Table Rate Shipping

On a marketplace, one shipping table does not fit every vendor. Table Rate Shipping lets each vendor build their own rate tables from their own dashboard. They can price by destination, cart subtotal, weight, or item count. As a result, vendors ship the way they actually ship, and you never configure shipping for any of them. It works on Dokan (including Dokan Lite) and WC Vendors, free or pro.

What does Table Rate Shipping do?

Table Rate Shipping handles how each vendor’s shipping is priced at checkout.

It lets vendors set their own rates. Each vendor creates rate tables from the frontend vendor dashboard. Every table applies to a set of continents, countries, states and postcodes. So a vendor can charge one way at home and another way abroad.

It prices the way each vendor needs. Rates can depend on the cart subtotal, the total weight, or the number of items from that vendor in the cart. The vendor picks the basis per table. Therefore one vendor can price by weight while another prices by item count. Likewise, a single vendor can use different bases for different destinations.

It shows the right rates at checkout. WooCommerce splits the cart into one shipping package per vendor. Then every table that matches the customer’s address becomes a shipping choice under that vendor’s name. The customer picks a rate for each vendor and pays shipping per vendor. That is how marketplace shipping works, and it is usually what you want, because each vendor ships their own parcel.

How can vendors price their shipping?

As many pricing tiers as a vendor needs

Each table takes as many tiers as the vendor wants, as fixed amounts or percentages. Vendors can also add a handling fee and a maximum charge.

A wide variety of shipping setups are possible, including examples like these:

• Weight-based or flat rate, with free shipping above a cart subtotal
• $5 for the first item plus $1 per additional item, capped at $10
• Flat rate domestically, weight-based internationally
• “Standard” at $4 and “Expedited” at $9, plus a handling fee
• Flat rate with free local pickup for specific regions

Vendors choose which rate customers see first

Vendors drag their tables into order in the dashboard. Matching tables then appear at checkout in that same order. For instance, a vendor who wants to lead with “Standard” and list “Expedited” underneath just drags Standard to the top.

Would you rather keep checkout simple? There is a “Show one rate per vendor” setting. With it on, each vendor offers a single rate: the first of their tables that matches. It appears under a method title you choose, such as “Vendor Shipping”.

Per-product rate overrides

A vendor can override their store-level rates for one product. They just tick a box on the Edit Product screen. This is useful for the one oversized item in an otherwise uniform catalogue.

A shipping rates tab on the product page

Optionally, show a “Shipping Rates” tab on the product page. The customer enters a destination and sees the applicable rate before adding to cart. If the item does not ship there, they see a message saying so instead.

What if a vendor never sets up shipping?

You can define a default set of tables. New vendors inherit them and can keep, edit or delete them. In other words, a vendor who never configures shipping still gets a working checkout.

You can also view and edit any vendor’s shipping tables from WP Admin, which helps with setup and debugging. In addition, vendors can only select destinations you permit in WooCommerce → Settings → General → Shipping location(s). So the marketplace sets the outer boundary, and vendors price within it.

Which marketplace plugins does Table Rate Shipping support?

Table Rate Shipping works with Dokan Lite, Dokan Pro, and WC Vendors, with or without WC Vendors Pro. The vendor shipping interface is the same on both platforms. That matters if you run, or plan to run, Dokan and WC Vendors sites side by side.

How does Table Rate Shipping compare to the built-in options?

Dokan

Dokan Lite has no vendor shipping at all. Shipping runs through WooCommerce zones, which you configure, and the same rates apply to every vendor. Dokan Starter adds per-vendor flat rate, free shipping and local pickup, but no rate tables. Dokan’s own Table Rate Shipping module is part of Dokan Professional, at $249/yr and up.

Table Rate Shipping gives Dokan Lite vendors their own rate tables without moving up a tier. Moreover, if you later upgrade, the tables your vendors built here keep working. Dokan Professional’s module does one thing this plugin does not: distance-based rates. If that is your requirement, buy Dokan Professional. On the other hand, Dokan cannot show shipping cost on a single product page on any tier, per Dokan’s own support. The Shipping Rates tab above does. (Sources: Dokan pricing, Dokan documentation, Dokan support.)

WC Vendors

Free WC Vendors has no shipping rate configuration. WC Vendors Pro includes a simpler version in the base plan. Each vendor gets one shipping system: either a store-wide flat rate, or a country table with tiers by quantity or weight. They can also add a handling fee, a free-shipping threshold and min/max charges.

Table Rate Shipping goes further for vendors who need it. It offers more than one table per vendor, and pricing by cart subtotal as well as weight or item count. Destinations go down to continent level, with postcode ranges and wildcards. Percentage and fixed tiers can share a table. Finally, customers can choose between named rates at checkout, and see rates on the product page. (WC Vendors shipping settings documentation)

Frequently asked questions

Does Dokan have table rate shipping built in?

Only on the Professional plan and above. In Dokan Lite, WooCommerce handles shipping and the marketplace admin configures it. Vendors do not set their own rates. Table Rate Shipping adds per-vendor rate tables on any Dokan tier, including the free one.

Does WC Vendors have table rate shipping built in?

Free WC Vendors does not. WC Vendors Pro includes a single table per vendor, priced by quantity or weight. Table Rate Shipping adds multiple tables per vendor, subtotal-based pricing, named checkout rates and the product-page Shipping Rates tab. See the comparison above.

Do I need WC Vendors Pro or Dokan Pro?

No. Table Rate Shipping adds vendor shipping tables to free WC Vendors and to Dokan Lite. It also works with WC Vendors Pro and Dokan Pro, where it replaces their built-in vendor shipping.

Does it support distance-based or live carrier rates?

No. Vendors set rates in tables based on cart subtotal, total weight or item count, combined with the delivery destination. For live carrier rates and vendor label printing, see MarketShip, which integrates with this plugin. For distance-based rates, see Dokan Professional’s distance rate module.

How do rates work when a customer buys from several vendors?

Each vendor’s rates apply to their own items and appear under their own name at checkout. The customer picks a rate for each vendor and pays shipping per vendor.

Can vendors offer free shipping?

Yes. A vendor can set a rate of zero, including conditionally. For example, free shipping above a cart subtotal, or free to particular destinations.

What happens if a vendor never sets up their shipping tables?

Your default tables apply. New vendors can keep, edit or delete them.

Can I control which countries vendors are allowed to ship to?

Yes. Vendors can only select destinations you permit in WooCommerce → Settings → General → Shipping location(s).

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