Update Product Settings

Product settings let you control how your products interact with Intuitive Shipping. Adding physical details like dimensions and weight helps ensure accurate packing during carrier rate calculations. You can also use product shipping settings to control where and how each product ships - and even set specific shipping costs at the product level.

 

 

How It Works

All of your products are synced with Intuitive Shipping when you install the app. As you make changes to products in your eCommerce platform, whether it’s adding new products or removing older ones, assigning tags or building collections or categories, those changes are synced automatically.

 

When Physical Attributes Are Neccesary

Product physical attributes - dimensions and weight - may be required, depending on your eCommerce platform and how your setup is configured.

If you’re using custom service shipping methods with predetermined shipping costs, product weights and dimensions are only necessary in certain situations:

• Your Scenarios use weight-based or dimensional volume-based conditions.
• Your shipping methods use weight-based or dimensional volume-based rate types.

If you’re using parcel service, freight service, or integrated service shipping methods that calculate real-time carrier rates, product weight is required for accurate rate calculations. Product dimensions are also required if you’re using the volume-based or SmartBoxing packing algorithms, or if you want to limit how products are packed based on size when using other algorithms like weight-based or quantity-based packing.

 

Product Dimensions

Intuitive Shipping requires specific values for length, width, and height to calculate dimensional volume. These values must reflect the shipping dimensions, either the packed size of the product or the size of its individual package if it ships on its own or without additional packaging.

You can enter dimensions directly into your Intuitive Shipping product settings, even if your eCommerce platform has its own dimension fields. If the values in Intuitive Shipping are different from those in your platform’s product settings, Intuitive Shipping will use its own values instead.

Shopify does not currently support dedicated fields for product length, width, or height. If you’re using Shopify and plan to apply conditions, rate types, or packing algorithms that rely on dimensions or volume, you’ll need to enter product dimensions in Intuitive Shipping.

BigCommerce provides product fields for length, width, and height. If you’re using BigCommerce with dimension or volume-based settings, the dimension values in Intuitive Shipping will override those in BigCommerce.

We check product dimension values at checkout before calculating rates. If dimensions are required, we first check the products in the cart. If dimensions are stored in Intuitive Shipping, those will be used. If not, we’ll use the dimensions from your BigCommerce product settings.

 

Product Weights

Both Shopify and BigCommerce let you store product weights in their systems. However, if you enter product weights in Intuitive Shipping, those values will override the weights from your eCommerce platform. This means that if there is a difference between the two, Intuitive Shipping will use the weight value from our system instead of the one saved in your platform.

We check product weight values at checkout before calculating rates. If weights are required, we first check the products in the cart. If weights are stored in Intuitive Shipping, those will be used. If not, we’ll use the weights from your eCommerce platform product settings.

 

Additional Pieces

If you sell products in separate pieces and each piece has its own package or shipping dimensions, you can add each additional piece to the main product and assign dimensions and weight to each one.

For example, if you sell a table set under a single SKU but the tabletop and legs are packaged separately, you can treat the tabletop as the parent product and add one or more additional pieces to represent the package or packages for the table legs.

 

Product Variants

If your products have variants, you can apply the same settings to all variants or set unique settings for specific ones.

For example, if you sell glassware with three tint options and all other attributes are the same, you might choose to use the primary variant settings for all variants.

If your products have size variants, such as clothing or storage bins, you can assign different settings to each size variant as needed.

 

Default Product Settings

If you’re regularly adding new products, it can be challenging to keep physical attributes up to date. This can cause issues if your Scenarios or shipping methods rely on that information, as missing details may lead to rate calculation failures and prevent customers from checking out.

To help manage this, Intuitive Shipping provides default product settings. If a product is missing key attributes, default values will be applied automatically to ensure the customer can still complete their checkout. We’ll walk you through how to set up default values later in this guide.

 

Update Product Settings

This section will show you how to update settings for individual products. If you have a lot of products, you can update product settings in bulk using a CSV file.

