Fulfillment & Releases
Shipping Configuration
Set up and manage shipping for your clubs, memberships or programs and your store: the states you ship to, carriers, compliance checks, the default shipping origin, label generation, cost handling, and label history.
Shipping Configuration
This guide explains how to set up and manage shipping for your clubs, memberships or programs and your online store: where you ship, which carriers you use, how labels are generated, and how shipping costs are handled for your members. MemberZone uses your business's own word for what you offer; this guide says club.
Getting to Shipping Settings
Go to Settings > Shipping & Compliance in the sidebar ("Carriers, where you ship, and how orders are checked for compliance."). It needs the Manage Shipping permission. The page has these sections:
- Default carrier - the shipping provider used when nothing more specific applies (connect Shippo or Vinoshipper first). The carrier service each location's labels use, such as UPS Ground, is set per location (see Default Carrier Service per Location)
- States you ship to - your allowed states
- Carrier by state - shown when two providers are connected: pick a provider per state, or Use default
- Compliance engine - which service checks self-shipped orders against your permits and shipment rules
- Check compliance before charging - run volume, annual limit and product registration checks when you charge a release, instead of waiting until you buy a label
- DTC licenses - the state permit or license ID you hold for each self-ship state
For a business in Canada, the page lists provinces instead of states (Provinces you ship to, Carrier by province), offers Shippo as the only carrier, and has no compliance engine or DTC licenses section. See Shipping in Canada.
Shipping speeds and costs for store orders are set under Storefront > Shipping; for club orders they are set on each tier (see below). To make the online store pickup only, turn off Offer shipping for store orders under Storefront > Store settings; orders your team places can still ship, and club orders are not affected.
Shipping Setup Overview
Shipping configuration in MemberZone covers three things: which states you can ship to, which carriers and services you use, and how shipping costs are split between you and your members.
Allowed Shipping States
You set the U.S. states your business ships to once, for the whole business. This is the single source of truth for shipping eligibility across all your locations, clubs and store orders. If you sell alcohol, it is critical for shipping compliance: the section reads "Only states you're licensed to ship to should be enabled here."
When a member enters a shipping address, it is checked against your allowed states. If their state is not on the list, they cannot complete an order that requires shipping. This means:
- Members can only sign up with shipping addresses in your approved states
- If your compliance or licensing situation changes, update the list and eligibility updates immediately
- This setting applies uniformly across all your locations and clubs
Manage your allowed states in the States you ship to section of Settings > Shipping & Compliance. Search for a state to add it, and remove states you no longer ship to.
Shipping in Canada
A business in Canada works the same way with Canadian provinces and territories:
- Provinces you ship to lists the 13 provinces and territories ("Only provinces you're licensed to ship to should be enabled here."). Only your own country's regions can be added, so a Canadian business can't add US states and a US business can't add provinces.
- Shippo is the only carrier, as the default and for any single province, and Canadian orders ship through Shippo even when no carrier is set. Vinoshipper and ShipCompliant are US-only, so they aren't offered, and there's no compliance engine or DTC licenses section.
- Address forms for your business and members offer provinces and read State/Province and ZIP/Postal Code, check Canadian postal codes (A1A 1A1), and start new addresses in your business's country.
- Shippo gets each address's real country, so labels and rates are for Canada.
Default Shipping Origin
One of your locations that offers shipping is the default origin for shipments: its address is where new shipments start from, and store orders ship only from it. The location shows a Ships from here badge.
To change it:
- Go to Settings > Locations and open the location.
- Make sure shipping is turned on for it.
- Under Make this the default origin ("New shipments will start from this location's address."), click Set as default.
The current default shows Default shipping origin ("All shipments will be fulfilled from this location.") instead.
Default Carrier Service per Location
Each location that ships can choose the carrier service its labels use for standard-speed orders, for example UPS Ground or USPS Ground Advantage. This is different from the Default carrier on Settings > Shipping & Compliance, which picks the shipping provider (Shippo or Vinoshipper); this setting picks the service within that provider's rates.
To set it:
- Go to Settings > Locations and open the location.
- In the Shipping section, with Ship from this location on, choose a Default carrier service. It needs the Manage Fulfillment permission.
- The choice saves straight away ("Default carrier service updated").
The options are Cheapest ground rate (the default) or one of the UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL services listed under Carriers and Services.
How it's used:
- Standard-speed orders shipped from the location: labels, one at a time or in bulk, and the bulk rate preview use the default service when your shipping provider offers it for that shipment, choosing its cheapest rate if several match. If the provider doesn't offer it, MemberZone falls back to the cheapest ground rate, as it does with no default set.
