Configuring Product Eligibility for Pickup Points

Introduction: Why Product Eligibility Matters for Pickup Services

Offering convenient pickup options, whether through third-party networks (like UPS Access Point, DPD Pickup, DHL Parcel Pickup etc.) or your own stores (BOPIS), often requires rules to determine which products are suitable for these delivery methods. Not all items in your catalog may be eligible due to various constraints.

Implementing product eligibility rules ensures:

This guide helps you think strategically about identifying ineligible products and choosing the right filtering approach for your catalog and ecommerce platform. The actual implementation details will vary by platform and are covered in specific integration guides within this Console.

Identifying Ineligible Products: Analyzing Your Catalog

Before implementing filters, you need to determine which products are ineligible. Consider these factors:

  1. Network Size & Weight Limits:
    • Action: Check the specific maximum dimension and weight restrictions imposed by each third-party pickup network you intend to offer (e.g., UPS, Evri, DPD, InPost Lockers). These limits can vary significantly between carriers and service types (like lockers vs. staffed points). Links to carrier guidelines may be available, or consult your HubBox/carrier representative.
    • Consideration: Remember to factor in packaging dimensions and weight, not just the product itself.
  2. Product Type & Category:
    • Action: Identify categories inherently unsuitable for pickup points.
    • Examples: Large furniture (sofas, wardrobes), major home appliances (refrigerators, washing machines), oversized items (kayaks, large rugs), items requiring assembly or installation service.
  3. Content Restrictions & Hazardous Materials:
    • Action: Review carrier policies and regulations regarding hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and restricted goods.
    • Examples: Explosives, flammable liquids/gases, corrosives, firearms, ammunition, certain batteries, aerosols (rules vary significantly), knives/bladed items (depending on local laws/carrier policy).
  4. High-Value Items:
    • Action: Define your internal policy threshold for items you prefer not to ship to third-party pickup locations due to value/risk.
    • Consideration: This is a business decision based on risk tolerance and insurance.
  5. Perishability & Special Handling:
    • Action: Identify items requiring temperature control or specific handling.
    • Examples: Fresh food, frozen goods, certain pharmaceuticals, live plants. Standard pickup points generally cannot accommodate these.
  6. BOPIS Store Limitations:
    • Action: If offering pickup from your own stores (BOPIS), consider any physical limitations of those locations.
    • Examples: Limited storage space for bulky items, lack of refrigeration, accessibility issues. Eligibility rules for BOPIS might differ from rules for third-party networks (e.g., you might allow larger items for BOPIS).
  7. Age-Restricted Goods:
    • Action: Identify products requiring age verification upon delivery/collection.
    • Consideration: While ID checks occur at pickup points, carrier policies or regulations might restrict these items from being sent to unattended lockers or even staffed points in some cases. Verify specific carrier rules.

Common Eligibility Filtering Strategies

Once you know what to exclude, you need to determine how your system will identify these products during checkout. As catalogs vary greatly, you might use one or a combination of these strategies:

By Product Category

Exclude all products within specific categories or sub-categories (e.g., "Furniture," "Large Appliances," "HAZMAT").

Best For: Broad exclusions where entire categories are unsuitable. Simple to implement if your category structure aligns well with eligibility rules.

Limitation: Less granular; may exclude eligible items if categories are too broad.

By Specific Product Identifiers (SKU/ID)

Maintain a specific list of SKUs or Product IDs that are explicitly ineligible for pickup.

Best For: A small, relatively static number of known exceptions that don't fit neatly into other categories. Limitation: Requires manual maintenance; less scalable for large or rapidly changing catalogs.

By Physical Attributes (Dimensions/Weight)

Filter products based on their dimensions (length, width, height) and/or weight exceeding the limits of chosen pickup networks.

Best For: Accurately excluding items based on carrier size/weight constraints.

Limitation: Requires accurate, consistent, and complete dimensional/weight data for all products (including packaging) within your ecommerce platform. Implementation logic can be complex, especially when checking against multiple network limits or calculating cart totals.

By Custom Product Attributes/Tags

Leverage existing or create new custom attributes/tags on your product data to flag eligibility.

Examples: is_pickup_eligible: false, handling: HAZMAT, value_tier: high, requires_refrigeration: true, oversized: true.

