Flxpoint Knowledge Base

What this does

Estimated shipping cost

Predefined or real-time shipping cost per source, used to rank fulfillment options by total cost at routing time.

Estimated dropship fee

Per-source fee rules (flat, tiered, weight-based) that add to the total fulfillment cost calculation.

Real-time rate shopping

Live carrier rates via ShipEngine for shipping cost - replaces workflow estimates when enabled for a source.

Fallback logic

If rate shopping returns no result, Flxpoint falls back to the workflow-defined estimate automatically.

Two mechanisms - when to use each

Mechanism	How it works	Use when
Workflow estimation	Rules you configure on a source (flat rate, weight-tier, category-based) that set estimated cost at FR generation time. Configured at `Source → Workflows → Estimated Shipping Cost` and `Estimated Dropship Fee`.	Source has known, predictable shipping or fee structures. Required as a fallback even if rate shopping is enabled.
Rate shopping (ShipEngine)	Real-time carrier rate lookup at routing time. Enable it globally first at Global Settings → Orders → Rate Shopping (toggle to On), then connect ShipEngine and enable Rate Shopping per source. Overrides the workflow estimate when a valid rate is returned.	Source ships via carriers accessible through ShipEngine and you want live competitive rate comparison at routing time.

Important - read before configuring

Missing estimations make all sources look equally priced

If no estimated shipping cost or dropship fee is configured for a source, Flxpoint treats that source's total cost as the item cost only. When multiple sources have the same item cost, the Lowest Cost priority cannot differentiate them and falls through to the next rule - usually Preferred Source(s) - which may not route optimally.

Workflow estimations must be toggled on to take effect

Creating rules under Estimated Shipping Cost or Estimated Dropship Fee is not enough - the toggle on that workflow section must also be set to Yes. Rules saved with the toggle off are ignored at routing time. This is the most common reason estimations appear configured but don't affect routing decisions.

Add basis compounds costs across all line items in an FR

When the Basis for Estimated Shipping Cost is set to Add, Flxpoint adds the shipping cost for every line item on the FR. A 3-item order with $5 shipping per item = $15 total estimated shipping. Compare this to your actual invoice after fulfillment to confirm the estimate is realistic before relying on it for cost-based routing.

Rate shopping requires ShipEngine connection and per-source enablement

Rate shopping is not on by default for any source. Even after connecting ShipEngine at the account level, you must separately enable Rate Shopping inside each source's settings. Sources without it enabled will always use workflow estimations regardless of the account-level ShipEngine connection.

Estimated shipping cost - basis options

Basis	How it calculates	Use when
Add	Adds the estimated shipping cost for every line item on the FR	Carriers charge per item (e.g. $X per unit regardless of package)
Average	Averages the shipping cost across all line items on the FR	You want to normalize multi-item FR cost estimates across varying item sizes
Lowest	Uses the cheapest line-item shipping cost from the FR	You want a conservative (minimum) shipping estimate for routing comparisons
Highest	Uses the most expensive line-item shipping cost from the FR	You want a worst-case (maximum) shipping estimate to avoid under-costing routes

How estimations affect routing - example

Scenario: two sources, same item cost, different fees

An item under 5 lb. is available from both Distributor A and Distributor B at the same price.

Distributor A: Dropship fee = $1.00 for items under 5 lb. (configured as a tiered workflow rule).
Distributor B: Flat dropship fee = $2.00.

At routing time, Flxpoint calculates total cost for each: Distributor A = item + $1.00, Distributor B = item + $2.00.

Result: Distributor A is selected as Lowest Cost. Without these fee workflows configured, both sources would show the same total cost and the tiebreaker (Preferred Source list) would decide - potentially routing to Distributor B unnecessarily.

Common issues

Lowest Cost routing isn't selecting the expected source even though it's cheaper

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First confirm the workflow toggle is set to Yes on both Estimated Shipping Cost and Estimated Dropship Fee for the expected source at Source → Workflows → Estimated Shipping Cost and Estimated Dropship Fee. Then check that the rules within those workflows are correctly structured and test them using the test rule interface. Finally, verify that the other source doesn't have a lower cost estimate when dropship fees are included - use the Preview tool's financial summary to compare side-by-side.

Estimated shipping cost is much higher than the actual invoice

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This is usually caused by the Add basis applying per-item shipping costs to multi-item FRs, where the actual shipment uses a flat box rate. Switch the basis to Highest or use a tiered weight-based rule that approximates the carrier's actual box pricing. If you have ShipEngine connected, enabling Rate Shopping for that source gives you real carrier quotes instead of estimates.

Rate shopping isn't returning rates for some orders

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Rate shopping requires product dimensions and weight to be set on the source inventory items - missing dimensions cause carrier API queries to fail silently. Check the relevant source inventory records for length, width, height, and weight. Also verify the source address is configured (used as the "From" address in rate queries). When rate shopping fails, Flxpoint automatically falls back to the workflow estimation, so orders will still route - but at the estimated cost rather than the live rate.

FAQs

Do I need to configure estimations if I'm not using Lowest Cost routing?

Not for routing purposes. Estimations are only evaluated when the Lowest Cost priority is active in your routing group. However, they still feed the financial estimation summary in the Preview tool and appear on the FR record - so they're useful for profitability visibility even if you route by source preference.

Can I configure different estimation rules for different product categories?

Yes. The workflow rules for Estimated Shipping Cost and Estimated Dropship Fee support conditional logic - you can add rules that apply only when the SKU matches a category, weight range, or custom field value. This allows you to model a source's actual fee structure accurately for mixed catalogs.

Does rate shopping replace the workflow estimation entirely?

Only when a valid rate is returned. If ShipEngine cannot return a rate for a specific FR (due to missing dimensions, carrier eligibility, or API error), Flxpoint falls back to the workflow estimation automatically. You should always have a workflow estimation configured as a fallback even when rate shopping is enabled.

What are the requirements for Rate Shopping to return a rate?

Rate shopping needs several things configured: (1) a source address with country, state and postal code; (2) source shipping methods mapped to global shipping carriers/methods; (3) package options for each source shipping method - either the "Best Fit Package" feature enabled or specific package options selected manually; (4) inventory/product variants with dimensions and weights set (length, width, height with a dimension unit, and weight with a weight unit); and (5) a complete, valid shipping address for the customer on the order. Missing any of these causes Flxpoint to fall back to the workflow estimation.