Compare carrier rates the way operators actually pick services
Rate shop rules score the available service set at label time — cheapest, fastest, or preferred-carrier within a threshold — and feed the same logic into shipment mappings, bulk ship, and automation. No separate scoring sheet.
Rate shop response
12 oz · 12×9×4 in · DAL→NYC
USPS · Ground Advantage
3 days
$8.42
UPS · Ground
3 days
$9.18
FedEx · Ground
3 days
$9.41
UPS · 2nd Day Air
2 days
$13.27
FedEx · Express Saver
2 days
$13.66
UPS · Next Day Air Saver
1 day
$22.04
Rule applied: UPS-preferred under 5%
Selected · UPS Ground · $9.18
Rate shop rules
The same rule table operators manage from `/teams/shipping/rate-shops`
Each rule names the eligible domestic and international services, the transit-time ceiling, and the optional preferred-carrier threshold. Rules can be enabled, disabled, or attached to shipment mappings — no code change required.
- Pick eligible services per rule
- Cap transit by SLA
- Set preferred carrier with a threshold
Rate shop rules
Name | Enabled | Transit Time | Service Preference | Domestic | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Default · cheapest under 3 days | Enabled | Business Days 3 | Disabled | 14 services | 6 services |
Overnight only · enterprise SLA | Enabled | Business Days 1 | Enabled $5.00 | 4 services | 0 services |
Subscription kits · cheapest available | Enabled | No Restriction | Disabled | 18 services | 8 services |
Acme · UPS-preferred under 5% | Enabled | Business Days 5 | Enabled 5.00% | 9 services | 0 services |
International · DDP only | Disabled | No Restriction | Disabled | 0 services | 11 services |
Scoring model
The picker is one rule, evaluated at label time
No magic, no offline scoring spreadsheet. Each rate shop rule is a small, reviewable record — and the same record drives the rate-quote screen, shipment mappings, bulk ship, and automation rules.
Cheapest, fastest, preferred — picked at label time
The selector evaluates active rate shop rules at the moment a label is purchased. No background batch, no cached price drift.
Service preference with a threshold
Prefer a carrier (UPS, USPS, FedEx) but only if it's within X dollars or X percent of the cheapest. Honors negotiated rates without overpaying.
Transit-time restrictions enforced upstream
If a service can't make the SLA, it's filtered before scoring. Operators don't have to remember which option qualifies for the merchant's contract.
Multiple rate shop rules, scoped to the work
Rules attach to shipment mappings or fulfillment orders, so a subscription kit and an enterprise SLA can use different rules in the same warehouse.
Domestic + international service pools
Each rule lists domestic and international service IDs explicitly. No surprise carrier swaps when crossing borders.
Same data feeds shipment-mappings + bulk-ship
Once a rate shop rule exists, automation rules, shipment mappings, and bulk-ship all pull the same scoring logic.
Transit ceiling
No restriction
NO_RESTRICTION
Transit ceiling
≤ 1 business day
BUSINESS_DAYS_1
Transit ceiling
≤ 2 business days
BUSINESS_DAYS_2
Transit ceiling
≤ 3 business days
BUSINESS_DAYS_3
Transit ceiling
≤ 5 business days
BUSINESS_DAYS_5
Transit ceiling
Honor deliver-by date
USE_DELIVER_BY_DATE
Build a rate shop rule for your messiest shipping decision
Tell us the SLA, the preferred carrier, and the threshold — we'll wire the rule and show how it scores against live rates.
Schedule a DemoExplore more of our features
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Automation Rules
Build visual workflows with triggers, conditions, actions, and execution logs.