FAQ - mairabay/wc-shippo GitHub Wiki

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. General FAQ
  2. Beta-Test FAQ

General Questions:

  1. What do I need to have setup in order to use this plugin?
  2. Do I need a Shippo account to use this plugin?
  3. Will my vendors need a Shippo account to use this plugin?
  4. I am getting an error, or the plugin seems like it's not working.
  5. Does the plugin allow for label creation?

Requirements

Here is what you (and, for WCMp stores, possibly your vendors) need in order to use this plugin:

  1. Shippo account
  2. Carrier account (UPS, DHL, etc) (when shipping from outside the USA)
  3. Full address of all shippers
  4. Weight and dimensions (width, height, length) of all products

Shippo Account

You will need a Shippo account if:

  • You have a regular (non-WCMp) store
  • You have a WCMp store and you will also be selling products yourself
  • You have a WCMp store and you chose to have all vendors use one shipping account provided by you.
    • This is useful in several situations, for example: if you want to stay in control of shipping costs, or if you keep all vendor's inventory in your own location.

For WCMp stores:

  • If your vendors will be fully responsible for shipping, each vendor will need to sign up for their own Shippo account.

Shipping Carrier Account

You will need an account with a shipping carrier (UPS, DHL, etc) if:

  • You will ship from outside the USA
  • For WCMp stores with admin control of shipping, your vendors will ship from outside the USA
  • For WCMp stores where vendors will be fully responsible for shipping:
    • The vendors who ship from outside the USA will also need to sign up for a carrier account.

Make sure the carrier chosen is supported by Shippo.

  • We recommend UPS as they operate globally and have the most user-friendly sign-up process and website.

Address

A complete address (including contact name, business name and unit/suite/etc) is required for this plugin to work correctly.

  • If you have a regular (non-WCMp) store, or you have a WCMp store but you also ship products yoursel:
    • You will need to add your address to WooCommerce as explained here.
  • If you have a WCMp store and your vendors are responsible for shipping:
    • You will need to ensure they add their complete address and name, as explained here.

Product Information

In order for this plugin to work correctly, it needs the weight and dimensions (length, width, height) of the products being shipped.

If you have a lot of products, this might sound overwhelming. But note that: 1. This is a one-time operation (unless you are constantly adding new products to the store). 2. You would have had to add this information anyway for most other weight-and-dimensions-based plugins (like rate table shipping, etc).

If you have a WCMp store:

  • You will need to ensure that this information is added for all products, either by the vendors or by yourself (otherwise your buyers might not be able to check out - see here for more information and here for troubleshooting tips).
    • One simple way to do this is to require products to be approved before published. See the WCMp user guide for how to do that.

Errors

If you found an error, think the plugin is not working, or suspect a bug, please check out the Troubleshooting page.

Labels

Once your buyers have checked out, the shipper (you or your Vendors) will have to go into their Shippo account and create a label.

  • For WCMp, we will add a feature to create a label from within the vendor dashboard in a future vesion.
  • For regular WooComerce stores, you can use Shippo's own plugin.

Beta-Test FAQ:

  1. Do I have to pay anything to participate in the beta-test?
  2. Does my store/marketplace have to be launched in order for me to participate?
  3. Do I have to use the plugin in the live version of my store/marketplace?
  4. How long will it take
  5. Will there be any support

Answers:

Cost of Beta-Test

It is free to participate in the beta-test, as long as you agree to provide feedback and logs (if required). The full version of the plugin will have a free plan as well. Our aim is to make this plugin as bootstrapped-friendly as possible.

Environment to Use

We encourage you to first try the plugin in your staging or development environment.

You are free to use it in production any time you like.