Before a table rate method can be configured, it must be added to an existing shipping zone in WooCommerce. A shipping zone is a geographical area where the items can be shipped. This feature was added to WooCommerce in the 2.6 update. You may have as many zones as you like, and each zone can have multiple shipping methods. Shipping zones can include countries, states/provinces, postal codes, and entire continents if desired.
It’s important to note that customers can only qualify for one zone. Once WooCommerce finds a matching zone for the customer it will ignore all others in the list. Be sure that your zones do not contain shipping methods meant for the same location but separated in different zones.
Creating a Zone
To set up shipping zones, go to: WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping. Make sure you have shipping enabled under WooCommerce > General. The Shipping settings page will not be displayed if the option Shipping Location(s) is not set!
The first time you visit this page you will see a prompt asking you to setup your first zone by clicking the purple ‘Add shipping zone’ button. You can also add zones by clicking the ‘Add shipping zone’ button at the top next to the page title.
Clicking on either of these buttons will bring you to a new page with the settings for your zone. Give the zone a title and select the appropriate regions. The third and final setting contains a table where you can create as many shipping methods as you like.
Clicking on the Add shipping method button will open a popup dialogue box containing a single select box. This box holds the options of all active shipping methods, including this plugin’s method. Select your desired method, and click the Add shipping method button again to add it to your shipping zone.
Once the method is added to your zone, you are ready to configure your shipping! Clicking on the title of the method brings you to the settings page where you can specify your shipping rules and rates.
Learn about the Settings Page next →
Additional Resources
- WooCommerce Documentation: Setting Up Shipping Zones
- WooCommerce YouTube Channel: Shipping Zones – Guided Tour