My clients that have Online Storefronts and Drupal use Ubercart, not that I don't like the Ecommerce module, just Ubercart is the one I adopted first and have been using the longest, so I am the most familiar with it. This blog pertains to Drupal 5, Ubercart (UC) 5.x Products, UPS shipping and the Default settings when Adding a new Product.
The Problem
I have been noticing that there is a serious fault point when making products with Ubercart and UPS shipping. When my clients are making new products, the default settings for their products are invalid for UPS Ground Shipping. Basically, if you make a new product, and do not fill in the Dimensions for the product AND change the Package Type to `Customer Supplied Package`, UPS shipping does not display in the UPS Ground Shipping Options!
Sorry... what did you just say?
I know, I know that makes no sense, but bear with me. The dafult settings on your Ubercart products when you create a new product are all blank or set to a default setting. Title, SKU and Price are the ONLY required fields on many UC installations I have seen, so the easiest way to explain things is, you can leave just about everything blank or at the defaults when you make a new Ubercart product.
This doesn't really have any adverse effects to Ubercart's Default installation, but when you start using Ubercart Add-ons, or get farther into the features, like adding Shipping Quotes, it starts to create issues for you that are not clearly documented... or at least I haven't found them, which means they are buried somewhere probably.
In this case the problem is with the Default Package Type and UPS Ground Shipping. Not all UPS accounts have air delivery, so Ground may be your only option, and if you are not aware of how you have to set up your product for UPS Ground shipping, your product will not work with UPS ground shipping quotes.
So, why is the Package Type important?
The package type is important because it is how UPS determines how to send you back a quote! The two package types I am familiar with are PAK and Customer Supplied Package, and it's really easy to understand what the two mean.
PAK (left) is a UPS supplied small box, or package that is a specific width and dimension that is meant for sending electronic media, y'know, things that fit in that box. Click on the image, and you'll be taken to the UPS site, and the latest Express Hard PAK and get an idea of when to use that, and I would personally suggest if you feel you need to use this option, talk to UPS first and make sure you need to use it.
Cutsomer Supplied Packaging means exactly what it means, you supply packaging that adheres to UPS Shipping and Federal Guidelines.
How you need to set up your Product for UPS Ground Shipping
Long story short is, the lack of required fields and relevent form validation for creating a new product leaves you (and me the developer) having to make sure that certain steps are followed when making a new product, that you will NOT be reminded to correct if you make a mistake. So, this is a catch-all for the form fields you must make sure are filled out to have your product work sucessfully with UPS shipping.
Use these guidelines when making a new, or editing existing Ubercart Products.
Required Fields List (Mandatory!)
Product Tab
- Title
- Description
- Categories (If applicable)
- Images (If applicable)
- Fill out Everything in the "Product Information Section"
- Let me write this again, Fill out Everything in the "Product Information Section", even if it's zeros
- Shipping Settings -> UPS Product Description -> Package Type = Customer Supplied Package
Stock Tab
- Fill out the stock number!
Following these steps, and you should have happy products that perform the way they should!
Remember YOU CAN CLONE PRODUCTS! So, once you've got it done once, you can do it a million times!
This applies to Ubercart/UPS Shipping 5.x-1.6-
It is important to note that the Lyle the ubercart UPS Shipping Master is totally aware of this, and I think has been addressed with them, but there are many online store fronts that are using older verions and cannot update, due to user contributed limitations, so I figure a clear definition of the problem is a really good idea. Thanks for reading!
Comments
Cloning issue
Paul has done an awesome job working on our project and we are glad he found this solution for us!
One other Drupal issue on the cloning:
If you upload an image on the original product and then change it on the cloned product, you can't delete the original one, or it goes away on the original product. We've had trouble cloning if we are going to change the image, so if we are doing something with the same image , we continue to clone it and don't have trouble, but if we want to change the image, then we just create a new product. It kinda defeats the "shortcut," but it's lest hassle for us.
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