WooCommerce – Legacy Shipping Options

Last updated - July 8, 2021

After the introduction of shipping zones in WooCommerce version 2.6, some of the older shipping methods are going to be obsolete. At the moment these methods may work, but WooCommerce recommends users to move into shipping zones. When you move into shipping zones, you can apply multiple shipping methods into each zone and this renders certain options like International flat rate no longer necessary. The legacy options are expected to stop working in the future updates.

If you are setting up a new store and need guidance on setting up a new shipping method, please read our Quick Guide Shipping article.

This article intends to give an overview of the various traditional shipping methods in WooCommerce.

Flat Rate Shipping

In Flat Rate Shipping, you can set a fixed charge for shipping per item, per order, or per shipping class. There are specific placeholders that you can use to charge a minimum fee or a percentage-based cost.

You can enhance the functionalities of flat rate shipping by coupling it with product shipping classes. Whether you choose a ‘per-shipping class rate’ or ‘per-order rate’ can be totally according to your business strategy.

International Flat Rate

This is quite similar to flat rate shipping except that you could set a flat rate for shipping your products to international customers. With the availability of shipping zones in the new versions of WooCommerce, this is no longer relevant as a shipping method.

Free Shipping

Free Shipping is always a great way to enhance sales in your store. You can set up conditions like a minimum spending limit or provide coupons to avail free shipping to encourage customers into buying more from your store. You can choose the preferred condition on how to apply coupons on the front-end of your store from the shipping method setting.

You can also enable free shipping by hooking a function as well, though this requires sound knowledge in coding or help from an experienced developer.

Local Delivery

You could use Local Delivery as a shipping method in WooCommerce. Here you can either provide free shipping or specify a flat shipping fee or a cart-based percentage fee. The taxes on Local delivery by default are defined by your shop base location.

Local Pickup

In Local Pickup, your customers can pick up the orders from your store location. The taxes will be based on your shop base location and not the customer’s address.

For setting up a new shipping method, please refer to our WooCommerce Basics Quick Guide.