Shipping and delivery
After adding items and setting addresses, you configure how the order gets to the customer. UltraCart can calculate live shipping rates, let you override costs, and supports in-store pickup as an alternative to shipping.
Overview
The shipping section sits below the items table on the create order screen. It has two columns: shipping methods on the left, and order options (coupons, gift certificates, storefront, sales rep) on the right. The order options are covered in Discounts and credits.
Calculating shipping estimates
Select Calculate to request shipping estimates from UltraCart. The system evaluates the current cart contents, shipping address, and package dimensions against your configured shipping methods and returns all applicable options.
Results appear in a table showing each method's name, estimated delivery date, and cost. If no methods apply — for example, if the shipping address is incomplete or no methods are configured for the destination — a "Zero applicable shipping methods" message appears.
Shipping estimates are recalculated automatically when you change the residential flag on the shipping address, since residential vs commercial classification can affect rates.
Selecting a shipping method
Select the radio button next to a shipping method to apply it to the order. The selected method's cost is added to the order total.
If you recalculate shipping after selecting a method, UltraCart automatically re-selects the same method in the new results when it's still available.
Overriding shipping cost
You can manually edit the cost field on any shipping method to override the calculated rate. Overridden costs are visually highlighted so you can tell at a glance which methods have been adjusted.
This is useful for offering discounted or free shipping to a customer during a phone order.
Shipping options
Additional options appear below the shipping method selection when a method is chosen:
Lift gate — request a lift gate for freight shipments. This is automatically required for residential addresses on methods that support it.
3rd party shipper account — enter a third-party shipper account number for methods that allow third-party billing.
Exempt from handling charges — toggle this on to remove handling charges from the order. Changing this triggers a recalculation.
Ship date — select a specific date for the order to ship (available when your merchant configuration allows ship date selection).
Delivery date — select a requested delivery date (available when your configuration allows it; Sundays are blocked).
Packing solution
A Packing Solution link is available that opens the UltraCart packing solution page for the current cart. This shows how items will be packed into boxes based on your configured packing rules.
In-store pickup
You can switch the order from shipping to in-store pickup using the pickup toggle in the shipping address section. When pickup mode is enabled:
The shipping address fields are replaced with pickup-specific selectors.
Select a pickup location from your configured locations.
Select a pickup date from the available dates for that location.
Select a pickup time from the available time slots (if the location uses time-based scheduling).
The pickup selection is saved to the server and replaces the shipping method for the order.
Switching back from pickup to shipping restores the standard shipping address form and shipping method selection.