Perishable Classes
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Introduction
What is a Perishable Shipping Class?
A Perishable Shipping Class in UltraCart is a configuration tool that allows merchants to account for the additional weight and handling requirements of items that are liable to perish, decay, or spoil rapidly (such as fresh fish, frozen foods, or temperature-sensitive goods).
Why is it Important?
Perishable items often require special packaging—like coolants, insulation, or dry ice—to maintain their quality during transit. This necessary extra material directly affects the final shipped weight of the package.
Accurate weight calculation is critical for generating reliable shipping estimates. By assigning an item to a Perishable Shipping Class, UltraCart can automatically factor in the estimated weight of these required packing materials, ensuring that the merchant and the customer are charged the correct shipping costs.
How it Works
The Perishable Shipping Classes section allows merchants to define and configure multiple classes, each corresponding to a specific set of extra packing requirements. You can associate these classes with individual Items in your UltraCart catalog.
When an item belonging to a specific class is added to an order, UltraCart uses the configuration defined in that class to adjust the package weight calculation before querying the shipping carrier for a rate.
Key Terminology
Perishable Item: An inventory item that requires special temperature or handling controls.
Coolant Weight: The estimated extra weight added to the package (e.g., gel packs, dry ice) due to the item's perishable nature.
Shipping Estimate: The calculated cost for shipping an order, which is directly impacted by the package's final weight and dimensions.
Creating perishable classes here will become selectable from a drop-down list in the Item Editor for specific items.
Configuring Perishable Classes
If no perishable classes have been created, you will see the following screen.
New Perishable Class
To create a Perishable Class, click on the "New" button. The following screen will appear with 5 fields to complete.
Name | Description |
|---|---|
Name | Enter a name that will be easily recognizable when it appears in the drop-down list in the Item Editor. |
Coolant Name | Enter the name of the coolant used (i.e., gel refrigerants, dry ice, etc.) Some shipping labels, like FedEx, will print 'Dry Ice' on the label if the shipped items have a Perishable Class with a Coolant Name = "Dry Ice". So use that name if you are in fact using Dry Ice and need the shipping label to reflect it.
|
Coolant Per Package | Enter the weight of the coolant per package into the text box. Then select whichever is applicable; LB for pounds, OZ for ounces, or KG for Kilograms from the drop down list. |
Coolant by Weight | Enter the amount (weight) of coolant per amount of Item weight. |
Click the "Save" button when finished. You will be returned to the Perishable Class screen where your new entry will be shown.
Click the "edit" button to make changes. Click the "delete" button to remove the Perishable Class.
Selecting Perishable Class
You can select the perishable class desired at:
Main Menu → Items→ Item Management → Click on an Item ID → Shipping Tab
Select your perishable class from the drop down list. Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the screen when finished. Complete the same procedure for all items that have the use of perishable classes.