The shipping carriers and methods you might use may not be the same carriers or methods that a Supplier uses. Shipping mapping helps to let Crowdship know which methods you'd like to purchase from a Supplier, when there is no perfect match in the options offered by the Supplier.
You can find Shipping Mapping on the Preferences page.
To configure your mappings, simply select a method on the left column that you might sell in your order, and then select a corresponding method you'd like to purchase from the Supplier when the exact match doesn't exist.
For example:
A Customer buys some Crowdship fulfilled item from your shop, with Standard shipping option
But the Supplier that will fulfill that item doesn't have "Standard" as a shipping option, and only uses various levels of USPS service.
Shipping Mapping allows you to tell Crowdship that in this instance, you would like to purchase "USPS Priority Mail (up to 3 days)."
Another example:
A Customer buys some Crowdship fulfilled item from your shop, with "FedEx Ground®" shipping option
Shipping Mapping allows you to tell Crowdship that in this instance, you would like to purchase the "Cheapest" shipping method available.
Crowdship will then purchase the cheapest shipping option that the Supplier offers.
Last example:
A Customer buys some Crowdship fulfilled item from your shop, with "USPS Priority Mail (up to 3 days)" shipping option
But the Supplier that will fulfill that item only uses various levels of FedEx and UPS service, but not USPS.
Shipping Mapping allows you to tell Crowdship that in this instance, you would like to purchase "FedEx 2Day® (up to 3 days)."
We have also started working on a feature that Shopify has just recently allowed, which will enable Crowdship to provide auto calculated shipping charges at your checkout, right from the Supplier(s), and so your Customer will pay for shipping exactly what you will pay for shipping, eliminating any profit loss due to shipping charges. We will let you know when this feature is available.