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Managing Shipping

The Farmers Lot Staff Procedure for Managing Shipping

1. Introduction

Efficient shipping management is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness at The Farmers Lot (TFL). This document provides a comprehensive guide for staff on how to manage shipping methods, rates, and restrictions on the TFL marketplace. It covers both marketplace and vendor managed shipping methods, enabling or disabling shipping methods for vendors, and managing shipping at the shopfront level. Additionally, it includes procedures for monitoring and updating shipping processes and provides training and support guidelines for staff.

2. Overview

Shipping methods on TFL can be managed at two levels: marketplace managed shipping methods and vendor managed shipping methods.

Marketplace Managed Shipping Methods: These shipping methods are available for all vendors but can be enabled or disabled for individual vendors. Marketplace admin can control the availability of these methods across the platform.
Vendor Managed Shipping Methods: These shipping methods are created by individual vendors and are only available for use by that vendor. However, the marketplace admin has the capability to move these methods to another vendor or elevate them to a marketplace level.

The shipping charge calculation can either be manual or automatic, they are set by "rate area" (i.e.location) and in each case surcharges or discounts can be applied based "item conditions" (item price, weight or qty purchased)

Manual methods are set up on the shipping rates tab
Automatic methods get the current rates directly from the freight provider in real time

This document includes detailed instructions on how to set up, manage, and customize these shipping methods, as well as how to change the owner of a shipping method.

3. Setting Up Shipping Methods

3.1 Marketplace Managed Shipping Methods

Log in to the Admin Panel
- Access the admin panel using your credentials.
Navigate to Shipping Methods
- Go to Shipping & Taxes > Shipping Methods.
Add or Edit New Shipping Method
- Click the "+" button to add a new shipping method, or
- Select the shipping method you wish to edit from the list by clicking on the shipping method name.
Complete details in accordance with section 4 below

3.2 Vendor Managed Shipping Methods

Vendor Access
- Vendors log in to their vendor panel using their credentials.
Navigate to Shipping Methods
- Vendors go to Shipping & Taxes > Shipping Methods.
Add or Edit Shipping Method
- Vendors can add a new shipping method by clicking the "+" button or
- edit an existing method.
Complete details in accordance with section 4 below

3.3 Enabling or Disabling Shipping Methods for Vendors

Log in to the Admin Panel
- Access the admin panel using your credentials.
Navigate to Vendors
- Go to Vendors > Vendors.
Select Vendor
- Choose the vendor you want to manage.
Manage Shipping Methods
- Go to the vendor's Shipping Methods tab.
- Enable or disable shipping methods by toggling their status.
Save Changes
- Click Save to apply the changes.

3.4 Changing the Owner of a Shipping Method

Log in to the Admin Panel
- Access the admin panel using your credentials.
Navigate to Shipping Methods
- Go to Shipping & Taxes > Shipping Methods.
Select Shipping Method
- Click on the shipping method you want to change.
Change Owner
- Go to the General tab.
- Find the Owner field and select the new owner from the dropdown list.
Save Changes
- Click Save to update the owner of the shipping method.

