• Shipping Options: Miva Merchant Shipping Modules

Step 1

Login to admin, expand your store then click on "Shipping Configuration".  A screen will show in your right frame like the one below.

Select the module you want to activate and click update.

Step 2

We will start with the "Flat Rate Shipping" since it is extremely straight forward.  Select the checkbox next to it and update; a tab will show at the top with the module's name so click on it. 

Next click on the yellow button to the right of the word amount and you will get some text entry boxes.

Enter the name you want for the shipping method.  You can call it flat rate but some creative words will have a more positive effect on the customer, e.g. "First item $5 everything else free".  Put in the amount in the box next to it (in the above example you need to put 5) then click update.  After updating, you will get another set of text entry boxes for the next flat rate shipping option.  

This is not another form of shipping just merely another rate for another kind of shipping.  You can enter here something like "Express Mail $20" and price it at $20, or an option that is called "Pickup- Free" and price that as $0.   You can also have an option like "Electronic Delivery- Free" if you sell downloadable software.  Put in your text and the price and update.  Each time you update you will get a new entry box. 

If you have no need for another flat rate shipping option just click on "Modules" to create the next shipping module.  If you do not need more shipping selections move on to another topic.

Step 3

From the Modules screen select the Base + Weight Shipping and click update.  Click on the tab on the top that says Base + Weight Shipping and you will get to the all too familiar screen with pretty much nothing in it.  Click the yellow button in the top right corner and text entry boxes will show.  This module uses the weight that you specify for each product when you create it.  In the boxes you can enter the name of the shipping method, which is what the customer will be seeing.

You can call it anything you want.  In the example we called the first one "economy".  Next you will need to enter the base amount which is the amount you would like to charge on top of the weight factor, and regardless of the total weight.  You can use it for the "handling" component of the shipping process if you charge for handling and are so inclined.  We put 5 in our example, but you can put in zero if you want to use the module but do not want to put a surcharge "Base" to the shipping. 

Next you will need to enter an amount for each unit of weight.  If you enter 1 that means that the cart will charge $1 per unit of weight.  So if you have a customer with 3 items in his cart that weigh a total of 5 "pounds" the cart will charge him $5 + (5 x 1) = $10 for shipping.  If you put zero in "Amount/Weight Unit" you will, in effect, be configuring this module as a flat rate shipping charging only the "Base" amount.

Notice that we are talking here about units of weight; for more on this click here.

When you are done click update.  Another set of boxes will appear.  You can enter another option, go and configure another module, or if the options you have satisfy your needs you can do something else other than shipping or play with the kids if you wish!

Note that when configuring a shipping module, you can re-use the same names you used for selections in other modules.  That means that you can have an option that says economy under the flat rate shipping and another "economy" under Base + Weight.  However, you probably do not want to do so since the shopper will see both selections as "Economy" and that can be very confusing.