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Shipper 3.0 Release Candidate 4

Shipper 3.0 is a high velocity shipment processor for ecommerce platforms.

Today I am happy to announce the fourth release candidate (version 3.0.3187.18415) with support for StoreFront 7.2, BV Commerce 5.3, and AbleCommerce 7 on the back end; and UPS, USPS, FedEx, Endicia, and DHL on the front end.

Shipper 3.0 delivers...

• Print labels directly from Shipper. Shipper 3.0 uses ShipRush by Z-Firm to print the labels. ShipRush is the same shipping component built into QuickBooks.
• Support multiple carriers. All you need is ShipRush (which you may already have) to support UPS, USPS, FedEx, Endicia and DHL.
• Support multiple websites. Each copy of Shipper can process shipments from multiple websites at the same time. You can easily setup filters to avoid processing the same shipment twice.
• Print custom reports, packing slips, and emails. Shipper 3.0 includes a powerful drag-and-drop report writer so you can easily build custom reports and emails.
• Automatically print reports or send emails. Shipper 3.0 performs the actions you define each time you download an order.
• Support for more back-ends. Shipping Agents are available for AbleCommerce 7, BV Commerce 5, and StoreFront 7. Even better, the Shipping Agent source code is open source. That means you are free to modify the existing agents or create your own.

Changes in RC4

• Change: Shipper is now available in 2 editions: Gold and Platinum. Both editions can do everything listed above. Platinum can also automatically print labels when packages are downloaded, and print several labels at once (batch printing). This change was made to solve the known issue with batch printing in RC3 and earlier. Shipper Gold Edition is perfect for small businesses shipping up to 25 packages a day, while Shipper Platinum Edition will be a better choice for medium sized businesses processing up to 100's or even 1000's of shipments each day.
• Change: Shipments are now called Packages. This will make it easier to implement a feature in the future to ship several packages in one shipment (for carriers that support multi-parcel shipments). Note: this change requires that you delete Shipper data from previous release candidates. See the installation instructions below for details.
• Change: The built-in reports are now called Invoice, Packing Slip, and Ship Confirmation. All built-in reports will now print in the same order they are displayed.
• New: Added Packaging to Packages, Shipping Status to Orders, and moved Shipping Charge from Order Charges to Orders. The last will make shipping charge versus shipping cost analysis easier in a future release.

Known Issues

• In trial mode, the Premium edition will change all shipping addresses to a test address. The test address fails USPS address validation, so you will not be able to print USPS shipping labels in trial mode.

Installation

The Shipper 3.0 system has 2 parts:

1. Shipper, a Windows desktop application to manage orders.
2. Shipping Agent, an open source web service for your website that connects Shipper 3.0 with your ecommerce system.

Installing Shipper 3.0

1. ShipRush 6 must be installed on the same computer with Shipper 3.0. If you do not already have ShipRush installed, I suggest ShipRush for USPS or ShipRush for DHL since both are free. See www.shiprush.com for more information.
   Download Shipper 3.0 RC4
2. Unzip the download.
3. Run Setup.exe to to install Shipper 3.0 on your desktop computer.
4. Important: if you ran a previous release of Shipper 3.0, you need to delete the previous data. If you have Windows XP, delete the directory called "\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Structured Solutions\Shipper 3.0\". If you have Vista, delete the directory called "Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Structured Solutions\Shipper 3.0\".

Installing Shipping Agent 3.0

1. Download Shipping Agent 3.0 RC4 for your ecommerce platform. If you don't have a compatible ecommerce website, ShippingAgentMock.exe contains the files for a Mock Shipping Agent. The mock agent works with any .NET 2.0 web site.
2. Run the installer to extract the Shipping Agent files. 
3. Copy the extracted Shipping Agent files to your website as described in the readme.txt file.

Getting Started

1. Launch Shipper 3.0. If this is a new install, the New Website Wizard will start.
2. When you are prompted for the Agent URL, enter the URL to ShippingAgent.asmx on your website. For example, http://company.com/agents/shippingagent.asmx.
3. After the wizard is finished (or if you cancel the wizard), Shipper 3.0 will appear.
4. To print a shipping label, select a shipment and then click on Print Shipping Label button.
5. After the label is printed, click on Upload Shipment button to send the tracking information back to your store.
6. By default, the release candidate will launch as the Premium Edition. You can test the Gold Edition by changing Tools > Shipper Settings > Trial Mode Edition.

Q&A

Q: When will Shipper 3.0 be released?
A: When no significant bugs are reported for at least 2 weeks.

Q: How much will Shipper 3.0 cost?
A: Shipper 3.0 Gold Edition will have a cost similar to the cost of Shipper 1.4. The cost for ShipRush depends on which carriers you want to support. At the top end, ShipRush for UPS Pro is about $400. At the other end, ShipRush for USPS is free.

Q: Will upgrade pricing be available?
A: Reduced pricing for Shipper 3.0 will be offered to anyone that purchased Shipper 1.4 since May 11, 2008 (90 days before the first release candidate).

Q: Will there be any recurring costs?
A: Yes. Both Shipper and ShipRush are licensed for one year. At the end of the year, there will be a renewal cost if you wish to continue using the software. In addition, ShipRush for USPS Powered by Endicia requires a special Endicia account with a monthly fee.

Q: Is the source code available?
A: The source code to Shipper is not available. The source code to the Shipping Agent is available for free on CodePlex.

Q: Is documentation available?
A: Not yet. I will produce both written documentation and short videos.

Stuff Might Change...If you want it to...

Although the feature set for 3.0 is fixed (new features will go in Shipper 3.1), there is still time to affect how the existing features are implemented. I am counting on you to tell me how to make Shipper 3.0 the best possible shipping tool for your business. Here are some suggestions for things to think about while you kick the tires:

• The quick start above does not even touch on processing rules (which allow you to automatically assign services, print documents, and even upload completed orders). Can you find the rules? If not, what would help you discover them?
• Right now ShipRush is a separate install because some (most?) people have some flavor of ShipRush already. Do you already have ShipRush? Would you like to download ShipRush and Shipper at the same time? Would you like the option of buying ShipRush at the same time with Shipper?
• The integrated report writer has a lot of features. Is it overwhelming? I have included 2 sample reports. Do they help give you ideas of what is possible and how to do it? Will you use the report writer?
• In this release candidate, the Shipping Agent is implemented as a SOAP service. If you are considering your own Shipping Agent, would a REST interface be easier to implement?

Feedback

Please send your feedback to support@structured-solutions.net. I will try to respond to each comment or question within a day. Thank you for taking a look.

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