Overview
In Mintsoft, you can configure how courier pricing is calculated based on order weight in kilograms. Two configuration options affect these calculations: Charge Weight By Consignment (which treats multi-parcel shipments as a single consignment for weight-based pricing) and Use Additional As Per Kg Rate (which changes how the 'Additional Parcel Cost' field is interpreted).
Charge Weight By Consignment
This method calculates shipping charges based on the total weight of the shipment rather than the number of parcels. It's beneficial as it allows for a fixed fee to be applied for a certain weight range, with an additional per-KG rate for any weight exceeding that range. This approach provides a clear and scalable pricing structure that can accommodate varying shipment sizes.
When this option is enabled, multi-parcel shipments are automatically treated as a single parcel for calculation purposes. For example, if an order has three parcels with a combined weight of 60KG, the system will calculate the cost as if it were one parcel weighing 60KG, rather than calculating the cost for three separate parcels.
Individual rows must be created for each kilogram beyond the initial weight limit. Below are instructions on how to do this in bulk through a spreadsheet upload, making it significantly easier to set up.
Enabling via user interface
To enable Charge Weight By Consignment for individual courier service prices:
Click Shipping Management then Couriers.
Click ManageCourierServices against the Courier you want to update.
Next, click ManagePrices against the Service you want to update.
Click Edit on the specific courier service price row.
Check the Charge Weight By Consignment checkbox.
Click Save.
Enabling via bulk upload
To upload courier prices with Charge Weight By Consignment enabled in bulk:
Click Shipping Management then Extras.
Next, click Uploads.
Select CourierServicePrices as the Template to download.
Populate the spreadsheet to your requirements, ensuring the ChargeWeightByConsignment column is populated with TRUE.
Save the spreadsheet as a CSV.
On the Uploads page within Mintsoft, select CourierServicePrices as the Type to upload.
Browse for the spreadsheet then click Upload.
Note: You can download the CourierServicePrices template directly from Mintsoft by navigating to Shipping Management then Extras, clicking Uploads, and selecting CourierServicePrices as the template to download. The template includes columns:
CourierService.
Client.
Warehouse.
Country.
Zone.
MinWeight and MaxWeight.
ParcelCost and AdditionalParcelCost.
ClientParcelCost and ClientAdditionalParcelCost.
VatExempt.
ExcludeFromAutoDetermine.
ChargeWeightByConsignment.
UseAdditionalAsPerKgRate.
Example
The rate is £7.50 up to 10KG, and then 50p per KG thereafter.
Scenario: An order with three parcels, combined weight of 60KG.
With Charge Weight By Consignment enabled:
Treated as: one parcel × 60KG.
Cost calculation: £7.50 (base up to 10KG) + (50KG × £0.50) = £7.50 + £25.00 = £32.50.
Without Charge Weight By Consignment (standard per-parcel pricing):
Treated as: three parcels × 20KG each.
This would be calculated differently depending on your per-parcel pricing structure.
You can do a simple calculation on the second row to do this as shown in the example below and double-click in the bottom right of the cell to complete for all weight rows required:
Use Additional As Per Kg Rate
Note: In the CSV template, this setting is represented by the column header UseAdditionalAsPerKgRate (no spaces).
How to enable
You can enable this setting in two ways:
Via user interface: When editing a courier service price (Shipping Management → Extras → Couriers → Manage Courier Services → Edit), check the Use Additional as Per Kg Rate checkbox.
Via CSV upload: Set the UseAdditionalAsPerKgRate column to TRUE in your CourierServicePrices spreadsheet.
Behaviour
If Use Additional as Per Kg Rate is enabled, the Additional Parcel Cost fields change their meaning:
Standard behaviour (when disabled):
Additional Parcel Cost = cost per additional parcel beyond the first.
Per KG Rate behaviour (when enabled):
Additional Parcel Cost = cost per kilogram of the order's total weight.
This allows you to charge based on total weight rather than parcel quantity for the additional cost component.
Cost calculations
The cost calculation to you is:
(Parcel Cost × Number of Parcels) + (Additional Parcel Cost × Total Order Weight in KG) + Fuel Surcharge (%).
The client cost calculation to your 3PL client is:
(Client Parcel Cost × Number of Parcels) + (Client Additional Parcel Cost × Total Order Weight in KG) + Fuel Surcharge (%).
Note: The fuel surcharge percentage is set at the courier service level (not per price). If a fuel surcharge is configured (e.g., 5%), it's automatically applied to the final calculated cost:
Final Cost = Base Calculated Cost + (Base Calculated Cost × Fuel Surcharge %).
Example: If base cost is £10 and fuel surcharge is 5%, final cost = £10 + (£10 × 5%) = £10.50.
To view or edit the fuel surcharge: Shipping Management → Couriers → Manage Courier Services → Edit the service.
Example
Example scenario:
Let's calculate the cost for an order with the following parameters:
Fuel Surcharge (%): 0.
Number of Parcels: 2.
Total Order Weight: 3 KG.
ParcelCost: 4.
AdditionalParcelCost: 3 (when Per KG Rate is enabled, this means £3 per KG).
ClientParcelCost: 5.
ClientAdditionalParcelCost: 4 (when Per KG Rate is enabled, this means £4 per KG).
Calculation example:
Cost to you: (4×2) + (3×3) + 0% = 17.
Client cost: (5×2) + (4×3) + 0% = 22.
Combining both settings
You can enable both Charge Weight By Consignment and Use Additional As Per Kg Rate together for maximum flexibility.
When both are enabled:
First, multi-parcel shipments are treated as a single parcel with the total weight.
Then, the per-kilogram rate is applied to that total weight.
Example
Order: Three parcels, 15KG total weight.
Pricing:
Parcel Cost: £5.00.
Additional Parcel Cost (Per KG Rate): £0.50 per KG.
Calculation:
Treated as: one parcel (due to Charge Weight By Consignment).
Cost: (£5.00 × 1) + (£0.50 × 15) = £5.00 + £7.50 = £12.50.