Shipping rules: put policy ahead of guesswork at the label printer
“Use carrier X for country Y unless weight > Z” belongs in configuration—not tribal memory. ChannelDock shipping rules encode how you want to ship so Pick & Pack and bulk processing produce consistent labels every wave.
per policy
wrong service
explainable logic
Essential when you run multiple carriers and channel-specific requirements
Order conditions you can combine
Smart shipping rules evaluate each order against conditions you choose. Mix and match the dimensions below, then assign the shipping method as the action.
Sales channels
Branch rules by the marketplace or connected sales channel an order came from.
SKU
Match shipments when specific SKUs appear on the order lines.
Product reference
Drive logic from your own product reference codes alongside catalog data.
EAN
Split flows using EAN / barcode identity when that is how you define assortments.
Country of destination
Honor carrier coverage, customs posture, and lane economics by ship-to country.
Weight
Apply weight breaks so light parcels and heavy cartons do not share the same default.
Number of order items
Treat single-line orders differently from multi-SKU or high-line-count baskets.
How a rule is built
- 1Name
- 2Priority
- 3Condition(s)
- 4Actionshipping method
Priority decides which rule applies when an order satisfies more than one set of conditions. The action attaches the carrier product or integrated shipping method you want for that slice of volume.
Step-by-step guide: Creating smart shipping rules
Actions a rule can apply
ChannelDock keeps the rule action focused: when conditions match, you choose what should happen at dispatch. The core action is assigning a shipping method—with effects that follow through your connected carriers and workflows.
Assign shipping method
The rule action selects which integrated shipping method (carrier product / service) applies to the order—this is the outcome described in ChannelDock’s rule model: name, priority, conditions, then the method you attach.
Carrier & service choice
You route orders to concrete carrier and service combinations you have enabled—from your own carrier contracts where supported.
Label-ready handoff
The chosen method feeds Pick & Pack and bulk printing so the label reflects the assigned service without re-picking it at the workstation.
Channel-aware routing
Pair rules with sales-channel conditions when a marketplace mandates a particular integrated shipment or label product—you steer orders to the right method profile for that channel.
Eligible methods depend on integrations and onboarding; not every connector exposes the same catalogue. Expand or refine routes as you add carriers and channels.
Why rules beat tribal knowledge
Guardrails at scale
New hires ship like veterans when the system enforces your playbook.
Control cost & speed
Steer volume to economical options without manual triage per order.
Composable with workflows
Rules feed bulk runs and returns—same policy, different surface.
Stand up rules in three layers
Define dimensions
Countries, weight breaks, channels, product flags you already trust.
Map to carriers
Choose products and options that match SLAs and cost targets.
Test & monitor
Watch exceptions after go-live; refine when seasonal mix shifts.
Works with
Multi-carrier contracts, marketplace label products, and mixed fulfillment models—your integrations determine exact carriers available in ChannelDock.
Make shipping policy executable—not tribal
Configure shipping rules in ChannelDock and standardize dispatch.