To update multiple products at once, skip ahead to Update Product Settings in Bulk.

1. Click Products on the sidebar menu.

 

2. Search for a product by scrolling through the list or by filtering the list, then clicking the filter button.

You have three (3) filtering options to choose from:

• Filter by product title - type the full or partial name of the product, then hit Enter.
• Filter by type - select a product type from the drop-down list.
• Filter by vendor - select the product vendor name from the drop-down list.

 

3. Click Edit beside a product you wish to update.

 

 

Physical Attributes

Product dimensions are required if you’re using:

• Volume-based or dimensional-based conditions in Scenarios

• Volume-based packing algorithms, including SmartBoxing

• Simple packing algorithms, such as weight-based, where dimensions are used to prevent certain products from being packed into specific boxes due to size

If you’re using Shopify and any of these apply to your setup, you’ll need to add product dimensions directly in Intuitive Shipping. Without them, shipping methods that depend on these features won’t be able to calculate rates, and customers won’t be able to complete checkout unless you enable default settings.

If you’re using BigCommerce and already have dimensions entered in your platform’s product settings, adding them to Intuitive Shipping is optional. However, if you choose to manage dimensions through Intuitive Shipping, keep in mind that our values will override the ones in BigCommerce if they are different.

 

Product weight is required if you’re using:

• Weight-based conditions in Scenarios

• Weight-based rate types or packing algorithms, including SmartBoxing

• Any shipping method that calculates real-time carrier rates

If you don’t enter a weight in Intuitive Shipping, the system will use the weight stored in Shopify or BigCommerce for rate calculations, if available. That means you must have a weight entered in either your eCommerce platform or Intuitive Shipping.

If no weight is available and no default settings are applied, shipping methods that rely on weight-based settings won’t be able to calculate rates, and customers won’t be able to complete their checkout.

1. Enter the shipping dimensions (length, width and height) of the product. For example, if a t-shirt is folded to 12 x 8 x 1 inches, those are its shipping dimensions. Likewise, if a coffee mug ships in a retail gift box measuring 5 x 5 x 5 inches, the box dimensions are considered the shipping dimensions. If you're using BigCommerce, the product dimensions in Intuitive Shipping will override the dimensions in your platform product settings.

 

2. Enter the shipping weight of the product. The product weight in Intuitive Shipping will override the weight in your eCommerce platform product settings. 

 

3. Choose whether or not the product can be used as a container for other products. This feature is currently in beta and works with Nesting settings (also in beta).

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Cannot contain other products - products set to 'nest inside container products' cannot be packed inside this product.
• Can contain other products - products set to 'nest inside container products' can be packed inside this product.

This setting is useful if the product has negative space suitable for packing other, smaller products. For example, a handbag that can include a belt or a storage bin that can be packed with a set of dust covers.

If you selected 'Cannot contain other products, skip ahead to Additional Pieces.

 

4. Enter the internal dimensions (length, width and height) of the product when used as a container. Products set to 'nest inside container products' will be packed inside this product if they fit.

 

5. Enter the maximum weight of the product. This is the weight limit the product can hold when used as a container for products set to 'nest inside container products'. The combined weight of the nested items will be added to the container product’s shipping weight.

 

 

Additional Pieces

If your product ships in multiple pieces, each individual piece can be added to Intuitive Shipping.

For example, if you sell a bed frame under a single SKU but it ships in three separate boxes, you can add each additional piece by entering the shipping dimensions and applying any other necessary shipping settings.

You only need to enter the additional pieces. If a product includes more than one piece, Intuitive Shipping treats the main product settings you’ve already entered as the first piece.

1. Click Add additional piece.

 

2. Enter the product piece title for the additional piece, such as ‘Head Board’ or ‘Piece 2’.

 

3. Enter the outer dimensions (length, width and height) for the additional product piece. For example, if 'Piece 2' ships in a box with dimensions 8 x 40 x 2, those are its outer 'shipping' dimensions. 

