Skip to content
Visit ShipperHQ.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Use Case: Quantity-Based Surcharge for Combined Shipping Groups

Table of Contents

Some orders need an extra shipping charge only when specific products are combined with others in the same cart — not when those products ship alone. For example, a merchant might want to add a handling surcharge when two or more items from a particular Shipping Group are mixed into an order with other product types, since combined shipments from that group take extra time to pack and route. This guide walks through building a Shipping Rule that applies a surcharge only under that combined condition.

How It Works

A single Shipping Rule can carry more than one Shipping Group condition, and ShipperHQ requires all conditions on a rule to be met before the rule applies. This use case relies on that behavior to combine two Shipping Group conditions:

  • One condition requires the target Shipping Group (in this example, "Out of Stock") to be in the cart, with a Quantity condition requiring at least two units from that group.
  • A second condition requires at least one other Shipping Group to also be in the cart.

Together, these conditions mean the surcharge only applies when the target group's items are combined with other products — not when the target group's items make up the entire order.

Requirements

  • The Shipping Groups referenced in this rule (including the target group and any other groups you want to combine it with) must already be created and assigned to the relevant products
  • At least one carrier with active shipping methods must be configured to apply the surcharge to

Setting Up the Surcharge Rule

  1. Go to Shipping Rules and click + New to start a new rule.
  2. Select Surcharge Rates, choose a Flat Rate value, and under Apply This Rate To, select Each Shipment in the Cart.
  3. Select the Methods you want the surcharge to apply to.
  4. Under Conditions, select Shipping Groups and Quantity.Conditions
  5. Set the Quantity condition to Greater Than or Equal to 2, apply it to Everything in Shipping Group, and select Out of Stock. This ensures the surcharge only applies once two or more units from that group are in the cart.Filter
  6. Set the Shipping Group condition to All Selected Shipping Groups Are in the Cart and add only the Out of Stock group.Surcharge When
  7. Name the rule and click Finish.

Adding the Combination Condition

With the base rule saved, add a second Shipping Group condition so the surcharge only applies when the Out of Stock group is combined with other products, not when it appears alone.

  1. Open the rule you just created, click Add Another Condition at the bottom of the rule, and select Shipping Group.Add Another Condition
  2. Set this condition to Any Selected Shipping Groups Are in the Cart, then select every other Shipping Group — including All Products Not Assigned to a Shipping Group — except Out of Stock.AnySelected

With both Shipping Group conditions in place, the rule applies when two or more Out of Stock items are in the cart together with items from any other Shipping Group. If Out of Stock items are the only items in the order, the surcharge does not apply.

Additional Resources