Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping is an extension designed to enhance the functionality of Easy Digital Downloads (EDD), a WordPress plugin primarily built for selling digital products.

Recognizing the demand to extend EDD for the sale of physical items alongside digital goods, the Simple Shipping extension is introduced to seamlessly integrate simple shipping features into the EDD platform.

This extension caters to users who predominantly sell digital products but wish to incorporate a selection of physical items into their online stores, such as DVDs, CDs, or merchandise like t-shirts.

The key purpose of The Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension is to facilitate the management of shipping processes for such physical products within the EDD framework.

With Simple Shipping, users can effortlessly gather shipping information from customers during the checkout process. It empowers site owners to establish shipping rates for both domestic and international orders, providing flexibility to adapt to different shipping scenarios.

Users can designate whether payments have been shipped or not, allowing for effective order tracking.

The Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension offers a granular approach to shipping settings, allowing users to enable shipping on a per-product basis. Furthermore, for products with multiple price options, shipping can be enabled on a per-price basis, enhancing flexibility in managing diverse product offerings.

For marketplace operators, The Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension seamlessly integrates with the Frontend Submissions extension, providing comprehensive support for vendors in managing their shipping rates.

While the extension does not directly integrate with specific shipping companies, it streamlines the collection of shipping location addresses during the checkout process. The responsibility for handling the details with shipping companies lies with the store owner.

The Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension operates on a flat-rate system and does not provide options for variable shipping costs based on weight, size, or distance. However, users can set different flat rates for domestic and international shipping, accommodating global sales.

Notably, the extension allows vendors to set shipping rates through Frontend Submissions, contributing to a streamlined experience for sellers in a marketplace environment.

In terms of order management, users can export all unshipped orders conveniently through the Downloads → Reports → Export screen.

Additionally, the extension supports the inclusion of tracking numbers in each order, enabling the sending of email confirmations to customers along with their tracking information.

It’s important to note that Simple Shipping does not include shipping fees in tax calculations. Instead, it provides a focused and simplified solution for users primarily engaged in digital product sales but looking to seamlessly incorporate basic shipping features for their physical product offerings.

In summary, the Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension is a valuable addition for users of the EDD platform who wish to extend their online stores to include simple shipping features for physical products.

It strikes a balance between the core functionality of EDD, tailored for digital goods, and the need to manage basic shipping processes for a variety of physical items.

The extension’s design places a strong emphasis on simplicity and ease of use. It allows users to enable shipping selectively on a product and price basis, offering the flexibility needed for diverse product catalogs.

While the focus is on simplicity, it provides essential features such as the collection of shipping information during checkout, the ability to set flat-rate shipping for domestic and international orders, and the inclusion of tracking numbers for customer reassurance.

By not integrating with specific shipping companies, Simple Shipping places the onus on store owners to manage the logistics with their chosen shipping partners. This aligns with its approach of simplicity and broad applicability, catering to a range of scenarios where users may have varied shipping requirements.

The extension also extends its utility to marketplace scenarios, integrating seamlessly with the Frontend Submissions extension. This ensures that vendors within a marketplace can independently manage their shipping rates, contributing to a cohesive and efficient marketplace experience.

While Simple Shipping has limitations, such as the absence of variable shipping costs based on weight, size, or distance, these limitations are intentional, aiming to keep the extension straightforward and accessible for users primarily focused on digital product sales.

In conclusion, the Easy Digital Downloads Simple Shipping extension serves as a valuable tool for users seeking to strike a balance between the specialized nature of EDD for digital products and the inclusion of straightforward shipping processes for physical items.

Its design choices and feature set make it a suitable solution for users who want to keep their online stores streamlined and focused on both digital and physical product offerings.