 

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Pack with other products - the additional product piece will be packed with other products in the order depending on the packing algorithm and package options assigned to the shipping method. This is the default setting.
• Pack separately - the additional product piece will be packed in a custom package using the outer (shipping) dimensions entered in Step 3.

For example, if you sell a table with removable legs, you can decide if the table legs - as a separate product piece - can be packed with other products in the order, or if it is packed separately in a custom package. If packed separately, the outer dimensions of the product piece will be used to create a custom package.

If you are using custom service or local delivery shipping methods that don’t require packages, the packing method settings will be ignored, no matter how they are configured.

 

Additional Physical Settings 

Additional settings are available for nestable products and packing points.

• Nestable lets you configure the additional piece to be packed inside products that are set to 'Can contain other products'. 
• Packing points are a custom, arbitrary value you assign when other values like weight, quantity, or volume aren’t suitable for determining how a product should be packed with others. When setting up a shipping method that requires packages - such as parcel service, freight service, or integration service - you’ll need to choose the points-based packing algorithm.

If the product isn't nestable or you're not using a points-based packing algorithm in your shipping method, skip ahead to save your additional piece.

1. Click Show additional physical settings

 

2. Choose whether or not the additional piece is nestable.

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Nest inside container products - the additional product piece can be packed inside products set to 'Can contain other products' if its physical attributes are within the limits of the 'container' product's inner dimensions.
• Do not nest inside container products - the additional product piece cannot be packed inside products set to 'Can contain other products'.

 

3. Assign packing points to the additional piece. Packing points are custom values used with Intuitive Shipping’s points-based packing algorithm, available in parcel service, freight service, or integrated service shipping methods. This approach is helpful when packing can’t be accurately defined using standard algorithms like weight-based, quantity-based, or volume-based. Packing points give you control over how many and which products can be grouped into a single package.

If you’re using other packing algorithms or shipping methods that don’t require packages, packing point settings will be ignored. 

 

4. Click the Save button to save your additional product piece settings.

The additional product piece will be listed under Product pieces. You can edit its settings or delete it at any time. If you delete an additional piece, you may need to adjust the physical attributes, especially the weight, of the main parent product.

 

5. Repeat the steps above for each additional piece you want added to the main product.

 

Packing Method

1. Select a packing method.

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Pack with other products - the product will be packed with other products included in the order depending on the packing algorithm and package options assigned to the shipping method. This is the default setting.
• Pack separately - the product will be packed in a custom package using the shipping dimensions entered earlier as the custom package dimensions.

When a product is set to ‘Pack separately’, Intuitive Shipping will create a custom package for each unit ordered. For example, if a product has shipping dimensions of 5 x 5 x 10 inches and is set to ‘Pack separately’, and a customer orders 3 of them, Intuitive Shipping will generate 3 separate packages, each measuring 5 x 5 x 10 inches.

If you choose ‘Pack separately’, we strongly recommend double-checking the shipping dimensions to ensure they match the actual size of the package the product ships in.

For example, if you sell dry food containers with physical dimensions of 4.5 x 4.5 x 9 inches, but you pack or ship them individually in branded boxes that measure 5 x 5 x 10 inches, the shipping dimensions entered should be 5 x 5 x 10.

If you are using custom service or local delivery shipping methods that don't use packages, the packing method settings will be ignored, regardless of how they're set.

 

Additional Physical Settings 

Additional optional settings are available for nestable products and packing points.

• Nestable lets you configure the product to be packed inside products that are set to 'Can contain other products'. 
• Packing points are a custom, arbitrary value you assign when other values like weight, quantity, or volume aren’t suitable for determining how a product should be packed with others. When setting up a shipping method that requires packages - such as parcel service, freight service, or integrated service - you’ll need to choose the points-based packing algorithm.

If the product isn't nestable or you're not using a points-based packing algorithm in your shipping method, skip ahead to Shipping Settings.

1. Click Show additional physical settings.

 

2. Choose whether or not the product is nestable.

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Nest inside container products - the product can be packed inside other products set to 'Can contain other products' if its physical attributes are within the limits of the 'container' product's inner dimensions.
• Do not nest inside container products - the product cannot be packed inside products set to 'Can contain other products'.