Best For: Highly flexible approach accommodating various criteria (value, handling, restrictions, size classifications). Allows for granular control defined by your business rules.

Limitation: Requires robust processes for accurately tagging products in your catalog management system.

By Inventory Location/Source (Advanced)

In complex fulfillment setups, eligibility might depend on the warehouse or source fulfilling the item (e.g., certain locations cannot handle HAZMAT or oversized items).

Best For: Retailers with multi-source inventory and varying location capabilities.

Limitation: Adds significant complexity to the eligibility logic.

Implementing Eligibility Checks: Platform Considerations

Key Implementation Points:

  1. Dynamic Cart Evaluation: The eligibility check must happen dynamically during the checkout process, evaluating the entire contents of the customer's current shopping cart.

  2. Cart-Level Decision: If any single item in the cart is deemed ineligible for pickup (or for a specific network), the corresponding pickup shipping option(s) must be hidden or disabled for the customer for that entire order.

  3. Aggregate Checks (Optional): For rules based on dimensions/weight, your logic might need to calculate the total weight or potentially estimate the combined dimensions of all items in the cart to check against network limits, which can be complex.

  4. Technical Approach: Implementation often involves:

    • Modifying the logic that determines which shipping methods are available at checkout.
    • Using platform-specific apps, extensions, or plugins designed for shipping rule management.
    • Writing custom code that inspects cart items (and their attributes/categories/dimensions) and interacts with the platform's shipping API.
    • Using feature within the HubBox plugin (if applicable)

Next Steps: Platform-Specific Implementation

The precise steps for configuring product eligibility filters depend heavily on your specific ecommerce platform. Please refer to the relevant integration documentation within this Console for detailed, platform-specific instructions. Some HubBox integrations, particularly specific platform plugins, may include standard product eligibility features. However, for other platforms or custom-built sites, implementing eligibility rules requires a solution built on the retailer's side, which HubBox can provide guidance on.

Example Pickup Network Restrictions

Network Max. Weight Max. Length (L) Max. Combined Dimensions (L + Girth/Other) Other Restrictions
UPS Access Point 20 kg (44 lbs) 97 cm L + Girth (2W + 2H) ≤ 330 cm (130 in) Max Declared Value: €5,000; Certain items (e.g., batteries) prohibited.
DPD Pickup Point 20-31.5 kg (varies) 60-175 cm (varies) L + Girth (2W + 2H) ≤ 300 cm (varies) Certain goods excluded (e.g., live animals, weapons, valuables); Robust packaging required; Volumetric weight may apply.
DHL Parcel Pickup Point 10-70 kg (varies) 60-120 cm (varies) Varies widely by service (e.g., 60x50x50cm common for small parcels) Confirm exact restrictions for specific DHL service used; Volumetric weight may apply.
Evri ParcelShop 15 kg 120 cm L + 2(W+H) ≤ 225 cm Certain items prohibited/restricted; Evri Lockers have smaller dimensions (66x41x38cm max).
Mondial Relay Point Relais 30 kg 120 cm L + W + H ≤ 150 cm Tubes/cylindrical packages discouraged.
PostNord Service Point 20 kg 1m (Intl) / 1.5m (Nordic) L + Circumference ≤ 2.5m (Intl) / 3m (Nordic) Minimum L: 140 mm, W: 90 mm, H: 15 mm; Volumetric weight may apply.
Royal Mail Local Collect 5-15 kg (varies) 40 cm Max. 40cm x 30cm x 20cm (typical) Specific to items collected at Post Offices, not all Royal Mail parcel services.
Colissimo Point Retrait 20 kg 100 cm L + 2H + 2W ≤ 250 cm Minimum dimensions: 30x21 cm, 3cm thickness or 200g; Surcharges for non-compliance.
Budbee Box 30 kg 60 cm 54 cm x 33 cm x 60 cm (typical box size) Exceeding limits may result in non-acceptance or alternative delivery.

Need Help?

While the implementation logic resides on your platform, the HubBox team can offer guidance on strategy and best practices for defining your eligibility rules in the context of the pickup points you offer. Please contact us at clientsupport@hubbox.com if you need assistance formulating your approach.