- Expedited and next-day orders aren't affected: they still take the fastest rate.
- A service you pick by hand for a label always wins.
- A store order charged a live quote uses the quoted service first; the default service applies when the carrier no longer offers it.
- Live checkout quotes for standard speed use the default service too, when the carrier offers it.
- Shipping Options (the sidebar with the rate list when you create a single label; Create label is in its footer) starts on the rate the label would pick on its own, and marks the location's default service Default.
- In the bulk Cost Preview, a member's row shows Default when the rate picked for them is the location's default service.
Carriers and Services
MemberZone supports a wide range of carriers and service levels. In the dashboard, carrier services display with friendly names.
UPS
| Service |
|---|
| UPS Ground |
| UPS 2nd Day Air |
| UPS Next Day Air |
| UPS 3 Day Select |
USPS
| Service |
|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage |
| USPS Priority Mail |
| USPS Priority Mail Express |
FedEx
| Service |
|---|
| FedEx Ground |
| FedEx 2 Day |
| FedEx Overnight |
| FedEx Express Saver |
DHL
| Service |
|---|
| DHL Express |
| DHL Express Worldwide |
Vinoshipper
Vinoshipper services display as the UPS service they ship with:
| Service | Shown as |
|---|---|
| Ground | UPS Ground |
| 2 Day | UPS 2nd Day Air |
| Expedited | UPS Next Day Air |
Other / Manual
| Service |
|---|
| Other |
For any carrier or method not listed above, you can enter tracking information manually. This covers local couriers, personal delivery, or any other shipping method you use.
Shipping Configuration Hierarchy
Shipping options (speed and cost type) can be configured at two levels:
- Business level - the store's shipping options under Storefront > Shipping, used for store orders and as the fallback when a tier has no option for a speed
- Tier level - the options on a specific tier, which take priority for that tier's orders
When both exist, the tier's setting wins. You can set a general policy for the store, then customize specific tiers, for example free shipping on your top tier and a flat rate everywhere else. When a signed-in member buys from the store, they get the best shipping option from their active tiers; everyone else gets the store's options.
Shipping Costs and Who Pays
How shipping costs are handled is configured per shipping speed on each tier of your clubs. Each tier defines options for up to three speeds - Standard, Expedited, and Next Day - and for each speed you choose a cost type that determines how the shipping cost is split between you and the member.
Shipping Speeds
| Speed | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Standard | Ground-level service. Typically the most affordable option with the longest transit time. |
| Expedited | Faster transit, usually 2-3 day delivery depending on carrier and distance. |
| Next Day | Overnight or next-business-day delivery. The fastest and most expensive option. |
You can enable one, two, or all three speeds on a given tier. Members choose from the enabled speeds at checkout.
Cost Types
For each enabled speed, you choose one of these cost types:
| Cost Type | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Free | The business absorbs the full shipping cost. The member pays nothing for shipping. |
| Flat Rate | The member pays a fixed dollar amount you set, regardless of the actual carrier cost. Your business covers any difference. |
| Cover Up To | Your business covers shipping up to a set dollar amount. If the actual cost exceeds that cap, the member pays the difference. For example, if you set a $15 cap and shipping costs $22, the member pays $7. |
| Customer Pays | The member pays the actual shipping rate. No portion is covered by your business. |
This per-speed configuration gives you fine-grained control - for example, you might offer free Standard shipping, a flat rate for Expedited, and have the customer pay full cost for Next Day.
When the Member Is Charged
The cost type also decides when the money moves, because a flat rate is known in advance while the real carrier cost is not known until a label exists.
| Cost Type | When the member is charged |
|---|---|
| Free | Never. Nothing is added to any charge, and you absorb the carrier cost. |
| Flat Rate | Up front, with the charge that pays for that cycle - see below. The flat rate is never re-charged against the carrier's actual cost, so you keep or absorb the difference. |
| Cover Up To | At ship time. Nothing is collected up front; when the shipment is marked shipped, the member is charged the amount above your cap (nothing if the carrier cost came in under it). |
| Customer Pays | At ship time. Nothing is collected up front; when the shipment is marked shipped, the member is charged the carrier's actual cost. |
Cover Up To and Customer Pays arrive as a separate Shipping charge in the member's payment history, after the shipment goes out.