 

3. Assign packing points to the product. Packing points are custom values used with Intuitive Shipping’s points-based packing algorithm, available in parcel service, freight service, or integrated service shipping methods. This approach is helpful when packing can’t be accurately defined using standard algorithms like weight-based, quantity-based, or volume-based. Packing points give you control over how many and which products can be grouped into a single package.

If you’re using other packing algorithms or shipping methods that don’t require packages, packing point settings will be ignored. 

 

 

Shipping Settings

1. Enter a Harmonized System (HS) code. HS codes are standardized numerical codes used globally to classify traded products and are required for exporting products internationally. HS codes are intended to work exclusively with our Zonos integration. 

 

2. Select a free shipping eligibility setting.

You have three (3) settings to choose from:

• Qualifies for free shipping - when a free shipping threshold is enabled in a shipping method and activated at checkout, this product will be included in the free shipping calculation. This is the default setting.

• Exclude from free shipping - when a free shipping threshold is enabled in a shipping method and activated at checkout, this product will still have a shipping cost calculated by the shipping method, while the rest of the order qualifies for free shipping.

• Always ship for free - no shipping cost will ever be applied to this product, regardless of the shipping method or free shipping threshold settings.

For example, let's say you have a custom service shipping method with the following rate table:

• $10.00 for up to 5 items

• $20.00 for 6 to 10 items

• $50.00 for more than 10 items

You’ve also enabled a free shipping threshold for orders over $100.00 (before tax).

Products with ‘Qualifies for free shipping’ selected count toward both the rate table and the free shipping threshold. If the total order exceeds $100.00, the entire order qualifies for free shipping.

If ‘Exclude from free shipping’ is selected instead, and a customer orders 7 of that product, the customer will still be charged $20.00 for shipping based on the rate table, even if the order exceeds $100.00.

However, if ‘Always ship for free’ is selected, those products are ignored during shipping cost calculations. If the total order is under $100.00 and a customer orders 15 items, but 10 of them are  products that always ship for free, the rate table will apply only to the remaining 5 items. In that case, the customer will be charged just $10.00 for shipping.

 

Free Shipping vs. Zero-Cost Shipping

A product's free shipping eligibility setting determines if a product does or doesn't qualify for free shipping. This setting is intended to work with the optional free shipping threshold setting included in every paid shipping method. This can be found in the optional settings section of any shipping method's 'Edit' page.

 

Free shipping eligibility also works when you create a dedicated free shipping method.

 

However, if you’re offering free shipping by using a zero-cost rate row on a rate table, the product’s free shipping eligibility setting will be ignored. This is because the system treats a zero-cost rate row as a cost, not a threshold. As a result, products set to ‘Exclude from free shipping’ will still be included in the zero-cost calculation.

Here's an example of a custom service shipping method rate table with a zero-cost rate row.

Using this example, any product set to ‘Exclude from free shipping’ will still count toward the total item count. This means if a customer orders more than 25 items, including products that are excluded from free shipping, the customer will not be charged for shipping.

 

Additional Shipping Settings

Additional shipping settings are available for zone exclusion and custom shipping costs. These settings are optional.

• Do not ship to regions (zone exclusion) ensures that a product can never be shipped to a specific zone. This is useful if you want to block checkout for products that can’t be delivered to certain locations without the need to manage it through Scenario conditions.

• Custom shipping allows you to set fixed shipping costs for products that always cost the same to ship - regardless of what else is in the cart, where it’s going, or how it’s being shipped. Using the 'custom shipping blending' settings in your shipping methods, you can control how these custom costs interact with the rates calculated by the shipping method.

If you don't need to exclude products from certain zones or add custom shipping costs, skip ahead to Variants.

