The Default Weight global setting in ShipperHQ is designed to apply a fallback weight when a product’s weight is either left empty ("") or explicitly set to “null” in a request.
How the Default Weight Setting Works
- If a product’s weight is set as an empty string (
"") or null, the Default Weight value will be used.
Platform-Specific Behavior
Magento
- Magento allows a blank weight, which is translated to null in API requests.
- When Magento sends a request with a null weight, the Default Weight global setting in ShipperHQ is triggered.
- This means the weight value can be either:
- Leave the weight blank (which will apply the default weight), or
- Set a specific positive weight value.
- The value cannot be 0, nor be a negative number.
All Other Platforms
- A positive number value is required for both new and existing products.
- If no weight is provided, the platform will typically throw an error, requiring the weight to be added.
- In some cases, products/variants can be created with a 0 value for the weight. If a product with 0 weight is included in the rate request, ShipperHQ will not provide rates for that product, and every Carrier will reply with an error.
Additional Benefits of Default Weight
While originally designed for Magento, the Default Weight setting also benefits:
- Headless integrations that rely on ShipperHQ APIs.
- Custom API implementations, ensuring that requests without a weight value still function correctly.
By understanding this behavior, merchants and developers can ensure accurate weight handling across different platforms and integrations.