Glossary
The words you'll see in ASM and in this help center, in plain English. Each entry links to the article that explains it in full.
A–C
Address type Whether the shipping address is a home (residential) or a business (commercial). Carriers usually charge more to deliver to homes. See Residential vs. commercial addresses.
Accessorial An extra service a freight carrier charges for, such as a liftgate or a residential delivery. See LTL freight in ASM.
Carrier The company that moves the package: UPS, FedEx, USPS, an LTL freight line, and so on. (Some people say "courier" — in ASM it's always "carrier".) See How carriers work in ASM.
Carrier Calculated Shipping (Shopify) The Shopify feature that lets an app like ASM supply live rates at checkout. ASM can't show rates on Shopify without it. See Shopify: turn on Carrier Calculated Shipping.
Carrier Status The page that shows whether each carrier you use is answering right now, and whether your own account with it is working. See The Carrier Status page.
D–L
Default product weight The weight ASM uses for a product that has no weight (or zero) in your store. See Set your origin address and default product weight.
Delivery estimate The expected delivery date shown next to a shipping method at checkout. See Show delivery dates at checkout.
Dimensions A product's length × width × height, in inches, used to pick the box size. See Set dimensions, boxes and "ship alone".
Extension An optional feature you add to your plan, such as delivery dates or freight carriers. See Plans and extensions.
Flat ship rate A fixed shipping charge set on a product for a chosen method, used instead of the method's normal price. See Free or flat shipping for a product.
Freight class A number from 50 to 500 that LTL carriers use to price a shipment by how dense and easy to handle it is. See LTL freight in ASM.
Handling fee An amount you add on top of the carrier's rate to cover packing costs. See Add a handling fee.
LTL (less-than-truckload) Freight shipping for heavy or bulky orders that travel on a pallet with other shippers' goods. See LTL freight in ASM.
M–R
Markup / markdown An amount or percentage added to (markup) or taken off (markdown) a shipping rate. Markups can be set for a whole method or for a single product. See Add a handling fee and Add a shipping markup to a product.
Matrix rule An advanced rule that compares methods with each other — for example, show only the cheaper of two. See Matrix rules.
Method One shipping option your shopper can pick, such as "Standard Shipping" or "UPS Ground". Every method has a number (#1, #2…). A method can be made of several rules. See How shipping rules work.
Origin The address or ZIP code a product ships from. Most stores have one; products can ship from others. See Ship a product from a different origin.
Product sync How ASM copies your products (SKUs and weights) from Shopify, BigCommerce or Turbify. See How products get into ASM.
Real-time rate A price ASM asks the carrier for, live, while the shopper is at checkout. The opposite of a table or flat rate you set yourself. See How shipping rules work.
Rule A line on the Shipping Rules page that says when a method is offered and how it's priced. See How shipping rules work.
S–Z
Ship alone A product setting that packs the product in its own box instead of with the rest of the order. See Set dimensions, boxes and "ship alone".
Shipping Estimator The page in ASM where you test a cart and address and see exactly which methods and prices come back. Your first stop for any rate question. See Test your rates with the Shipping Estimator.
SKU The product code that connects a product in your store to its settings in ASM. Products need a SKU to be matched. See A product is missing in ASM.
Table rate A price you set yourself in a table — for example by weight or order total — instead of asking a carrier. See How shipping rules work.
Test connection The button on a carrier's settings that checks your account details work, without needing any shipping rules. See Test a carrier connection.