Quick Start

This guide walks you through creating a simple flat rate rule and testing it with the simulator. By the end you’ll have a working shipping rate that appears at checkout.

Before you start

Make sure you’ve completed Installation. You need:

• The carrier service registered (Settings > Carrier Service)
• At least one postcode zone created (Zones > New zone)

If you haven’t created a zone yet, do that first. A zone tells ShipSmart which postcodes the rule should apply to.

Create a flat rate rule

1. In ShipSmart, go to Shipping Rules in the left navigation.
2. Click Create rule.
3. Fill in the Rule name. Use something descriptive, like “Standard - Sydney Metro”.
4. Under Service method, choose the option that matches how you want this rate to appear at checkout. For a basic start, pick Standard Shipping.
5. Set the Rate type to Flat Rate.
6. Enter the Amount in dollars. For example, 9.95.
7. Under Postcode zone, select the zone you want this rule to cover.
8. Leave Product group empty for now. That means the rule applies to all products.
9. Make sure the Active toggle is on.
10. Click Save.

You’ll be taken back to the rules list where your new rule appears.

Activate the rule

New rules save as active by default if you left the toggle on. Check the status column in the rules list. It should show a green Active badge. If it shows Inactive, click the rule to edit it and turn the toggle on, then save again.

Test with the simulator

Don’t go through checkout to verify. Use the simulator instead.

1. Go to Simulator in the left navigation.
2. Under Destination, enter a postcode that falls inside your zone.
3. Under Cart Items, fill in at least one item. Give it a name, a price and a quantity.
4. Click Simulate.

The results panel on the right shows the rates that would be returned. You should see your rule appear with the service name you chose and the rate amount.

Below the rates, the Rule Trace shows every active rule and whether it matched or was skipped. If your rule shows as skipped, the trace will tell you why: wrong postcode, inactive rule, condition not met and so on.

What to build next

A flat rate rule for one zone is a good starting point. From here you can:

• Add more zones to cover other delivery areas with different rates.
• Create product groups to charge different rates for different product types.
• Add conditions to a rule, for example, free shipping when the cart total is over $100.
• Try other rate types like weight-based or per-item tiered pricing.
• Set up a fallback rule with no zone attached. This catches any destinations not covered by your zone-specific rules, so customers always see at least one shipping option.

For conflict resolution and global modifiers, see Settings.