Some wineries use transfer methods for certain states rather than shipping to the customer directly themselves. This routes the order through a licensed third party, such as a transfer house or fulfillment partner.
This is different from a standard shipping method. With a third-party or transfer method, the order is shipped from the winery → transfer house → customer, rather than winery → customer. Because the transfer house is the one making the final delivery, the tax rate on the order is applied from the transfer house's address, rather than the customer's address.
This article walks through the full setup: creating the third-party method, communicating the arrangement to the customer at checkout, zeroing out the rate table, and enabling the method correctly at the state level.
NOTE: Whether a transfer arrangement makes sense for a given state is a compliance decision. Confirm the details with your compliance consultant or ShipCompliant before configuring it. This article covers the mechanics in Offset, not whether your business needs a transfer arrangement or not.
Step 1: Create the Third-Party Fulfillment Method
Create a dedicated fulfillment method for the transfer arrangement.
Go to Settings.
Click Fulfillment Methods & Rates.
Click New Fulfillment Method (or duplicate an existing method if you're setting up a second transfer method).
Enter a Shipping Method Name.
Name the method so it's clearly identifiable as a transfer arrangement. For example, Transfer to 55 Degrees. This makes it easy to distinguish from standard shipping methods later, both for your team and in reporting.
Click Create Method
On the new method, change the Type to Third-Party
Under the Fulfillment Method details, enter the address for the third-party.This is the address that will apply to the order, and the address that will collect tax.
Under Method Details, enter the Method Code your fulfillment partner uses for this service.
Click Save Changes
Step 2: Add the Shipping Description
On the method details page, update the Shipping Description. This field is where you tell the customer, right at checkout, that a third party will be shipping the order and collecting billing for their shipment.
EXAMPLE: "I have an account at 55 Degrees and I would like my order transferred to that location. Shipping charges will be collected directly by 55 Degrees."
This message displays to the customer below the method name when they select it during checkout, so they understand why shipping shows as $0 and who to expect a shipping charge from.
Here is an example of how this may look on the checkout page.
Step 3: Set Zero-Rate Rows for the Destination States
Because the third party bills the customer for shipping, the rate table for this method should be set to $0 for the states it covers. This should already be set to $0 by default if this is a new method, but if you are duplicating an existing method, rates may carry over.
On the Fulfillment Methods & Rates page, select the ellipsis next to the third-party method.
Choose Edit Rates.
Enter $0 across the rate table cells for the destination state(s) this method covers, for each bottle size you sell.
Step 4: Enable the Method on the State Level
Next, make sure the destination state isn't also available through your normal shipping methods, otherwise customers could choose either path at checkout.
In some cases, you may want to offer both a third-party method and a regular method for the same state. For example, if California customers should be able to choose either standard shipping or a third-party transfer. In that case, leave the regular methods enabled alongside the transfer method.
Go to Settings.
Click on Ship-To States & Taxes.
Find the destination state and select "Edit".
On the Edit page, disable all the methods you do not want available for that state.
Enable the Third Party transfer methods by selecting the check box next to the method
Repeat this on all states where you will be offering this method, and for the state where the third party is located
Note you can do this with an import if you prefer. See Setup Your Shipping & Tax Settings by State for instructions on how to do so.
IMPORTANT: The third-party method needs to be enabled for both the destination state and the state where the transfer house is located, because the saved address on the method itself differs from the customer's address, and Offset checks that address against your state-level settings when deciding whether to show the method.