Shipping is typically the second or third largest operational expense for e-commerce businesses, after product cost and sometimes marketing. Unlike marketing, shipping costs compound — every order you fulfill has a shipping cost attached. Reducing that cost by 15-20% across all shipments has a significant impact on margin. Here’s how to do it with EasyPost and WooCommerce.

Understand How Carriers Price Shipments

Before optimizing, understand what you’re optimizing against. Carriers price shipments based on:

The two biggest levers are reducing DIM weight (using right-sized boxes) and choosing the cheapest carrier+service for each shipment.

Strategy 1: Use the Smallest Box That Fits

DIM weight is calculated from your box dimensions, not your product dimensions. A small product in a large box pays large-box DIM weight pricing. Using right-sized boxes consistently reduces DIM weight charges — often by 20-30% for lightweight products in standard packaging.

The TheForge EasyPost Shipping plugin includes a 3D bin packing algorithm that automatically selects the smallest box from your configured box sizes for each order. This isn’t just about efficiency — it’s a direct cost reduction mechanism.

Strategy 2: Compare Rates Across Carriers Automatically

EasyPost’s core value proposition is multi-carrier rate comparison. For every shipment, EasyPost returns rates from every carrier your account has access to — USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and more — ranked by price. The cheapest option for a 2lb package going to Zone 3 might be USPS Ground Advantage one week and UPS Ground the next, depending on fuel surcharges and zone pricing.

Manual carrier comparison is impractical at scale. EasyPost does it automatically, and the shipping plugin surfaces the lowest rate at checkout and in the order management screen.

Strategy 3: USPS Commercial Pricing

EasyPost accounts get access to USPS Commercial pricing (also called Commercial Base Pricing or CBP) — rates that are significantly lower than retail Post Office prices. For USPS Priority Mail, commercial rates are typically 15-25% lower than retail. For USPS Ground Advantage (formerly First Class and Retail Ground), commercial rates make it competitive with UPS and FedEx Ground for packages under 1lb.

This pricing is included in your EasyPost account at no additional cost and applied automatically to every USPS rate request.

Strategy 4: UPS and FedEx Negotiated Rates

If you ship significant volume with UPS or FedEx (50+ packages/week), you’re eligible for negotiated rates directly with the carrier. These can be 30-50% below published rates for high-volume shippers. EasyPost supports importing your negotiated rates via carrier accounts, so the plugin automatically uses your discount rates when calculating and purchasing labels.

Strategy 5: Flat Rate Shipping for Predictable Products

For products with consistent dimensions and weight, USPS flat rate packaging eliminates zone-based pricing entirely. A USPS Priority Mail flat rate box ships anywhere in the US for the same price regardless of weight (up to 70lbs) or destination.

The plugin lets you configure flat rate rules — for example, “if order weight is under 5lbs and fits in a flat rate envelope, use USPS Priority Mail flat rate.” Applied to the right products, this simplifies pricing and reduces cost for zone-heavy destinations.

Strategy 6: Reduce Surcharges

Surcharges add up. Common avoidable surcharges:

Strategy 7: Automate to Eliminate Fulfillment Overhead

Labor cost is a shipping cost. Manual label printing — finding the order, choosing a carrier, printing the label, updating tracking — takes 2-5 minutes per order. At 50 orders/day, that’s 2-4 hours of fulfillment time daily.

The TheForge EasyPost Shipping plugin includes automation rules that purchase labels automatically when orders are paid — choosing the right carrier, the right service, and applying your box configuration without manual intervention. Bulk label printing handles the rest. Your team focuses on picking and packing, not on shipping software.

Putting It Together

The compounding effect of these strategies is significant. Right-sized boxes reduce DIM weight by 20%. Carrier comparison finds the cheapest option for each shipment. Commercial pricing reduces USPS costs by 15-25%. Address validation eliminates correction surcharges. Automation eliminates fulfillment labor time.

Applied together, stores typically reduce their per-shipment cost by 20-35% compared to manual carrier accounts and retail pricing.

Ready to get started? Get the TheForge EasyPost Shipping plugin or talk to our team about your specific shipping setup.

We have been working hard behind the scenes, and today we are excited to share everything that landed in the Smart COD Control v1.3 release cycle. This is the biggest update to the plugin since launch — two flagship features, a redesigned admin experience, and a stack of smaller improvements under the hood.

What Is Smart COD Control?

