Normally BVC5 will combine all the items in the cart into 1 "box" and then calculate the shipping cost for that box. You can change that behavior by marking the product to ship separately or to ship from the manufacturer/vendor. If the product is marked to ship separately, then BVC5 will calculate the shipping cost for the item separately. And if the product is marked to ship from the manufacturer or vendor, then it is combined with other items from the same manufacturer or vendor into a separate "box" and then the shipping cost is calculated for the box.

If you have not marked the product to ship separately or to ship from the manufacturer or vendor, then it is not being treated separately when shipping costs are calculated.

What shipping methods have you created?

They're not identical items if you say there are different personalizations for each item within the structure of how BV operates.

I always have merge identical items activated on stores, here's how it works in BV:

Customer buys a Large Red Helmet (0000-0123). Customer buys the same helmet but it's X-Large in the same order:

0000-0123 + 0000-0124 are added as individual line items to the cart even though they technically are the same item.

Customer buys 2 Large Red Helmets

(2) 0000-0123.

Rather than 2 line items, they are merged into 1 line item priced at QTY 2. If the customer bought 1 large red helmet, did some more shopping and then decided to add a second large red helmet, they would merge into 1 line item (QTY 2) in the shopping cart.

In your situation, it seems that the items are not identical so they are not merged and subsequently receiving individual shipping charges per item.

Omer,

It does look like a bug. I added two of the same item to my cart, with different options, and the shipping cost was almost double than if I added one item to my cart and changed the quantity to 2. I would submit this to BV as a bug. Granted, I guess we should probably test this on a few other stores to see if it's a problem across the board.

It's not a bug, they are different - they need to be different so you can have a "Buy 2 and get one free" offer.

One large shirt and one X-large shirt. Not the same product because they don't 'merge', no free offer compliance.

OR - One Large shirt and then another large shirt. They merge and you get the 3rd for free.

ALSO:
Some of us have 'options' that make a product double in weight and girth. I don't want dissimilar products to merge even though they are based on the same basic product. Separate shipping is a must sometimes, sometimes not.


Sucks, but it's correct as-is.
.

Mitch,

I disagree. Your approach is wrong. If 2 of the same items are being shipped together from point A to point B in one box, then the shipping charge will be much less compared to they are being shipped separately.

Here is an example:
Product: X
Weight: 10lbs.

Customer adds 1 to cart. Shipping charge $15

Customer continues shopping. Goes back to the same product. Customer adds another X to the cart with an additional option to it. So now the product is 15lbs.

Total Shipping Charge BV shows is around $40 while it is actually between $25 - $30. The shipping will be cheaper if the package combines both items under one shipment package.

In your example about products with options that make double in weight and girth is like my example above. So this is not configured correctly in BV and this has nothing to do with any offer like Buy 2 Get 1 Free. A wrong logic is applied to the shipping module and this needs to be corrected. I probably lost tons of sales because of this. 10 bottle opener costs $90 to ship?? you can't possibly make me believe BV is correct.

Mitch,

Thanks for the work around but this needs to be fixed in BV. We are giving wrong shipping charges to customers. Regardless of any option added for a product, all the items in cart needs to be calculated under 1 package unless a different manufacturer or vendor is selected.

Omer,

This has been discussed at length here for years in many threads. Bottom line... Different choices often create different products that shouldn't or can't be combined - or even shipped from the same place because of the choice selected.

The BVC guys don't run a store and can't possibly know how deficient it is.

I agree, 19 tubes of mint toothpaste and 1 tube of garlic toothpaste should all ship in the same box, but won't merge.

Having said that, there is a solution, but we're not likely to ever see it. We need to be able to 'merge' like items, regardless of product heritage, just like you're asking for.

One of the reasons this will not be done... it's a whole new database entry (product type by size and weight and 'merge-ability') and none of us are Amazon and we can't all pay for Amazon's store. And hey, even Amazon's getting it wrong sometimes. Last week, I got a $28.00 rebate on shipping after a human looked at the order.
.

Mitch,

I'm not sure that I'm following you. It sounds like you're saying that every line item in your cart will have its shipping calculated as a separate package.

Simple:

A product "Lamp Shades" has a choice offering "Small" and "Large" and is NOT checked "ship separately" meaning we want them to ship in the same box....

2 SMALL lampshades shipping from the store DO fit into a box and CAN be shipped together so they will merge and are not checked "ship separately", so they WILL ship together.

2 LARGE lampshades shipping from the store WON'T physically fit into the same box and CAN'T be shipped together but they will still merge and are still not checked "ship separately", but they CAN'T ship together.

Making a product with a "small/large" choice in this case makes a different shipping parameter that BVC doesn't handle. There are plenty of others examples over the years where it just won't do it right.....


How do you get the shipping right?

The solution is: make a product "Small Shades" and another product "Large Shades". Small shades ship together, large shades don't.