Is there a way to add an automatic flat fee on online store orders?
This is not a surcharge for processing fees.
This is a work around to the lack of pre-authorization capability.
I sell many items by weight, and rather than over/under charge due to rounding, it would be easier to just charge a flat "hold" fee on online orders so when I get in I can wight out their orders as close to what they need as possible, and the refund the difference from that global fee.
Example A:
Widget is $5 per ounce.
Joe needs (and so orders) 23 ounces of Widget from my store.
I have in stock a hundreds of Widgets from 20-40oz, but none weigh exactly 23 oz.
I cannot divide Widget.
I locate a 22 ounce Widget and a 25 ounce widget.
Joe has already paid $115 for 23oz of Widget.
I get to the store and pull the 22 Oz of Widget, and refund $5.
Joe cannot complete his project because he is an ounce of Widget short, this reflects poorly on my store, delays his delivery to a client, and generally causes loss of reputation for all of us.
Example B:
Widget is $5 per ounce.
Joe needs (and so orders) 23 ounces of Widget from my store.
My store automatically charges a $20 "HOLD" fee on every order.
I have in stock a hundreds of Widgets from 20-40oz, but none weigh exactly 23 oz.
I cannot divide Widget.
I locate a 22 ounce Widget and a 25 ounce widget.
Joe has already paid $135 for 23oz of Widget + HOLDING FEE.
I get to the store and pull the 25 Oz of Widget, and refund $10 from the holding fee!
Joe now has enough Widget to complete his project and deliver his work to the client on time!
Yes, he paid an extra $10 for the extra Widget, maybe he'll find a use for it, or he just rolls it inot his costs. He's happy he got what he needed, his client is, he returns frequently to buy more Widget from me, all is right in the world.
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In the real world, I sell Artistic glass, and my product ranges in price from $3.50/oz to over $10/oz, items vary from 0.8-2.5 oz, and can't be divided further than they already are. If i short a customer, they're never happy.
This system also applies to wood sellers, and other crafting/art material vendors. Sometimes, the nature of handmade or natural materials is such that you can't control the variability of weights and measures, but you also can't individually itemize 10's of thousands of similar items.
