Common Questions and Answers
Does ShipGooder include state or provincial taxes?
No state taxes are calculated for US to US shipments or US to Canada shipments.
Canadian GST (but no provincial tax) is calculated for Canada to Canada as well
as Canada to US shipments.
Does ShipGooder use dimensional weights?
Yes. Dimensional input (length, width, height in inches) is available by clicking
on the "Advanced Options" link from the home page and then inputting the package's dimensions (in inches).
Dimensional weights are a way for the courier companies to price
packages that are either lighter than average or else oddly dimensioned.
The dimensional weight calculation is LxWxH/194 for domestic shipments and
LxWxH/166 for international shipments. The result is the dimensional weight
of the package in pounds.
An example of this would be having two packages - each in a 1 cubic foot
box. The first package is filled with books and weighs 12 lbs. The
second one is filled with a compacted feather pillow that weighs 2 lbs.
The dimensional weight for each of the boxes is 9 lbs (actually 8.9 lbs which
is then rounded up to the nearest pound).
The box that holds the books would be calculated at the 12 lbs rate (because the
actual weight is heavier than the dimensional weight). The box that
holds the pillow would be calculated at the 9 lbs rate (because the dimensional
weight is heavier than the actual weight).
In addition to dimensional weight
there is an "oversize" cost if the package is larger than a set
combination of length and girth. The calculation of oversize is
different from courier to courier. An example of this would be
shipping an MG car bumper. Its shape is outside of the normal dimensions
of a box and, consequently, will be more expensive (thank you Paul G.)
Does ShipGooder provide international rates outside the U.S. and Canada?
At this point in time, international rates are not part of our rate
structure. We do not have a timeline for the addition of this service.
It will depend mainly on user feedback as to if and when countries other
than USA and Canada will be available. Please remember that your
feedback helps us get better!
Does ShipGooder calculate the residential surcharge?
Yes. Residential surcharge calculation is available by clicking
on the "Advanced Options" link from the home page and then clicking on the
"Residential Surcharge" checkbox.
Does ShipGooder calculate the delivery area surcharge?
Courier companies charge more for areas that are deemed rural or out of
the way. This is usually determined by the destination zip code. There
is a table of zip codes that contains all of the rural zip codes that
will have an extra delivery area surcharge assessed against them. We are
working on setting up this feature to be automatically calculated.
Hopefully this quarter.
Will ShipGooder provide rates for USPS Media Mail?
There have been many people who have inquired about USPS Media Mail. We
are investigating what is involved in getting that service and those
prices into the system.
Does ShipGooder have an API (application programming interface)?
Yes. There have been many requests for the specifications of our API. We
have and are using an API at this point and are getting the
specifications written down for other people to use as well. To use the
API, users will have to contact us to get a validation code so that we
can control who is accessing what information. There will also be a
monthly fee based on number of accesses. That price is still to be
determined. Please get in touch with us if you are interested in this.
Are other costs used by ShipGooder to calculate rates?
Accessorials (a shipping industry term for "other costs and services")
such as insurance, COD, POD (Proof of Delivery) are not calculated or
offered at Shipgooder.com. It is up to the individual users to decide
what extra services they need for their particular shipment once they
have chosen or are browsing for their courier. We are committed,
however, to helping you find the appropriate courier and level of
service for your needs. Please remember that once you are on our rate
results page you can go directly to any courier's web page by clicking
on the courier name (in blue).
