Ubercart

Hey Imstillatwork,

You beat me to it! I popped over here to post a heads-up on this, too. The implementation date is a ways off yet, but warrants further investigation and, as UPS suggests, testing on/after the cut-over of July 11th.

While I am at it, I'll add a comment about "You can't have what you don't ask for." When you investigate the UPS site to find out how to fully take advantage of the AWESOME support for UPS built into core Ubercart, you might be tempted to give up thinking about being able to use the ShipXML and the other UPS Premium On-line Tools. The "party line" on the UPS web site talks about you being a customer with 50+ packages a day, with daily pick-up, etc. Don't let that stop you!

So what I did was get my basic "quotes-only" implementation of Ubercart going to demonstrate that we were competent enough to be a decent customer at the "starter level." I then went ahead and submitted my application/request for access to the UPS Premium Online Tools. This submission resulted in a "thank you for applying" note (from an actual UPS service person).

I then used this auto-reply note to respond with a personal request explaining that our business did not yet have the volume to warrant the Premium Online Tools access, but that we had the technical competence to self-support our use of these features, and that approval would mean that we'd be better able to grow into being a better and bigger UPS customer. I also explained how I was using Drupal/Ubercart and how seamless and turn-key the UPS support in it was for supporting our store. And I explained that with access to the Premium Online Tools, I was sure we'd be able to grow our business more quickly and efficiently.

Not too much later, I got a form approval response giving me access to ShipXML and the other Premium Tools. I immediately re-configured our store to use this access and WOW! Processing an order became an order of magnitude easier to do. A few clicks and WHAM-O! Server-to-server transaction processing and there you go; tracking numbers and printable shipping label right there in your order! So cool.

After a couple weeks of slowly growing our volume, we have now gotten daily rate decreases and are enjoying lower costs AND great productivity.

Bottom line, yep. I will be monitoring this UPS XML system upgrade like others will too I imagine. And if you don't yet have access to UPS Premium Online Tools (especially ShipXML), go ahead and apply for it. Make your case for why you want it, have the competence, AND are using the excellent Ubercart platform to make it work. Once approved, it will make your order fulfillment so much more efficient that you'll wonder how you got along without it.

Ubercart Rocks,
--SoyaWax Jim--*
www.SoyaWaxInternational.com

* Even though this post shows me having joined today, this new account reflects my involvement in SoyaWax International. My many-years long-standing involvement in the Drupal and now Ubercart community is a "Sohodojo Jim" reflecting my activities at www.Sohodojo.com.