One suggestion I have is that based on the product (beads), it is extremely unlikely and closer to impossible for dimensional weight to ever become a factor for shipping them even when combining them with other larger items. Therefore, you could simply set the dimensions to 0x0x0 and there will be no problems.

Joe - Sorry for not responding to your email yet. I'm not sure I have copies of the answers from last time. I think setting the dimensions to 0 would probably work. You can optionally add packaging rules for beads that put them in boxes based on quantity rather than dimensions.

Last time we talked about this Marcus suggested creating a custom dimension calculator. I came up with what I think is a better dimension calculator, but have not put it in my Shipping Rate Rule Providers yet.

Marcus posted a response to my similar inquiry of about a year ago. IIRC ('cause I'm not searching for it) it's volume not girth, stupid. Of course, Fed Ex likes to know girth and figures it's oversize calcs on this. (L+(Wx2)+(Hx2)) 48L x 36w x 5h = just at the limit. Add a 1"x1"x1" bead and you're oversize UNLESS you make a separate package for that single bead.. say in a box big enough to hold the label, 6x6x3. 1 or 100 same box, right? It's got to be big enough for the label... it makes zero sense to enter information saying that a bead is 1x1x1.


Anyhow, the way he s'plained it, it kinda made sense and got me to thinking if the admin could decide how to pass a product's girth and/or volume (admin's choice) to the shipper........ another damned BV battle.



I'm having a problem with:



"but why can't the calculation be based on each item"



If a 1" thick wall mirror (my favorite example) gets shipped in a 36x30x5 package, how do you indicate that 2 wall mirrors don't need 2 times the volume nor girth? The first mirror needs X amount of padding. 2 mirrors don't need 2X padding and they don't make a box 2 times the size, yet that's what we get. (70x30x5 - ??) The second mirror vanishes into the box - SOOOOO the first has girth, the second has zero. How do we get that to happen at the same time limit 2 to a box just because 3 gets too heavy?? Like your beads, the first carries the label, the 2nd gets a free ride.



Bedtime.




What the heck do birds do with those beads anyway - eat them? Do they disappear and need to be replaced? Unless they gnaw them to dust, wouldn't a few last a while? Abacus lessons? 50, 100??? Yikes. (I'm a cat person, can you tell?)

If I don't use the volume calculations (setting to 0x0x0) another issue is that I have a FRB1 Priority Mail box that's based on volume, and so if a person were to order 3000 beads and they have "no volume", even if they ordered them with another slightly larger item, they would fit into the FRB, where in reality they could not. So that's why it is crucial to have proper dimensions for each small item. At least with BV I can use fractions (with SF6 you could not use fractional dimensions with FedEx). The Flat Rate box throws a wrinkle into the equation but being able to use Andy's add-on to create one puts our store lightyears above our competition who is charging double shipping for the same order because they don't do FRB.

What do birds do with 100 beads? Well, one use is to fill a bowl with them and put a treat in the bottom -- the bird has to "find" the treat -- it's a "foraging" technique that keeps a highly intelligent, normally roving flighted bird, that can't get out of its cage for hours busy. Also, unlike cats, if you drop a wood bead on the floor -- or I should say when the bird throws them on the floor, most times it goes in teh trash, as there is really no good way to clean them and birds are highly susceptible to the germs on the floor (or at least my niche of customers feel). Cats lick their behinds -- enough said!