Smart COD Control is a WooCommerce plugin that gives store owners complete control over when Cash on Delivery is available at checkout. Hide COD by cart value, shipping zone, product category, customer history, and more — all without writing any code. It also includes fraud prevention tools to reduce fake orders and RTO rates.

New in v1.3.0: Visual Rule Builder

Before v1.3, setting COD rules required navigating separate settings panels for each condition type. The new Visual Rule Builder brings everything into one unified drag-and-drop interface.

Key capabilities:

Smart COD Control Rule Builder in action

New in v1.3.1: OTP Phone Verification

Fake COD orders are a significant cost center for stores in emerging markets. A customer who never intended to accept delivery places an order impulsively, you ship the product, and it comes back at your expense. OTP verification addresses this at the source.

When enabled, customers selecting Cash on Delivery must verify their phone number with a one-time SMS code before the order is placed. No code — no order. The friction is minimal for genuine buyers but effectively eliminates throwaway orders.

Supported SMS providers:

OTP phone verification at checkout

Enhanced Blacklisting and Approval Workflow

The blacklist system has been upgraded with a new admin approval workflow. Flag customers as requiring manual review — their COD orders go into a pending queue that your team approves or rejects before processing. This is ideal for stores with VIP or high-risk order tiers.

Fraud Analytics and Heatmap

The analytics tab now includes a geographic view of COD order activity. Spot regions with elevated cancellation rates at a glance and feed that data back into your Rule Builder to tighten restrictions exactly where they are needed.

Full Changelog

v1.3.1

v1.3.0

v1.2.0

How to Update

Update via WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Updates. All existing settings are migrated automatically — no reconfiguration needed. After updating, visit the new Rule Builder tab to explore the interface, and the OTP Settings tab to enable phone verification.

Questions or feedback? Reach us through the support page — we read every message.

Smart COD Control v1.3.1 supports Vonage (formerly Nexmo) as an SMS provider for OTP verification. Vonage offers competitive rates across South Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia — regions where Cash on Delivery is most popular. This guide walks you through the full setup.

Vonage OTP verification for WooCommerce COD

What You Will Need

Step 1: Create a Vonage Account

  1. Go to vonage.com and click Sign Up Free.
  2. Verify your email. Vonage provides free trial credit so you can test SMS immediately.
  3. Once logged in, go to the Vonage API Dashboard.

Step 2: Get Your API Credentials

  1. On the dashboard, find the API key and API secret at the top.
  2. Copy both values — you will paste them into Smart COD Control.

Tip: Never share your API secret publicly. Treat it like a password.

Step 3: Set Your Sender Name

With Vonage you can use an alphanumeric sender ID (e.g., MyStore) in most countries. Go to Account → API settings in the Vonage dashboard to configure your default sender name. Note that some countries (like India) require a registered DLT sender ID — check Vonage documentation for your region.

Step 4: Configure Smart COD Control

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Smart COD Control → OTP Settings.
  2. Toggle Enable OTP Verification to ON.
  3. Under SMS Provider, select Vonage.
  4. Enter your API Key and API Secret.
  5. Set the From Name (your brand name or phone number).
  6. Click Save Settings.

Step 5: Customise the OTP Message

Use the {otp} placeholder in your message. Keep it under 160 characters. Example:

Your MyStore COD verification code is {otp}. Do not share this code.

Step 6: Test It

  1. Open an incognito window and go through checkout.
  2. Select Cash on Delivery.
  3. Enter your own phone number and click Send Code.
  4. You should receive an SMS from Vonage within seconds.
  5. Enter the code and complete the order.

Vonage vs Twilio — Which Should You Choose?

Feature Vonage Twilio
Best for Asia, Middle East Global / US-heavy
Pricing Competitive in APAC Standard global rates
Sender ID Alphanumeric supported Numeric only in many regions
Free trial Yes Yes

Both providers work seamlessly with Smart COD Control. Choose based on your geography and pricing preference — you can switch at any time from the plugin settings without losing data.

Smart COD Control supports two SMS providers for OTP verification: Twilio and Vonage. This guide walks you through setting up Twilio — the most widely used SMS API worldwide — step by step.

Twilio SMS OTP setup for Smart COD Control

What You Will Need

Step 1: Create a Twilio Account

  1. Go to twilio.com and sign up for a free account.
  2. Verify your email address and phone number during signup.
  3. Once logged in, you will land on the Twilio Console Dashboard.

Step 2: Get Your API Credentials

  1. Find the Account Info section on the dashboard.
  2. Copy your Account SID — it starts with AC.
  3. Copy your Auth Token — click the eye icon to reveal it.