1. Click Show additional shipping settings.

 

Do Not Ship To Regions

You can exclude specific products from shipping to certain zones if they are restricted items, controlled goods, or if shipping to those zones is too costly. While it’s possible to manage these restrictions through a combination of Scenario conditions and shipping method settings, excluding zones at the product level is often more efficient, especially if you sell a mix of products, some of which have no regional limitations.

For example, if you’re a Canadian-based business shipping both within Canada and to the US, but a few of your products can’t legally or affordably be shipped across the border, you can simply exclude the 'USA' zone for those items. This prevents US customers from purchasing restricted products.

If a zone isn’t currently assigned to any shipping methods, like the default ‘Rest of World’ zone, there’s no need to exclude products from it unless you plan to use that zone later. Since it isn’t tied to any shipping methods, no shipping rates will be calculated, and customers in that zone won’t be able to check out.

 

1. Select one or more zones you want the product excluded from. If a customer’s shipping address falls within a selected zone, they won’t be able to complete checkout unless the product is removed from their cart.

If you have rates from other sources, such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or another third-party rate calculator, that appear alongside rates from Intuitive Shipping, products restricted from certain zones will not be blocked from receiving rates from those other sources.

For example, let’s say you set up a $2.00 markup in Shopify that gets added to every rate calculated by Intuitive Shipping. If you have products set to ‘Do not ship to regions’ in certain zones, and a customer from one of those zones tries to order those restricted products, they’ll still be able to check out - and they’ll only be charged the $2.00 markup from Shopify.

To prevent this, you should remove the markup from Shopify and use the cost adjustment settings within your Intuitive Shipping methods instead. This will ensure that products restricted from certain zones cannot be purchased by customers living in those regions.

 

Custom Shipping

Each product can have its own custom shipping cost. You can apply the same custom cost to all zones or set different costs for each zone, depending on your needs. These custom rates only apply when the product is purchased by customers in the selected zones. If a zone is left blank, no custom shipping cost will be applied for that product. Shipping will instead be calculated using the rates from the shipping methods assigned to that zone.

Custom shipping costs can be blended with or override the rates from shipping methods when those products are included in an order. You can control how custom shipping costs interact with shipping method rates using the Custom Shipping Blending settings, which are found in the optional settings section near the bottom of any shipping method.

 

1. Enter the product’s custom shipping cost for one or more zones. 

There are two (2) fields for custom shipping costs:

• Cost of first quantity - the amount entered here is added to the final shipping cost when a customer has at least one of the product in their cart.

• Cost of each additional quantity - the amount entered here is added for each additional item beyond the first. Leave this field blank if you want to charge a flat rate regardless of quantity.

For example, let's say a customer orders 5 of this product. You enter ‘75’ ($75.00) in the first quantity field and leave the additional quantity field blank.

Result: The customer will have $75.00 added to their shipping cost at checkout. The custom shipping cost applies only to the first item, and the remaining 4 items are not charged any additional shipping.

 

Now, let's say you have '75' in both the 'first quantity' field and 'additional quantity' field:

Result: The customer will have $375.00 added onto their shipping cost at checkout because they are being charged $75.00 for the first item, plus an additional $75.00 per item for the other 4 items.

• $75.00 + ($75.00 + $75.00 + $75.00 + $75.00) = $375.00 

 

Finally, let's say you enter '75' in the 'first quantity' field and '15' in the 'additional quantity' field

Result: The customer will have $135.00 added onto their shipping cost at checkout because they are being charged $75.00 for the first item, plus an additional $15.00 per item for the other 4 items.

• $75.00 + ($15.00 + $15.00 + $15.00 + $15.00) = $135.00 

 

Let's say you've left the ‘first quantity’ blank and entered '15' ($15.00) in the 'additional quantity' field.

You will be unable to save your product settings until you do one of the following:

1. Add a cost to 'first quantity'.
2. Remove the cost from 'additional quantity'.

 

If a product does not have custom shipping costs, leave all custom shipping cost fields blank. If you enter '0' (zero) in the 'first quantity' field, it will result in the product always having a zero ('free') custom shipping cost when ordered by customers from that zone.

