Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping

With a flat rate, the neighboring country and the far side of the world pay the same

You mostly sell downloads, and suddenly you add a t-shirt and a physical record. Shipping looks like a minor detail, until an order goes to another continent and the amount you charged looks nothing like the real cost.

Simple Shipping charges a single flat domestic rate and another international one, regardless of distance, so the difference between a nearby destination and a distant one is something you absorb or build into the price.

This Easy Digital Downloads extension adds basic shipping for physical products. It collects the address at checkout, applies the rate for the zone and lets you mark each order as shipped. It does not calculate by weight, size or distance, and it does not connect to carriers: you handle the shipping.

What it adds to your store

• Shipping address at checkout: collects the customer's details when buying.
• Two rates: one rate for domestic orders and another for international ones.
• Shipping per product: you enable it only on the products that need it.
• Shipping per price option: on products with several prices, you enable it on some and not on others.
• Shipped or unshipped: each payment is marked with one of the two statuses.
• Export of pending orders: under Downloads, Reports, Export, an option exports all unshipped orders.
• Tracking numbers: you add them to each order and the customer receives a confirmation email that includes them.
• Frontend Submissions: vendors can set domestic and international rates on their own products.

A downloads store with one physical t-shirt

Suppose you sell downloadable templates and, in addition, a t-shirt with sizes. You enable shipping only on the t-shirt, or only on the sizes you decide. Anyone who buys only templates sees no shipping charge.

The physical order comes in as pending. When you prepare the packages, you export the unshipped orders, dispatch them, add the tracking number to each one and mark them as shipped. The customer receives the email with their number.

It is a path you can vary to fit the size of your physical catalog.

The limits of a flat rate

There is only one domestic rate and one international rate: no prices by weight, size or distance. It does not integrate with carriers; the extension collects the address and the rest of the shipping is in your hands. Shipping fees are not included in the tax calculation.

It is designed for stores that sell mostly digital products with a few physical ones, such as DVDs, CDs or t-shirts. If your shipments vary a lot in weight or destination, those two rates may not cover the cost.

Turning shipping on in your store

1. Check that Easy Digital Downloads is installed and active.
2. Install the extension with the WordPress installer and activate it.
3. Review the extension's settings in Easy Digital Downloads.
4. On each physical product, enable shipping and enter its domestic and international rates; if it has several prices, enable it on the options that apply.

Shipping and stores in the catalog

For shipping in WooCommerce, the catalog includes Flexible Shipping Pro and Table Rate Shipping. If you sell memberships with Paid Memberships Pro, there is PMPro Shipping Add-on.

Answers about Simple Shipping

Can I charge by weight?

No. There is only one domestic flat rate and one international flat rate.

Does it connect to carriers?

No. It collects the address and you handle the shipping.

How do I know which orders are still to be shipped?

Each payment is marked as shipped or unshipped, and under Downloads, Reports, Export you can export those still unshipped.

Is shipping added to taxes?

No. Shipping fees are not included in the tax calculation.

Can I enable shipping only on some prices of a product?

Yes, shipping is enabled per product and also per price option.