Step 3: Get a Twilio Phone Number

  1. Go to Phone Numbers → Manage → Buy a Number.
  2. Filter by your country and ensure the number has SMS capability.
  3. Click Buy (free trial accounts get one number at no charge).
  4. Copy the number in E.164 format, e.g. +14155552671.

Note: On a free trial, Twilio can only send SMS to verified numbers. Upgrade to a paid account to send to any number.

Step 4: Configure Smart COD Control

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Smart COD Control → OTP Settings.
  2. Toggle Enable OTP Verification to ON.
  3. Under SMS Provider, select Twilio.
  4. Paste your Account SID and Auth Token.
  5. Enter your Twilio phone number in the From Number field (include the + and country code).
  6. Click Save Settings.

Step 5: Customise the OTP Message

Use the placeholder {otp} where you want the code to appear. Example:

Your verification code for your COD order at MyStore is {otp}. Valid for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Test It

  1. Open your store in an incognito window and add a product to cart.
  2. At checkout, select Cash on Delivery.
  3. Enter a verified phone number, click Send Code, and enter the received OTP.
  4. Complete the order to confirm everything works.

Troubleshooting

Once connected, customers receive OTP codes within seconds and your COD cancellation rate will start dropping immediately.

ThePluginForge builds free WooCommerce plugins — EasyPost Shipping, Smart COD Control, and Buy Now Button — and backs them with real support. Here’s where to find help and how to get the most out of the support resources available.

Documentation

Each plugin has a dedicated documentation section covering installation, configuration, and all settings. Start there before submitting a support request — most common questions are answered in the docs.

The Support Page

For issues not covered in the documentation, visit the ThePluginForge support page. Submit your question with:

The more detail you provide, the faster your issue can be resolved.

Common Issues and Fixes

EasyPost Shipping: No rates appearing at checkout

Check that products have weight and dimensions set, that your EasyPost API key is valid, that carrier accounts are connected in your EasyPost dashboard, and that at least one carrier service is enabled in the plugin settings.

Smart COD Control: OTP not being received

Verify your SMS gateway API credentials, check that the phone number format is correct for your gateway (international format vs local format), and confirm there are no balance or sending limit issues with your gateway account.

Buy Now Button: Button not appearing

Check the plugin is active, that the product type is supported (simple or variable), and that the button hasn’t been disabled for that specific product or category in the plugin settings.

WordPress.org Support Forums

All three plugins are available on WordPress.org, which means they have public support forums on the plugin pages. The forums are monitored regularly and are a good place to search for issues others have encountered and resolved.

Staying Updated

Keep your plugins updated to the latest version — most bug fixes and compatibility updates are delivered via plugin updates. Enable automatic updates in WordPress or check for updates regularly in Dashboard → Updates.

Visit the ThePluginForge support page →

Smart COD Control is a comprehensive toolkit for managing Cash on Delivery in WooCommerce. This guide walks you through every major setting from first install to a fully configured COD management system.

Installation

Install Smart COD Control from the WordPress plugin directory or upload the plugin ZIP. Activate it, then navigate to WooCommerce → Smart COD in your admin menu.

1. General Settings

The General tab controls the top-level COD behaviour:

2. OTP Verification

Configure SMS gateway, OTP length, expiry, resend limits, and the message template. Test with a real phone number before enabling.

3. Location Rules

Set country, state, and pincode allowlists or blocklists. Start permissive and tighten based on your RTO data.

4. Fee Settings

Set a fixed, percentage, or combined COD fee. Configure the label text and any exemption rules (by customer history, order value, or product category).

5. Trust Rules

Define what constitutes a “trusted” customer. Trusted customers can receive lighter restrictions — skipping OTP, lower fees, higher COD value caps.

6. Product and Category Rules

Block COD for specific products or entire categories. High-value electronics, fragile goods, custom/personalised items — configure which products can and can’t be purchased via COD.

7. Analytics and Reporting

The analytics tab shows your COD vs prepaid order split, blocked order counts, and RTO trends over time. Use this data to tune your rules.

Recommended Starting Configuration

If you’re not sure where to start:

  1. Enable OTP verification for all new customers
  2. Set a maximum COD order value of 2× your average order value
  3. Add a modest COD handling fee (₹25–₹50 or 2–3%)
  4. Review your RTO data after 30 days and add pincode blocks for problem areas

Full documentation and a setup walkthrough video are available at the ThePluginForge support page.

Download Smart COD Control free →