Store orders are the exception: when the customer's state ships through Vinoshipper or Shippo, Cover Up To and Customer Pays are quoted live at checkout and charged with the order (see Live Shipping Quotes for Store Orders). Club, membership and program shipments are never quoted; they always follow the table above.
Where the flat rate lands, by club type:
- Release clubs - on the release charge for that release. Members who purchase to join also pay it as part of their sign-up charge.
- Subscription clubs - on the subscription invoice, starting with the member's first period. If you ship more often than you bill (for example monthly shipments on quarterly billing), each additional shipment collects its flat rate when it ships.
Live Shipping Quotes for Store Orders
A store order whose speed is Cover Up To or Customer Pays, shipping to a state routed to Vinoshipper or Shippo, gets a live carrier quote at checkout. Free and Flat Rate are unchanged.
At checkout
- Once the address is complete, the Delivery step shows each speed's quoted price with the carrier service and transit time, for example "UPS Ground · About 5 business days". A speed the carrier couldn't quote keeps its usual price wording.
- The customer's share is charged with the order: the full rate for Customer Pays, anything above your cover for Cover Up To. Your cover is never charged to the customer.
- Continue and Place order wait for the quote. If the price changed before the order went through, nothing is charged; the quote refreshes, the customer sees a message and stays on Review.
- Orders your team places for a customer are quoted the same way for the ship-to address you choose.
How quotes are priced
- From your default shipping origin, using standard boxes: physical items only, about 3 lb each, in 2, 3, 6 or 12 item boxes (larger orders use several boxes). Virtual items such as fees and tickets never add a box.
- Standard speed uses the location's default carrier service when the carrier offers it, otherwise the cheapest ground rate; expedited and next-day speeds take the fastest rate.
- A quote is reused for 10 minutes for the same address and items.
When there's no quote
States that don't ship through Vinoshipper or Shippo, manual shipping, and a carrier that can't price a speed all keep the old behavior: the customer's share is charged from the real label cost when the order ships.
After the order
Changing the shipping address, editing the items, or changing pickup or shipping (or the location) re-quotes the order and charges or refunds the difference. The preview shows it before you confirm.
- Waive shipping (don't charge $X) forgives an increase; the order then isn't charged shipping again.
- Switching to pickup refunds the shipping, unless you choose Don't refund shipping (keep $X).
- If the carrier can't re-quote, the customer keeps the price they paid, and you see "We couldn't get a new shipping quote, so the customer's original shipping price was kept."
Labels for quoted orders
- The order's sidebar shows "Customer paid $X at checkout" with the carrier service until a label exists.
- Shipping Options starts on the rate the customer paid for, marked Quoted at checkout. If you pick a pricier rate, it warns: "The customer isn't charged again, so your business covers the difference."
- Labels created without a hand-picked rate, through the same provider that quoted the order, use the quoted service; if the carrier no longer offers it, the location's default carrier service (standard speed), then the usual choice for the speed.
- The customer isn't charged again when the order ships.
Shipping tax on a re-quote is worked out by the same tax engine or provider that taxed the order, so it matches what checkout charged.
Shipping Integrations
MemberZone connects with shipping providers to generate labels, calculate real-time rates, and provide tracking to your members. Two integrations are available:
Shippo
Shippo is a general-purpose shipping integration that supports UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL. When connected, you can:
- Generate shipping labels directly from MemberZone
- Get real-time shipping rate quotes from multiple carriers before purchasing a label
- Quote store checkout shipping live for the states it ships (see Live Shipping Quotes for Store Orders)
- Declare alcohol only when an alcohol item ships, and ask for an adult signature for alcohol, age-restricted businesses, or tiers that require age verification
- Automatically generate tracking URLs that are sent to members
- Use bulk label generation for batch fulfillment during cycles and releases
Connect Shippo from Settings > Integrations > Shippo. You'll need your Shippo API token. See Shippo Integration for the setup steps.
Vinoshipper
Vinoshipper is an alcohol shipping and compliance provider ("Alcohol shipping compliance and fulfillment."). It handles:
- Compliance checking for state-by-state shipping regulations
- Age verification and adult signature requirements
- Ground, 2 Day and Expedited service levels
- Direct-to-consumer alcohol shipping
- Live shipping quotes at store checkout for the states it ships
Vinoshipper is particularly useful if you ship to states with strict alcohol shipping laws, as it handles the regulatory requirements for you. Connect Vinoshipper from Settings > Integrations > Vinoshipper. See Vinoshipper Integration for the setup steps.
