Control WooCommerce Shipping At Checkout

WooDonkey Shipping Rules let you manage shipping zones, methods, and classes from one place, then add smart rules on top. You can add Flat Rate, Free Shipping, and Local Pickup, with zones at country level. Smart rules sit on those WooCommerce methods and change cost or availability at checkout. The WooDonkey Companion plugin applies those smart rules when WooCommerce calculates rates. Companion is also required if you hide other methods when a WooCommerce Free Shipping method is available, and Local Pickup stays.

With WooDonkey smart shipping rules, you gain flexibility to adjust shipping costs and availability for your customers. You can apply a surcharge or offer a discount, either as a fixed amount in your store’s currency or as a percentage of the order. Rules also allow you to make matching shipping rates free, hide specific methods entirely, or set a maximum shipping cost cap for an order. These powerful actions can be applied to all shipping methods or specifically to Flat Rate, Free Shipping, or Local Pickup options.

WooDonkey smart rules offer precise targeting by allowing you to define specific conditions that must all be met to trigger an action. You can set rules based on the cart’s subtotal, total weight in kilograms, or the number of items in the order. Further refine your targeting by specifying the customer’s country or checking if the cart contains particular products, categories, or shipping classes. You also have the option to add exclusions, ensuring your rules apply exactly where intended. This granular control helps you create highly specific shipping scenarios.

When more than one smart rule matches, the matching non-cap rules stack in the priority order you set. A surcharge can sit on top of a discount, and a hide action can remove a method from the list. A maximum-cost rule always runs last, so the final price cannot pass the cap you set. Conditions inside one rule all must match. Use more than one rule when you need separate cases.

The WooDonkey Companion plugin is required for smart shipping rules to reach checkout. It applies your enabled rules when WooCommerce calculates package rates, so shoppers see the adjusted cost or a hidden method. Companion is also required for hiding other methods when a WooCommerce Free Shipping method is available. Local Pickup stays in that case. Managing zones and method names in WooDonkey does not replace Companion for those live checkout actions.

When you use the ‘make matching rates free’ action in a WooDonkey smart rule, it effectively zeroes out the cost of applicable shipping rates for your customers. This action provides flexibility by directly adjusting the price of existing shipping methods to zero, rather than creating a new, distinct WooCommerce Free Shipping method. This means you’re modifying current options, not adding new ones to the list. Please note that the Add-to-Cart Popup free-shipping bar operates independently, using its own eligibility amount for display.

WooDonkey provides a centralized place to manage your core WooCommerce shipping setup, giving you clear oversight. You can directly add and configure standard shipping methods such as Flat Rate, Free Shipping, and Local Pickup within the WooDonkey interface. This also includes managing your shipping zones, which are defined at the country level, with the ‘Rest of the World’ zone always available. While you can precisely control these fundamental methods, this editor does not add table-rate tables or integrate with carrier plugins.

You can try WooDonkey Shipping Rules on a 14-day trial with 100 AI credits and no credit card. Connect your store, add zones or smart rules, and enable only the ones shoppers should see. There is no separate test mode, so only enabled rules go live. Cancel anytime during the trial if it is not the right fit. Shoppers keep the same WooCommerce method names while Companion applies the live rules.