 

Variants

If your product has variants, like clothing in sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL, or beverage glassware in different tints, you can choose to apply unique physical attributes and shipping settings to each one, or use the settings from the primary product for all.

By default, Intuitive Shipping applies the primary variant's settings to every other variant.

If you decide to apply unique settings to other variants, make sure to complete all applicable settings. For settings requiring a specific value (ones that don't have a default setting or selectable option), you’ll need to enter a value for each variant where applicable. If you leave them blank, the primary value won’t carry over.

For example, let's say a product and all its variants requires a custom shipping cost. If you added a custom shipping cost to the primary variant, you’ll also need to add it to each variant set to use unique product settings. Otherwise, customers won't be charged custom shipping costs for the other variants.

If you don't have variants or they don't have unique product attributes or settings, skip ahead to Save Your Settings

1. Click Variants below the product name heading, then select a variant from the list.

 

2. Select Define settings for this variant. When selected, the settings applied to this variant will override the Primary settings. For example, if the Primary product has a weight of 4 lbs, but you set the variant’s shipping weight to 3 lbs, Intuitive Shipping will use 3 lbs in the rate calculation when the variant is ordered instead of the Primary.

 

3. Enter values for physical attributes and edit settings for additional pieces, packing and shipping as needed for the variant.

 

4. Repeat Steps 1-3 for each additional variant that requires its own unique settings.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your product settings.

 

 

Update Product Settings In Bulk

It may not be practical to add physical attributes and shipping settings to all of your products individually, especially if you have dozens or even hundreds of products. Intuitive Shipping allows you to import settings for multiple products at once using a CSV file. This can be done whether or not products were previously updated manually in Intuitive Shipping. Importing requires a specially formatted file, which you can generate by exporting a CSV file from Intuitive Shipping.

If you’ve never updated product settings for a single product before, it’s a good idea to manually update at least one product first using the steps above. Be sure to fill in all settings fields, even if you use temporary values that can be removed later. This helps you get familiar with the correct formatting and reduces the chance of errors when working with the CSV file.

 

1. Click Products on the sidebar menu. 

 

2. Filter the product list. 

You have three (3) filtering options to choose from:

• Filter by product title - type the full or partial name of the product, then hit Enter.
• Filter by type - select a product type from the drop-down list.
• Filter by vendor - select the product vendor name from the drop-down list.

 

3. Click the filter icon button.

 

4. Click Export.

 

5. Choose an Export setting.

You have three (3) settings to choose from:

• All products - the CSV file will include every product currently synced with Intuitive Shipping.
• Currently filtered products - the CSV file will only include products that were filtered in Steps 2 and 3.
• Products without dimensions - the CSV file will only include products that don't currently have dimensions stored in Intuitive Shipping. This is useful if you're using SmartBoxing or volume-based packing, which requires dimensions, and you only need to update products missing length, width and height.

 

6. Click the Export button.

After exporting the CSV file, a notification will appear in the top right corner of any page. If it doesn’t show right away, try refreshing the Products page or navigating to another page. An email notification will also be sent to the primary email contact and, if added, the secondary contact.

 

7. Click the Notifications icon on any page to move to the Notifications page.

 

8. Click the downward arrow in line with the most recent 'Product export complete' notification. When expanded, the notification confirms the success of the export and provides access to download the CSV file.

 

9. Click download. The file will be sent to your default 'Downloads' folder. Depending on your computer's browser and operating system, confirmation may be required to complete the download.

 

10. Navigate to your computer's downloads folder, then open the CSV file. Settings for any previously updated products will be listed in the CSV file. If no products were previously updated, all rows will be blank except for the product ID, variant ID (if applicable), title (product name) and any default settings.

 

 

Physical Attributes

You’re only required to add physical attributes like dimensions and weight to products that need them for rate calculations:

Add product dimensions if you're using:

• Shipping methods that use the volume-based or SmartBoxing packing algorithms for carrier rates or the dimensional volume rate type for custom rates.
• Shipping methods that use simple packing algorithms, but restrict packing based on product dimensions.
• Scenarios with dimension-based conditions or restrictions.