Shipping Labels
Shipping labels can be generated in three ways: through Shippo, through Vinoshipper, or entered manually.
Generating Labels from the Fulfillment Sidebar
When viewing a member's details in the fulfillment sidebar, you can generate a shipping label for their individual order. Select the carrier and service level, and the label is created right from the sidebar.
Generating Labels Through Integrations
When you generate a label through Shippo or Vinoshipper, the system handles everything:
- Rates are calculated based on package weight, dimensions, origin, and destination
- You select the carrier and service level, or let MemberZone pick: for a store order charged a live quote, the service the customer paid for; otherwise, for a standard-speed order, the location's default carrier service when offered, then the cheapest ground rate
- The label is generated and a tracking number is assigned
- A downloadable label file is created for printing
- A tracking URL is generated and shared with the member
Manual Shipments
If you ship through a method not connected to MemberZone, you can enter the tracking number manually. This updates the order status and notifies the member with tracking information, even though the label was not generated inside MemberZone.
Label Statuses
Labels move through these statuses as the shipment progresses:
| Status | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Pending Label | A label has been requested but not yet generated by the shipping provider. |
| Created | The label has been generated but the package has not been shipped yet. |
| Printed | The label has been printed and is ready for handoff to the carrier. |
| Shipped | The package is in transit with the carrier. |
| Delivered | The package has been delivered to the member. |
| Exception | Something went wrong during transit (returned to sender, delivery attempt failed, etc.). |
| Cancelled | The label was cancelled before the package was shipped. |
Label Attempt History
Every time you generate (or attempt to generate) a shipping label for an order, MemberZone records the attempt - successful or failed - including the provider's response, error message (if any), timestamp, and which staff or background job initiated it. This persistent attempt history lives behind the scenes and is what MemberZone ops uses to diagnose label-creation issues without re-running the call.
If a label attempt fails for a known compliance reason (e.g., a missing recipient date of birth), the corresponding validation problem code is recorded on the attempt so you can see why the label couldn't be cut. Successful attempts also record the resolved customer shipping charge so the dollar amount shown in fulfillment matches the dollar amount on the cut label.
If you generate a label, then cancel it, then generate a new one, each step is recorded independently - the attempt log is your audit trail for "what shipping providers said about this order."
State Restrictions
Shipping alcohol is regulated state by state. MemberZone enforces your allowed-states list at every point where a shipping address is entered:
- Member signup - Address must be in an allowed state to complete checkout with shipping selected
- Address changes - If a member changes their shipping address, the new state is validated
- Order creation - Orders to disallowed states are blocked
Keep your allowed-states list up to date as your licensing and compliance situation changes. If ShipCompliant is your compliance engine, self-ship states without a license under DTC licenses are blocked at checkout.
Item-Level Shipping Readiness
Before an inventory item can be included in a shipping order, it must meet two requirements:
- Enabled for Shipping - The item must have shipping enabled. Items that are not enabled for shipping can only be used in pickup orders.
- Weight - A weight must be set on the item. Shipping providers require package weight to calculate rates and generate labels.
If an item is missing either of these, it will not appear as available when preparing shipping orders. Make sure to configure both fields when adding or editing inventory items you intend to ship.
Virtual items, such as fees and event tickets, are billed on the order but never shipped: they don't need these settings, never add a box to a quote or label, and never block a label.
Bulk Operations
For large fulfillment runs - like a quarterly shipment cycle or a release - MemberZone supports bulk shipping operations:
Bulk label generation Generate shipping labels for all orders in a cycle or release at once, rather than one at a time. The system uses each order's destination address, your configured carrier preferences, and the fulfillment location to create labels in batch. Standard-speed orders use the ship-from location's default carrier service when the provider offers it (see Default Carrier Service per Location).
Bulk label printing After generating labels in bulk, you can download and print them all together for efficient batch processing. This streamlines the packing and shipping workflow when you are sending out dozens or hundreds of shipments at once.
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Ecommerce Orders
Store orders are one-off purchases through your online store, separate from your clubs, memberships or programs, with a step-by-step checkout (Contact, Delivery, Payment, Review) and confirmation page, guest checkout, member discounts, shipping from your store shipping options with live Vinoshipper or Shippo quotes where the customer pays some or all of it, tax from your tax provider where you use one, an age check for age-restricted businesses, staff-placed orders, and an optional "How did they hear about us?" answer on orders staff ring up.
Releases
Releases are ad-hoc fulfillment events for release-based clubs where you decide when to offer items and members participate individually.