Advanced Shipping Price Rules - Shipping Cost on Total Cart Qty

The Shipping Cost on Total Cart Qty option under Advanced Shipping Price Rules allows you to set shipping charges based on the total number of items in the cart, regardless of which products they are.

For example:

• 1–5 items → $5 shipping
• 6–10 items → $10 shipping
• 11+ items → $20 shipping

This makes it easy to scale shipping costs fairly as customers buy more products.

Why use shipping cost on total cart quantity rules?

• Fair pricing: Charge based on the overall size of the order.
• Encourage bulk sales: Offer lower per-item shipping for larger orders.
• Profit protection: Make sure high-quantity orders cover packaging and handling.
• Flexibility: Set multiple quantity brackets for different ranges.

Configuration steps

1. Access advanced shipping rules

• Go to Dashboard → Dotstore → Flat Rate Shipping.
• Add a new shipping method.
• Scroll down to the section Advanced Shipping Price Rules.

2. Add cost on total cart qty rule

• Locate the Cost in Total Cart Qty section.
• Click Add New Rule.

3. Define rule conditions

Each rule can be configured with:

• Minimum quantity → The minimum number of cart items for the rule.
• Maximum quantity → The maximum number of cart items for the rule.
• Shipping amount → The shipping cost to apply.

4. Add multiple rules

• Example setup:
  • 1–5 items → $5
  • 6–10 items → $10

  • 11+ items → $20

    

5. Save and test

• Click Save Changes.

• Add different product quantities to the cart and confirm that shipping costs update according to the rules.

  

Two real examples

Example 1: Tiered shipping by quantity

• Rule 1: 1–3 items → $5 shipping

• Rule 2: 4–6 items → $8 shipping

  Rule 3: 7+ items → $12 shipping

  Checkout result:

  • Cart = 2 items → $5 shipping
  • Cart = 5 items → $8 shipping
  • Cart = 8 items → $12 shipping

Example 2: Bulk promotion with free shipping

• Rule 1: 1–10 items → $10 shipping

  Rule 2: 11+ items → Free shipping

  Checkout result:

  • Cart = 9 items → $10 shipping
  • Cart = 15 items → Free shipping

Expected outcome

Once configured, WooCommerce will automatically apply shipping charges based on the total cart quantity. This ensures shipping fees are transparent, scalable, and fair, while giving store owners more flexibility to reward bulk purchases or protect margins.