Add weight if you're using:

• Parcel service, freight service or integration service shipping methods that calculate carrier rates in real time, regardless of the packing algorithm.
• Custom service shipping methods that use the weight rate type.
• Scenarios with weight-based conditions or restrictions.

When entering dimensions, always use the product’s shipping dimensions. For example, if a mug ships in a retail gift box that is 5 x 5 x 5 inches, enter the mug's length, width, and height as ‘5’, ‘5’, and ‘5’ respectively.

 

1. In the first product row, enter a value in each applicable column.

 

Shipping Settings

You can update shipping settings in bulk if needed. To help avoid formatting errors, we strongly recommend filling out all settings for at least one product - even if some settings aren’t required for that item. This gives you a reliable reference and helps ensure you’re using the correct format when entering values.

^{1) Package separately - Products are set to 'pack with other products' by default when the cell is blank. Learn more about how the packing method feature works here.}

^{2) Packing Points - Products do not have packing points assigned by default. Learn more about how the packing points feature works here.}

^{3) HS Code - Products do not have an HS code assigned by default. HS codes are only required if you are using Zonos with Intuitive Shipping. Zonos is currently in beta. Please contact us to request access.}

^{4) Free shipping - Products are set to 'include' by default. This means the product will be included in free shipping if your paid shipping methods have a free shipping threshold enabled and free shipping is activated at checkout. Learn more about how the free shipping feature works here.}

^{5) Restrict Shipping - Products are set to 'unrestricted' by default when the cell is blank. We strongly recommend updating these settings manually in each individual product. If you choose to update these settings in bulk using the CSV, we suggest applying the setting to a sample product and re-exporting the CSV file, then copy the same values to each applicable product. Learn more about how the restrict shipping feature works here.}

^{6) Custom Shipping - Products do not have custom shipping costs by default when the cell is blank. We strongly recommend updating these settings manually in each individual product. However, if you choose to update these settings in bulk using the CSV, we suggest applying the setting to a sample product and re-exporting the CSV file, then copy the same values to each applicable product. Learn more about how the custom shipping feature works here.}

 

2. Repeat the 'Physical Attributes' and 'Shipping Settings' steps for each additional product listed. 

 

3. Save the CSV file to any folder on your computer. If you choose a location other than 'Downloads,' note it so it can be easily found. You can leave the file name as-is or change it to something else, if needed. The file name doesn't affect importing. However, it must be in a CSV file format, such as 'IS product settings import.csv'.

 

4. Return to the Products list page in Intuitive Shipping.

 

5. Click Import.

 

6. Click Choose file, then navigate to the folder containing the saved CSV file.

 

7. Select the file to be uploaded.

 

8. Click the Import button to upload the file.

A notification will appear in the top right of any page, though it may not show until you refresh the Products page or navigate to a different page. An email notification will also be sent to the primary and, if applicable, secondary email contact.

The notification will indicate if the import was successful or unsuccessful.

 

9. If the import was unsuccessful, repeat the steps above or contact us for assistance.

 

10. If the import was successful, return to the Products list page to verify that your product settings have been imported correctly.

 

11. Click Edit beside a product that was included in the CSV import.

 

12. Review all of the product settings for accuracy.

 

13. If desired, repeat the verification steps for other products.

 

 

Default Settings

If your shipping methods require product dimensions, Intuitive Shipping lets you set default dimensions for any products missing this information. This helps ensure that dimension-based or volume-based rates are calculated correctly, reducing the risk of checkout errors, customer frustration, and lost sales.

Default settings are especially useful if you regularly add new products but can't add shipping dimensions right away, or if existing data is accidentally removed.

You can also set a default weight. This is helpful if you don’t typically enter product weights in your eCommerce platform and prefer to manage them directly in Intuitive Shipping. Just like default dimensions, a default weight ensures accurate rate calculations even when product weights are missing or unintentionally cleared.

