Quote Strategy

Developer Guide
The first rate your customer sees is the one they're most likely to choose.

When a rate request returns multiple shipping options, ShipRateAPI sorts them before presenting them at checkout. That sort order has a direct impact on conversion, average order value, and customer satisfaction — yet most shipping systems offer no control over it.

ShipRateAPI's Quote Strategy gives you that control. Set a store-level default that reflects how your customers make decisions, then override it on individual requests when a specific checkout flow demands something different.

For value-driven retailers, leading with the cheapest option reassures budget-conscious shoppers and reduces cart abandonment. For premium brands, time-sensitive goods, or B2B accounts where downtime costs money, surfacing the fastest option first signals quality and urgency — and justifies the higher price point.

Screenshot: Store settings in admin portal — Quote Strategy selection
Available strategies
StrategySort orderFallback
cheapest defaultPrice ascending — lowest cost shown first—
fastestminDeliveryDays ascending — soonest delivery shown firstFalls back to price ascending when minDeliveryDays is not set on a carrier
Choosing the right strategy for your store
  • Use cheapest for standard retail stores where price is the primary driver. Budget-conscious shoppers respond well to seeing the lowest cost option prominently — it reduces shipping-related cart abandonment and makes your checkout feel transparent and fair. This is the default when no strategy is configured.
  • Use fastest for B2B stores, perishable goods, premium product lines, or any context where delivery speed matters more than cost. Leading with next-day or express options sets the right expectation for customers who've already decided to buy — and are willing to pay for certainty.
  • Mix both using the per-request strategy override when different checkout paths serve different customer segments — a standard checkout leading with price, an express checkout leading with speed.
Store-level default

The default strategy is configured per store in the admin portal under Stores → Edit store → Quote Strategy. Every rate request for that store uses this strategy unless it is explicitly overridden in the request payload.

If no strategy has been set on the store, cheapest is applied automatically. You can change the strategy at any time — the change takes effect immediately on all subsequent requests, with no code changes required.

Screenshot: Store edit form in admin portal — showing the Quote Strategy dropdown
Per-request override

Pass a strategy field directly in the quote request body to override the store default for that request only. No admin changes required — different parts of your integration can use different strategies simultaneously.

POST /api/v1/quotes
x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

{
  "dest_country_id": "GB",
  "dest_postcode":   "SW1A 1AA",
  "package_weight":  2.5,
  "package_value":   49.99,
  "strategy":        "fastest",
  "items": [
    {
      "sku":    "WIDGET-001",
      "name":   "Blue Widget",
      "qty":    1,
      "price":  49.99,
      "weight": 2.5,
      "tags":   []
    }
  ]
}
Setting delivery days on carriers

The fastest strategy sorts by minDeliveryDays, configured per carrier under Carriers → Edit carrier → Delivery days. Carriers without a value set always sort behind those that do — so for fastest to produce meaningful results, all active carriers should have delivery days configured.

For fastest to be meaningful, configure minDeliveryDays on every active carrier. Carriers without it will always appear at the bottom of a fastest-ordered response.
Screenshot: Carrier edit form in admin portal — showing the Delivery Days field
How Quote Strategy works with other features
  • Rate Types — Quote Strategy sorts the complete result set after all rate tables have been evaluated. The more carriers and rate types configured, the more impactful the sort.
  • Tags & Routing — tag filtering is applied first; Quote Strategy then sorts the eligible carriers that matched. A fastest sort ranks the fastest among those that passed tag rules.
  • Scheduling — Quote Strategy sorts the rates that are currently active within their schedule window, ensuring customers always see the most relevant option first regardless of the period.