USPS v5 allowed shopper to select small FR box for large item

[snelson]

I have most Priority Mail (PM) boxes "checked" in the USPS Shipping module v5.2010.04.05 Admin configuration. All my products have accurate dimensions and weights.

Today, this shipping module allowed a customer in Anchorage, AK to choose a Small Flat Rate box for an item that's about 20" x 16" x 8" and weighs over 16 pounds. The PM shipping for this item from Illinois to Alaska cost me nearly $50 for which the customer got for the bargain price of $5. I lost $45 today. There went all my profit, plus some of my own money!

I previously unchecked the PM envelopes because the module was allowing just about any size item to be shipped in a PM FR Envelope.

How do I make your module stop offering cheap shipping for products that are too large to fit in the boxes? I can't take anymore hits like today's $45 loss.

Reggie, am I doing something wrong? Is this a bug or normal ops?

[lowmips]

Hi,
First of all, please put any USPSv5 issues in the USPSv5 thread, I get email notifications of posts there.

Now, the USPS API is "dumb" in that it returns rates for services which do not match the parameters given to the module.  It has always been this way.  The original USPS module has this exact same behavior.

Your issue is a prime example.  In your case, you're basically restricted to a small subset of services, and it is up to you to decide what to offer.  You should not be using the module with small items, such as CD's, together with large items, such as oversize packages, because as you have seen when you check envelope and large package services, BOTH are offered regardless of the package size for items in the cart.  So in your case, only check the services that should be offered for the largest items you sell.

USPS has left the "sanity" checking of services returned by the API to developers.  My module, like the original module, does not have any such checks in place. It would be a great addition, but it would also take a lot of time to add these checks.  It can get very complicated.

If someone would like to underwrite such an addition, I'd be happy to code it.  Or,  as time goes on and I have time to do it, I could add this feature and offer it as a donation supported module.