Automatic Shipping Rates

Premium Feature | Available to US-Based Platinum & Diamond Plan Sellers

Sellers outside the U.S. can find more on charging shipping here.

What it does

Automatic Shipping Rates is an automated system that calculates shipping costs in real time during checkout based on an item's weight and package dimensions. With this feature, you no longer need to manually estimate shipping fees or use external tools. This feature integrates with USPS to ensure accurate rates for both domestic and international shipments, making shipping management easy and precise.

If you currently use Big Cartel Shipping Labels, your discounted rates will automatically be applied at checkout.

This feature is currently available to all US-based sellers on our paid plans.

Why you should use it

Automatic Shipping Rates make shipping easier and more accurate for sellers. Here’s why it matters:

  • Boost Sales: By showing transparent, accurate shipping costs, you can reduce cart abandonment due to unclear or expensive shipping fees.

  • Convenience: No need to leave Big Cartel to calculate shipping rates—everything is handled within your store.

  • Accuracy: Rates are calculated based on real-time carrier pricing, reducing the risk of overcharging or undercharging customers.

  • Efficiency: Automating the process saves time and allows you to focus on growing your business

  • Automatic Discounted Rates: When you use Big Cartel Shipping Labels, discounted shipping rates are applied automatically at checkout, further boosting conversions by offering more attractive shipping prices to your customers.

How to use automatic shipping rates

Prefer to go with a simple flat-rate shipping for all your products or prefer to set up shipping manually? Click I'll set rates manually and we walk you through that process here.

Follow these steps to enable and set up automatic rates in your store:

  1. Set up Automatic Shipping Rates

    • Navigate to your Account Settings and scroll down to the Shipping section. Click Set up shipping.

    • Select Calculate Rates for Me.

  2. Shipping from

    • Under Shipping from, input your store’s country and address. We enter your store’s address by default, but you can change it if you ship from a different address.

  3. Shipping to

    • Select which countries you ship to. You can edit this list at any time.

  4. Parcel templates

    • In the Parcel templates section, you’ll find six predefined box sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, and Envelope).

    • If these templates suit your needs, no action is required. Otherwise, you can add your own custom package templates by clicking Edit parcel templates.

  5. Fallback rates

    • To handle any calculation failures, you can configure fallback rates for both Domestic and International

      shipping. These will apply automatically when needed.

  6. Surcharges (Optional)

    • To cover extra shipping-related costs (like packaging materials), you can add a surcharge. Choose between a percentage or flat-rate surcharge in the Surcharge section.

  7. Complete shipping setup in each product listing

    • Head to each product listing in your admin to complete your shipping settings.

      • Does this product need to ship alone? If an item can not fit in a box with other items in an order, be sure to check this box so shipping rates will be calculated accurately with the additional package.

      • Set your product's shipping weight in grams, kilograms, ounces or pounds. An estimate is all that's needed.

      • Select your parcel type. Keep in mind that it's most cost-efficient to go with the smallest box the item will fit in - the larger the box, the more expensive the shipping.

  8. Save and test

    • Complete the setup, then run a test checkout to ensure rates are being calculated correctly.

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Automatic shipping rates FAQs

Get answers to common questions on automatic shipping rates, including supported carriers, custom packaging options, rate calculation issues, and integration with shipping labels for a seamless experience.

Currently, we support USPS, with more carriers planned in the future.

Yes, you can enter custom box dimensions or choose from our predefined sizes.

If a calculation fails, your fallback rates will automatically be applied to ensure smooth checkout.

No, this feature works independently but can integrate with our shipping labels for streamlined processes.

Have questions?

Our support team is available Monday - Friday from 8am-6pm EST.