4. Managing Shipping Details Rates

Choose either a manual rate calculation method (either "pick-up" or "By customers Address" or a Automatic rate area by selecting one of the listed carriers in the drop down.
Fill in the required details such as:
1. Name: The name of the shipping method.
2. Status: Active or inactive.
3. Description: This will appear in the shipping cart, it can be left blank or if the customer might be offered a number of methods it should highlight the key features of this shipping method in as few words as possible.
4. Delivery Time: Estimated days to deliver (The delivery time appears next to the name of the shipping method. If you use realtime shipping rate calculation, your shipping service may provide its own delivery time. The time provided by the shipping service will be displayed instead of the time you specify here).
5. User Group: This determines who the shipping method will be shown to at checkout, generally it is available to all.
6. Status: Active or inactive.
7. Owner: Select the owner from the drop down menu.
Click Save to add the new shipping method to your store, this will make additional tabs available that determine the shipping cost.
Switch to the Shipping Time and Rates Tab
- Rate Areas are location groups, they can be as wide as a country or as narrow as a single address. If a rate area exists for a larger area e.g. a country or a state and a postcode within that state then the customer will only be offered to a customer from that postcode if it has been added to that shipping method. e.g. consider 3 shipping method 1 has Australia added to it Shipping Method 2 has Australia and South Australia added to it and the third has Australia, South Australia and post code 5432 the a customer from 5432 will never see shipping method 1 or 2.
- Add all rate areas relevant to this shipping method, you can type in a location or scroll through the list.
- Add the shipping price for each rate area, you can also add shipping time which will be summed to the shipping time entered on the general tab.
Configure Rates
- Each rate area price can have a surcharge or discount based on the item parameters, if you hold your mouse pointer to the right of shipping rate "shipping conditions" will appear, click on this to reveal the parameters that can be set, sset the shipping rate based on different parameters such as:
  - Weight
  - Order Total
  - Item Count
- You can add multiple rates for different ranges.
Set Rate Calculation
- Choose the rate calculation method (e.g., fixed, percentage).
- Enter the specific rate values.
If GST or other tax/levyis applicable switch to the "additional settings" tab and tick which taxes apply.
Save Changes
- Click Save to update the shipping rates.

5. Handling Shipping Restrictions

The cart-power shipping addon allows shipping methods to be turned off at a product level, this is done by editing the product itself. You can also allocate shipping methods to specific shopfronts. Finally you can add restrictions directly to the shipping method as follows.
5. Handling Shipping Restrictions
To restrict an existing shipping method, follow these steps:
1. Log in to the Admin Panel
  - Access the admin panel using your credentials.
2. Navigate to Shipping Methods
  - Go to Shipping & Taxes > Shipping Methods.
  - Click on the specific shipping method you want to restrict.
3. Access CP: Restrictions Tab
  - Go to the CP: Restrictions tab.
4. Set Order Subtotal Range
  - Specify the range of the order subtotal (excluding shipping cost and store bonuses) for which this shipping method will be available.
5. Configure Availability Schedule
  - Activate the Use availability schedule setting and customize the schedule.
6. Dynamic Restrictions
  - Add conditions such as Product Features, Categories, or Product Tag to dynamically limit the shipping method.
7. Restrict for Categories
  - Select the categories for which this shipping method will be unavailable.
8. Restrict for Products
  - Select the products for which this shipping method will be unavailable.
9. Restrict for User Groups
  - Select the user groups for which this shipping method will be unavailable.
10. Forbid Locations
  - Drag and drop countries and states to restrict the shipping method for specific locations.
11. Save Changes
  - Click Save to apply the restrictions.

6. Managing Shipping at Shopfront Level

Access Shopfront Settings
- Log in to the admin panel.
- Navigate to Settings > Shopfronts.
Select Shopfront
- Choose the shopfront you want to manage.
Configure Shipping Methods
- Go to the Shipping Methods tab.
- Enable or disable shipping methods specific to the shopfront.
Set Shipping Rates
- Configure the shipping rates as per the shopfront requirements.
- Ensure the rates are competitive and reflect current carrier fees.
Save Changes
- Click Save to apply the changes to the shopfront.

7. Monitoring and Updating Shipping

Regular Review
- Regularly review shipping methods and rates to ensure they are accurate and competitive.
- Update shipping methods and rates as necessary to reflect changes in carrier fees or business strategies.
Handling Issues
- Monitor customer feedback and address any issues related to shipping promptly.
- Investigate and resolve any discrepancies or problems with shipping methods and rates.
Documentation
- Keep detailed records of all changes made to shipping methods and rates.
- Ensure all staff members are informed of any updates or changes to shipping procedures.

8. Training and Support

Staff Training
- Provide training sessions for staff to ensure they understand the shipping management process.
- Create a training manual with detailed instructions and screenshots.
Ongoing Support
- Establish a support system for staff to report issues and get assistance.
- Regularly update training materials to reflect any changes in the shipping management process.

This procedure ensures that shipping on The Farmers Lot is managed efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with business policies. Regular updates and staff training are essential for maintaining effective shipping operations.

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