Real Time Rates

[jackkyll]

Hi! I'm setting up my USPS Real Time rates for the first time. None of my orders that I'm testing have added any shipping to them.

Can someone confirm that I place http://production.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPI.dll in the RTR URL spot?

Also I went to the test site that the email told me to http://testing.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPITest.dll and I'm getting a URL not found error.

Maybe they are just down right now, but I'd like to be reassured.

Melissa

[SatinRose]

When I found this post I was really hoping there was a reply. I can't make my USPS RTR function either. One of the things I like about this cart is the ability to modify shipping rules and to do the RTR for USPS. But I can't get any of that to work right.

Can somebody help?

-Lindsay

[SatinRose]

If I don't make any rules at all, shouldn't the RTR take over automatically? I went and registered and followed the documentation for squirrelcart, but if I don't have any other rules, then the cart just goes to a blank page during the shipping portion of checkout.

[SatinRose]

Does anybody have an answer for this? Maybe we haven't set up the USPS RTR stuff correctly?

Can someone help? We're trying to launch in the next week or so.

Thanks, Lindsay

[Jamie]

Hi Lindsay,

The cart will not automatically use RTR in the absence of shipping rules. It will offer them only if you have them enabled on the corresponding courier (UPS or USPS) and if you have at least one of the services checked off on that courier's record. The RTR rates use a default shipping priority of 2, so if you do not have any rules with a priority greater than 2, and rates are being returned, then they will be offered to the customer.

You may want to check the following:
1. do you have weights specified for all your products?
2. do you have an address (and especially a ZIP code) specified in your store settings?

A lack of either one of the above will cause no rates to be returned.

If you still have problems after that, please open a helpdesk ticket. You can get info on how to do that on our support page.

Thanks,
Jamie

[Phil]

My USPS Real Time Rates are enabled, I'm on the production server, I have three services selected (Priority, First Class, Media Mail), and my product dimensions are all entered, including weight. When I try to put through an order I get this error message:

Query Failed: Got a packet bigger than 'max_allowed_packet'

This happens whether there is one product or thirty in the cart. If I enable Rules for any of the services, the rule choices appear in company with the same error message. I cannot make enough rules to compensate for the zone changes of Priority Mail, so would really like to see the RTRs working! Has anyone encountered this before?
--------------------------------------
It turns out USPS messed up and actually had NOT put me on the production server after all! I received an apology.

[SatinRose]

This still isn't working! Argh! It's the same problem it's always been! I'm getting so tired of trying to make this cart work!

I can't get any shipping to work at all! It just goes to a blank page. I have USPS RTR set up properly, have two methods enabled, and those two do exist.

SC is also losing track of my cart status. If I leave the cart to go shopping, the checkout disappears and then when i add to cart again, it acts like i had never added anything else!

Please help me make this cart work!

-Lindsay

[Jamie]

Lindsay,

It looks like I replied to your initial post here in this thread way back on October 23rd, 2003 12:25 AM. Please answer the questions from that post as they are still relevant and were unanswered.

The first thing you should do is make sure your software is current. If it is not, you should upgrade to the latest version.

If you still have a problem after that, then you should login as admin, and check the "Diagnostics Mode" checkbox in the "Admin Options" nav box in the storefront. Then, go through an order and attempt to obtain rates. When you get to the page that should show shipping rates (URL will be http://www.something.com/store.php?shipping_method=1) and look at the data in the popup. If you don't understand what you see there, paste it in a reply to this thread.

You also mentioned that you are having other unrelated problems. Again, upgrading to the latest version may resolve this. Without having a helpdesk ticket and actually connecting to your site to see what is going on, I would just be speculating on what is causing both of these issues.

[SatinRose]

<Quote

Squirrelcart Diagnostics Mode
disable diag mode



06/28/2005 20:40:41
Checking discounts for order
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:41
Checking discounts for product - CR285
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:41
Checking discounts for order
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:40
Checking discounts for order
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:40
Checking discounts for product - CR285
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:40
Checking discounts for product - CR285
No discounts found.




06/28/2005 20:40:40
Checking discounts for order
No discounts found.
/Quote>

This is what I get from the diagnostics window. Not much help. This is when the address bar reads 'shipping_method=1'.
I'm not sure what I should do next, as I've upgraded my database and my software and am running 1.6.2, as requested. As far as I can tell, upgrading went smoothly.

I will futz with shipping some more and see what happens. Please let me know if you have any more ideas

-Lindsay

[Jamie]

Hi Lindsay,

You may want to check the following:
1. do you have weights specified for all your products?
2. do you have an address (and especially a ZIP code) specified in your store settings?

It looks like there is no information in the diag mode window for obtaining real time rates. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is if USPS real time rates are not enabled, or if you do not have a proper US address specified in your store settings.

[SatinRose]

Well, by that reply, I'm hoping that means this is something simple and straightforward, I just have to figure out what.

So, yes, I do have a proper US address specified, and yes, I do have weights for all of my products (and I double-checked the item in the cart).

I'll futz some more and see what happens.

-Lindsay

[SatinRose]

Still not working. I implemented what I think are logical (if not realistic costs). Please take a look. I'm sure it's something stupid on my part.

www.satinroseintimates.com/store.php

tell me how I can send you my password.

-Lindsay

[SatinRose]

This must have something else going on with it. If you put something in your cart, then go to checkout, try increasing the quantity and hitting the 'update cart' button.
It tells me there is nothing in my cart!
Maybe this doesn't have to do with shipping!
-Lindsay

[Jamie]

Hi Lindsay,

There is a section of code that is supposed to be at the very bottom of your store.php page. It looks like this:
<?
// session variable storage....do not remove or move this section! it must be after your closing HTML tag
$HTTP_SESSION_VARS['sc'] = $SC;
?>


This is mentioned in the docs here: http://www.squirrelcart.com/help/1.5.0/?6.2.1

Without this piece of code, you can't maintain your session. Your store is acting as though this piece of code is missing.

[SatinRose]

that worked. Thank you. I'm glad it was something so simple, although frustrated that it took me so long to get it fixed (my fault on not following through).

Thanks once again for the great support.

Now I just have to make the USPS RTR work!
-Lindsay

[freebird]

Jamie,

I'm having this exact problem. The cart acts like the usps rtr is not enabled. I've doubled and tripled checked the weights, and address. I have no other shipping rules (which work when i use them). USPS is the only courier enabled and services are enabled. I have the same results in the diagnostics popup...

PHP parse time: 1.0375490188599
MySQL query count: 102

01/13/2006 20:01:38
Checking discounts for order
No discounts found.

Like I said it acts like the rtr is not enabled.

Carl