As long as you have an active billing plan, which includes your free trial, products will sync automatically with Intuitive Shipping when changes are made in your eCommerce platform. If a large number of updates happen in a short period, syncing may be delayed. In those cases, Intuitive Shipping will use your default settings to calculate rates at checkout for any products that haven’t finished syncing.

1. Click Products on the sidebar menu.

 

2. Click Default settings.

 

3. Select Active.

 

4. Enter default shipping dimensions (length, width, and height). When enabled, these default values will automatically be used for any product that does not have its own dimensions or has not yet synced with Intuitive Shipping. For best results, choose a default that reflects the average length, width, and height of your typical or frequently added products.

 

5. Enter a default shipping weight. When enabled, this default value will automatically be used for any product that does not have its own weight set in either your eCommerce platform or Intuitive Shipping. For best results, choose a default that reflects the average weight of your typical or frequently added products.

Let’s say you enter a default weight of 4 lbs. If a product doesn’t have a weight set in Intuitive Shipping but has an actual weight of 8 lbs in Shopify or BigCommerce, Intuitive Shipping will use the 8 lbs from your eCommerce platform when calculating shipping, not the default weight.

If a product is missing both dimensions and weight in Intuitive Shipping but has a weight in your eCommerce platform, Intuitive Shipping will apply the default dimensions but ignore the default weight. Instead, it will use the actual weight from Shopify or BigCommerce.

For example, let's say you've enter default dimensions of 2.5 x 4 x 10 and a default weight of 4 lbs.

A product has:

• No shipping dimensions or weight in Intuitive Shipping.
• A weight of 8 lbs in your eCommerce platform.

Intuitive Shipping will use the default dimensions and the 8 lb weight from your eCommerce platform, ignoring the default weight.

 

Additional Settings

Additional default product settings are available for packing method and packing points.

• Packing method allows you to decide whether products that rely on default physical attributes should be packed with other items or on their own. If a product is set to be 'pack separately', Intuitive Shipping will generate a custom package for each item ordered, using the default shipping dimensions as the package size.

• Packing points are a custom, arbitrary value you assign when other values like weight, quantity, or volume aren’t suitable for determining how a product should be packed with others. When setting up a shipping method that requires packages - such as parcel service, freight service, or integration service - you’ll need to choose the points-based packing algorithm.

1. Click Show additional settings.

 

2. Select a default packing method. This setting only applies to products that have not yet been synced with Intuitive Shipping. By default, all synced products are individually set to ‘Pack with other products’.

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Pack with other products - the product will be packed with other products included in the order depending on the packing algorithm and package options assigned to the shipping method. This is the normal setting for individual product settings. If you typically use this setting for individual products, we recommend using it here.

• Pack separately - the product will be packed in a custom package using the shipping dimensions entered above as the custom package dimensions. If you typically use this setting for individual products, we recommend using it here.

When ‘Pack separately’ is applied to a product that requires default settings, Intuitive Shipping will create a custom package for each item ordered.

For example, let's say the default shipping dimensions are 5 x 5 x 10 inches and this is set to 'Pack separately'. When a customer orders 3 of them, Intuitive Shipping will generate 3 separate packages, each measuring 5 x 5 x 10 inches.

If you select ‘Pack separately’, we strongly recommend double-checking the shipping dimensions to make sure they reflect your typical or average package size.

If you are using custom service or local delivery shipping methods that don't use packages, the packing method settings will be ignored, regardless of how they're set.

 

3. Assign a default packing points value. If you're using the packing points algorithm in any shipping methods, the default value you enter here will be used for any products that are missing dimensions or weight. This setting is ignored if you don't use the packing points algorithm in any shipping method.

 

4. Click the Save button to save your default settings.

 

 

What's Next:

• Test your setup

Optional:

• Create a blended rate
• Create a condition group
• Add a location 
• Update general settings

Can we lend a hand? Let us help you get up and running faster and with greater confidence. Book a complimentary Onboarding session!