What pricing plugins do
Table Rate Shipping, Conditional Shipping & Payments, and similar plugins excel at checkout maths. They evaluate zones, weight, basket value, quantity, or SKU tags to determine which methods appear and what they cost. Some even block risky payment/shipping combinations to enforce policy. But their job stops at the checkout page.
Tools to know
- WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping: Spreadsheet-style grids that calculate prices for virtually any scenario. Table Rate vs ParcelOffice ↗
- Conditional Shipping & Payments: Show/hide methods or gateways based on cart context. Conditional Shipping comparison ↗
- Per Product Shipping: Set handcrafted charges per SKU for bulky or fragile goods. Per Product comparison ↗
- WPRuby Simple Table Rate: Lightweight alternative for merchants who only need a few tiers. WPRuby comparison ↗
- PluginHive Multi-Carrier / EasyPost bridges: Combine rates with carrier APIs, but still lean on operators to choose services at the bench. PluginHive MC comparison ↗ · EasyPost MC comparison ↗
Where pricing logic ends
- No label automation: Prices help customers choose, but ops teams still log in, pick a carrier, and print labels manually.
- Manual maintenance: Every new zone, surcharge, or exception means editing grids and retesting combinations.
- Blind spots after checkout: When a method is selected, there’s no telemetry showing whether labels succeeded, parcels were split, or SLAs were hit.
ParcelOffice: rules that act
- Rules → actions: ParcelOffice listens for order events, evaluates rules in the background, and immediately chooses the matching carrier + service. Operators simply click “Print.”
- One-click labels & auto-tracking: Labels generate with the right weight/dimensions, pack-bench notes display alongside the order, and tracking numbers plus emails fire automatically.
- Quick-start templates: v1.5 ships with recipes for value-based upgrades, destination-based carrier mixes, and SKU-specific handling - perfect for translating existing Table Rate logic into automation.
- Why/why-not + telemetry: Every evaluation records why a rule fired, how long it took, and whether the label succeeded. Use telemetry dashboards to prove carrier mixes, SLA adherence, and blocked-rule counts.
Keep your finely tuned checkout logic. ParcelOffice simply continues the story after the order is paid - no more spreadsheets, CSV exports, or late-night label sessions.
Need help choosing the right carrier adapters once the rules decide? Dive into our carrier-specific plugin guide for Royal Mail, DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD, and Evri considerations.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Table Rates for checkout pricing?
Yes. ParcelOffice doesn’t replace your storefront pricing logic. Keep Table Rates or Conditional Shipping to show the right methods and fees at checkout, then let ParcelOffice automate the post-purchase decisioning and label creation.
How do ParcelOffice rules decide between Royal Mail and DHL?
Rules evaluate weight, basket value, destination, promised delivery speed, and even custom metadata. You can stack conditions (e.g., “Royal Mail 48 unless basket > £150 to Northern Ireland, then DHL Economy Select”) and see why/why-not explanations for every decision.
Can I attach SKU-specific pack notes?
Yes. Pack-bench notes introduced in v1.5 let you surface reminders like “Add bracket kit” or “Ship upright” when certain rules fire, so nothing gets missed.
What happens if a rule blocks a label?
ParcelOffice logs the failure, surfaces why/why-not feedback, and shows it in the audit timeline. Ops teams can override, tweak the rule, or fall back to a catch-all service - all without editing PHP.