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A shipping rule is a saved choice of carrier, product, services and sender address. When you apply a rule to an order or to a Draft or Pending shipment, you do not have to pick those carrier fields by hand. Building a rule: Shipping rule fields. Walkthrough: Shipping rules.
Applying a rule is not the same as creating a shipment. Applying puts the rule on the order or shipment, and can copy its carrier settings onto the order’s existing Draft and Pending shipments. You still create shipments with Create shipment.

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Where you find it

Both cards have a Configure button at the top.

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On an order

When a rule is set, the card shows:
  • Carrier, product, and services come from this saved rule for new shipments.
  • The rule’s name with an Active badge
  • The rule’s services, or No additional services on this rule
When no rule is set, the card shows:
  • No shipping rule is applied. Pick one so new shipments get their carrier settings from it.
  • No rule on order with a No rule badge
  • Open Configure to pick a shipping rule for this order, or wait until you create a shipment.
If the order has no shipments and no rule yet, a blue box also invites you to set up rules: Configure shipping rules, Shipping rules pick the carrier, product and services for your orders automatically, based on where they are going., with the link Go to shipping rules.
Order Shipping rule card showing the rule name, an Active badge and ConfigureOrder Shipping rule card showing the rule name, an Active badge and Configure

An order's Shipping rule card with Configure

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On a shipment

When a rule is set, the card shows:
  • Carrier, product, and services come from this saved rule.
  • The rule’s name with an Active badge
  • The rule’s services, or No additional services on this rule
When no rule is set, the card shows:
  • No shipping rule is applied. You set the carrier, product and services on this shipment.
  • Manual setup with a No rule badge
  • Open Configure to pick a shipping rule, or leave it and choose the carrier and product yourself.
Printer settings sits next to it. See Shipment printer settings.
Shipment Overview with the Shipping rule card, Configure, and either Manual setup or an active ruleShipment Overview with the Shipping rule card, Configure, and either Manual setup or an active rule

A pending shipment: the Shipping rule card next to Printer settings

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Apply a rule to an order

Click Configure on the order’s Shipping rule card. A window titled Shipping rule opens: Choose which rule applies to this order, or leave no rule until you create a shipment. While the rules load, you see Loading shipping rules…. If you have none yet, you see No shipping rules configured and a Configure shipping rules link to the Shipping rules page. Apply is grayed out while the rules are loading, or while a service point is needed and none is chosen (see Service point below).
Shipping rule window with the Rule list set to No shipping rule (manual) and ApplyShipping rule window with the Rule list set to No shipping rule (manual) and Apply

The order's Shipping rule window. Rule starts at No shipping rule (manual).

In this example the order has no shipments yet, so the “Also apply to … existing shipments” box is not shown.
1

Click Configure

On the order’s Shipping rule card.
2

Pick a rule

Choose a rule by name, or No shipping rule (manual) to remove the rule.
3

Decide about existing shipments

Leave Also apply to … existing shipments ticked to update every Draft and Pending shipment on the order. Untick it to change only the order. Processing, Sent and Error shipments are never included.
4

Choose a service point (if asked)

If the rule’s product delivers to a service point and one of the shipments has none yet, fill in Service point *. See Service point below.
5

Click Apply

The button shows Applying…. Zippendo saves the order, then puts the rule on the shipments if the box is ticked.
You see Order updated or Couldn’t update order for the order, and Shipping rule applied or Couldn’t apply shipping rule for the shipments. Cancel closes the window without changes. Shipments that already have a service point, for example one the customer chose at checkout, keep it. Only shipments without one get the service point you pick here.

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Apply a rule to a shipment

Click Configure on the shipment’s Shipping rule card. A window titled Shipping rule opens: Choose which rule applies to this shipment, or keep manual carrier settings. Rule works as on the order: No shipping rule (manual) or a rule by name, with the same loading and empty messages. Click Apply (Applying… while it works) or Cancel. This window changes this shipment only. A Draft shipment becomes Pending when you apply a rule, so you can send it.
Shipment Shipping rule window with the Rule list and ApplyShipment Shipping rule window with the Rule list and Apply

The shipment's Shipping rule window with the Rule list

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Service point

Both windows show a Service point section when the rule’s product delivers to a service point and the shipment has none yet (on an order: one of the shipments you are applying the rule to). Select service point shows the list and map in the same window (titled Select service point, with Confirm selection and Back). See Pick a service point. Apply stays grayed out until a service point is chosen.

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When you cannot apply a rule

When an order already has a rule and you click Create shipment, the window shows Shipping rule with Carrier, product, services and sender address come from the order’s shipping rule. You can switch to Configure carrier manually instead. That is part of creating a shipment, not the Configure window on this page. See Create a shipment.
You are done when the card shows the rule’s name and Active, or No rule (on a shipment: Manual setup) if you removed it. If the shipment is Pending, you can now send it.