Guest Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I am looking to add UPS and FedEx to my OSC. I know there are ten or twenty questions that have been asked about description of this for newbies. However, you have to go to four and five places to start to make heads or tales of anything. Thus, I felt the need to have a direct request for questions asked. I have specific questions below that I would very much appreciate some experienced users to maybe help me understand. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your answers. Please consider this as you're talking to a newbie. I want this not to only assist me but to assist the most basic user who is confused by this whole shipping thing. Again, your talent and assistance is always appreciated. 1) I think most persons want to add UPS and / or FedEx (or even USPS.com) to their OSC store. One main question I have off the top of my head is this.... Is there a way to interface an OSC store with any of these three shipping companies? In example, when people pay with PayPal, it takes their entered information and takes them to PayPal.com to complete the transaction, keeping all of their information intact in the redirect. Is this what happens when adding a shipping module? I think most people want the interface with UPS, FedEx and / or USPS.com. Is this what happens or is it all done inside of our OSC store and our OSC store goes out to the UPS, FedEx, etc server and gets the information and enters the shipping info and cost, etc into our OSC store? Basically how does the interfacing work with these shipping companies? Will my OSC store visitors be redirected just like the PayPal redirect happens? 2) Is there a way (or an existing mod) that allows a tracking number to be issued automatically to my paying OSC customer? Say if they choose to use (just say) UPS to ship an item. Is there an automatic tracking number that is issued by the UPS server so that when the UPS truck comes to my shop and picks up my shipped items, the tracking number is already known by my customer and the progress of shipment is given when the UPS truck scans in my shipped items and loads it onto their truck? Then when the UPS truck gets back to their depot and unloads so that the tracking number is automatically updated as to it being put in the depot, etc? Just like they do with current tracking numbers. However, I want to know how it is possible to issue a tracking number to a customer as they check out and pay for their items they would be issued a tracking number. Is this possible? Is there anything remotely close to this available as a mod? Something so that the customer can get some form of identification for their order. Even an auto generated order number. However, the tracking number would ultimately be the best for obvious reasons. Is there such a mod or anything close to this? 3) What is the best UPS and FedEx modules that offer the best / most used features? 4) What is the easiest to use and / or install for UPS and FedEx modules? Again, this is to help clarify things for a variety of newbies. It also answers some long standing questions i've had with OSC software. Thus, please remember that your answers are very much appreciated and to please try to be very specific in your answers / instructions as you are most likely speaking to a newbie or several newbies. We all started somewhere. If you can only answer one question that is fine and appreciated. If you can answer more than one question, you're a God. he he he.... Many of us have gone to a variety of shipping questions. I think this post will answer the most common questions for everyone in one place. Thus your answers will probably be viewed by many persons. THANKS A TON FOR HELPING EACH OTHER!! ACP :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 I am looking to add UPS and FedEx to my OSC. I know there are ten or twenty questions that have been asked about description of this for newbies. However, you have to go to four and five places to start to make heads or tales of anything. Thus, I felt the need to have a direct request for questions asked. I have specific questions below that I would very much appreciate some experienced users to maybe help me understand. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your answers. Please consider this as you're talking to a newbie. I want this not to only assist me but to assist the most basic user who is confused by this whole shipping thing. Again, your talent and assistance is always appreciated. 1) I think most persons want to add UPS and / or FedEx (or even USPS.com) to their OSC store. One main question I have off the top of my head is this.... Is there a way to interface an OSC store with any of these three shipping companies? In example, when people pay with PayPal, it takes their entered information and takes them to PayPal.com to complete the transaction, keeping all of their information intact in the redirect. Is this what happens when adding a shipping module? I think most people want the interface with UPS, FedEx and / or USPS.com. Is this what happens or is it all done inside of our OSC store and our OSC store goes out to the UPS, FedEx, etc server and gets the information and enters the shipping info and cost, etc into our OSC store? Basically how does the interfacing work with these shipping companies? Will my OSC store visitors be redirected just like the PayPal redirect happens? 2) Is there a way (or an existing mod) that allows a tracking number to be issued automatically to my paying OSC customer? Say if they choose to use (just say) UPS to ship an item. Is there an automatic tracking number that is issued by the UPS server so that when the UPS truck comes to my shop and picks up my shipped items, the tracking number is already known by my customer and the progress of shipment is given when the UPS truck scans in my shipped items and loads it onto their truck? Then when the UPS truck gets back to their depot and unloads so that the tracking number is automatically updated as to it being put in the depot, etc? Just like they do with current tracking numbers. However, I want to know how it is possible to issue a tracking number to a customer as they check out and pay for their items they would be issued a tracking number. Is this possible? Is there anything remotely close to this available as a mod? Something so that the customer can get some form of identification for their order. Even an auto generated order number. However, the tracking number would ultimately be the best for obvious reasons. Is there such a mod or anything close to this? 3) What is the best UPS and FedEx modules that offer the best / most used features? 4) What is the easiest to use and / or install for UPS and FedEx modules? Again, this is to help clarify things for a variety of newbies. It also answers some long standing questions i've had with OSC software. Thus, please remember that your answers are very much appreciated and to please try to be very specific in your answers / instructions as you are most likely speaking to a newbie or several newbies. We all started somewhere. If you can only answer one question that is fine and appreciated. If you can answer more than one question, you're a God. he he he.... Many of us have gone to a variety of shipping questions. I think this post will answer the most common questions for everyone in one place. Thus your answers will probably be viewed by many persons. THANKS A TON FOR HELPING EACH OTHER!! ACP :thumbsup: <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Okay I can only sort of help with a part of your question. Firstly I dont use UPS or Fedex as I am in Australia, I use a Auspost mod so I can only speak from my experience with it but having said that I would ASSUME other shipping mods work in basicly the same way. When a customer puts a product in their cart the cart reads the weight then sends a request to Australia Post asking how much it will cost to ship it and how long it will take, it then adds a handling charge (that I have set) and an Insurance charge(that I have set) and then displays: Number of packages, weight of package, time for delivery and itemised costs for handling, insurance and a total price for the whole lot. It doesnt set a customer or shipping number. I hope this helped a little bit. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 (edited) Thanks a bunch for your input. I was surprised I didn't get more offers for help. Your information was appreciated. I hope other users of UPS and FedEx chime in. UPS just started advertising new 'online' services available. So, i'm curious if there are more features that are going to or are available other than what you stated above. Again, thanks a bunch bud! Thanks for helping a guy out. :thumbsup: Edited December 19, 2004 by ACP2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bglkk Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 You've asked a lot of questions, but I'll take a stab at one or two... The UPS and USPS modules both work pretty much as Shane has described for Auspost. In other words, shipping costs are calculated by the UPS and USPS APIs based on weight and destination. The available shipping methods will then appear on your site--unlike Paypal, your customers will not leave your site. UPS provides tracking numbers... You can direct your customers to the UPS site for tracking, or you can install the 'UPS Order Tracking XML' contribution so they can track from your site. http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,113/ Quote "Buy the ticket, take the ride..." -HST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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