This posting is for three purposes 1) to confirm my understanding of shipping functionality, 2) to benefit others who are likely going through the same pain of trying to understand it all and 3) to help my effort to pull together an "intro to shipping" doc that I would like to contribute since I'm a much better writer than programmer 
The topics below are fairly random, since I'm just covering stuff I'm not yet sure I understand. My focus has been on UPS, but I will be looking at USPS, too, so feel free to point out differences there. Please correct any misconceptions. Thanks!
1. Product dimensions: despite UPS not needing product dimensions for most cases, I'm hearing that there are a few cases where it does, hence the requirement that they be entered. However, for the most part they will not be used in quoting, so don't sweat it too much? (I'm unsure of the exact use cases where they are needed) Is this correct?
2. Product dimensions: this presumably refers to the dimensions of a single item or set (if it is sold as a "set of four", for example) as if it a customer were ordering a quantity of 1 (item or set). Correct?
3. Package quantity (single product): This refers to the maximum number of items (or sets) of this specific product that can fit in a single shipping box, correct? So, if a product is shipped 24 items or sets to a case, then this value would be set to 24. So if a customer orders 36, the quote will assume two boxes. If you want the quote to assume that any quantity of this item will ship in one box, set this to a higher number than anyone would ever conceivably order, correct?
4. Shipping Quote Settings: Quote methods: UPS: If the "all in one" package setting is selected, then if our customer orders 36 widgets with a Package Quantity of 24, and 8 other unrelated various products (whose package quantities are higher than the number she is ordering), the UPS quoting will assume 3 boxes? One containing 24 widgets, one containing 12 widgets, and one containing all the other products?
5. UPS assumptions on packaging: if our customer orders 8 different products, each in a quantity below the entered Package Quantity, and the "all in one" setting is selected, then the quoting system will calculate shipping based on the combined weight of all the products, the zip from which the products are shipped (assuming they're all the same) and the zip of the destination, and NOT take into consideration package size. (and if you tend to sell multiples, it may be wise to add padding to the quotes, since in all likelihood, there will in fact be multiple packages)
6. UPS assumptions on packaging: If, in the above example, 4 products are shipping from one location, and 4 from another, will the quoting system assume two packages and do the above calculation based on the two separate shipping sources?
Ok, I could go on, but that's enough for now. I will continue to keep an eye out for tidbits in these forums and elsewhere and add them to my expanding intro doc. So last question: where would I place/submit this doc?
Thanks a mil,
Joyce
