How Cahoot's Shipping Service Selection Works
This article explains how Cahoot selects shipping services for orders and why certain shipping methods are chosen automatically.
This guide addresses common questions about carrier shipping method selection, mapped service type issues, and when overnight shipping might be selected instead of standard options. Understanding these shipping service selection principles will help you better manage your fulfillment expectations.
How Cahoot Selects Shipping Services
The Core Rule: Cahoot ALWAYS chooses the cheapest available shipping option that will deliver within the Sales Channel's Delivery SLA (Service Level Agreement). The Cahoot system is designed to protect your seller metrics and customer satisfaction.
If you see a more expensive shipping option selected than what you expected, it's likely not an error in our system. There are legitimate reasons why this happens:
Scenario 1: When a more expensive shipping option is selected
If Cahoot selects a more expensive shipping service than you expected, it's because the cheaper options would not meet the delivery deadline. This happens when:
- The carrier's estimated delivery date for the cheaper service falls outside the sales channel's required delivery window.
- Meeting the delivery SLA is critical for maintaining your seller metrics and avoiding penalties on platforms like Amazon.
Scenario 2: When expected shipping services aren't available
Sometimes, certain shipping services you expect to see aren't even available for selection. This typically happens because:
- Sales Channel API Limitations: Some sales channels (particularly Amazon Buy Shipping) don't return all carrier services in their API when there's a risk of late delivery.
- The dimensions or weight of the package make certain shipping services unavailable.
- Carrier service restrictions based on delivery location.
Your Options When This Occurs:
If you believe a cheaper shipping option should be used despite the system's selection:
- Accept the current selection: Understand that the system chose this option to ensure on-time delivery according to the sales channel requirements.
- Void and regenerate the label: You can void the current label and manually select a cheaper service type, but please be aware that:
- The order will likely deliver LATE
- This may negatively impact your seller metrics
- The customer may file complaints about late delivery
- Adjust handling times in your sales channel: Increasing your handling time settings in the sales channel can provide more flexibility for shipping services, as it extends the overall delivery window. This may allow cheaper shipping methods to become viable options while still meeting delivery deadlines.
- For Amazon Orders: Request "Direct From Carrier" label generation: Request that Cahoot generate your Amazon labels directly from the carrier instead of through Amazon Buy Shipping. This means:
- Amazon Buy Shipping will NOT be used for label generation
- More service options will become available
- You'll still need to meet delivery SLAs
Note: When an order has a next-day delivery deadline and only premium shipping services (like overnight or express) are available to meet that deadline, Cahoot will flag the order for Manual Review instead of automatically creating an expensive shipping label. This safeguard prevents unexpected high shipping costs and gives you the opportunity to review the situation before proceeding.
Still Have Questions?
If you believe there's a genuine error in shipping service selection that doesn't align with the explanations above, please include the following details in your support ticket:
- Cahoot Order ID
- Expected shipping service
- Selected shipping service
- Delivery deadline from the sales channel
- Package dimensions and weight
This will help our team investigate any potential edge cases or special circumstances.