.

Scroll to Apply Free or Discounted Price to Shipping Methods.
Under Free Shipping Options, select the shipping methods you want to offer for free.
Set a Minimum Cart Subtotal (optional but recommended)—for example, $100.
- This means free shipping only applies if the order total (after discounts) reaches this value.

Discounted Shipping Setup

If you prefer to offer discounted shipping instead of making it completely free:

Scroll to Discounted Shipping Options.
Under Apply Discounted Shipping To Specific Methods, check the methods to discount.
Enter the Discount Percentage To Apply.
- Example: Enter 25 to apply a 25% discount.
Click Update to save your changes.

If both Free and Discounted options are selected for a method, Free Shipping takes priority.

Tax Note

This section does not affect tax settings. If you're looking to set up local pickup or need to enable forced local tax, refer to the article here: https://app.intercom.com/a/apps/c27a7251e66be9e7778e901287ee206eadece8ba/settings/helpcenter/4166257/collections?activeContentId=12441270&activeContentType=article&contentLocale=en&editorMode=edit