Cross-Border Multi-Vendor Logistics Platform

1. Project Overview

We are building a Multi-vendor E-Commerce platform where independent designers/vendors ship products internationally (primarily from Vietnam etc to countries like Japan, UAE, Bahrain etc).
The primary focus of this project is 'seamless international logistics', not general ecommerce features.

The system must:
Feel “Amazon-like” to end customers
Centralize logistics decisions at the platform level
Abstract away courier and customs complexity from vendors

2. High-Level Logistics Flow (Target State)

Vendor/designer uploads product (with weight, dimensions, value)
Customer places international order
Platform calculates shipping options automatically
Platform selects courier based on predefined rules
Shipping label + Customs documents are generated automatically

Vendor/Designer prints label, packs product, hands it to courier
Courier handles pickup, customs, delivery
Customer receives tracking updates
Platform handles exceptions (failed delivery, customs refusal)

3. Platform & Tech Assumptions

CMS: WordPress
Ecommerce engine: WooCommerce
Multi-vendor model (vendors ship their own products)

Platform controls:

Courier selection
Shipping logic
Customs handling rules
Vendors do NOT integrate their own couriers

4. Core Functional Requirements
4.1 Vendor Capabilities

Upload products with:
Weight
Dimensions
Declared value
Product category
View assigned courier and shipping instructions

Download & print:
Shipping labels
Customs/commercial invoices
View shipment status (read-only)
No manual courier booking by vendors

4.2 Customer Capabilities

See shipping cost and estimated delivery time at checkout
Choose between limited options (e.g. standard vs express)
Receive tracking link post-purchase
Clear communication about customs/duties (DAP model)

4.3 Platform (Admin) Capabilities

Configure shipping rules:
by country
by weight
by product category

Decide priority:
Lowest cost vs lowest failure rate
Enable / disable couriers per region

Central dashboard to:
View all shipments
Track delivery status
Identify failures
Override shipment routing if needed

5. Logistics & Shipping Integration
5.1 Shipping Aggregation

Integrate with one shipping aggregation API (e.g. EasyPost / Shippo or similar)
Single integration to support multiple couriers

5.2 Courier Support

International couriers (e.g. DHL, Aramex, FedEx)
Ability to add/remove couriers without code changes

5.3 Label & Document Generation

Automatic generation of:
Shipping labels
Tracking numbers
Customs documents
Labels must be vendor-printable

6. Customs & International Shipping Rules

Initial model: DAP (Delivered At Place)
Buyer pays customs duties on delivery

Platform must:
Clearly communicate this to customers
Pass correct customs metadata to courier
No upfront duty/tax calculation required for MVP

System must handle:
Customs refusal
Delivery failure scenarios

7. Exception Handling (Critical)

The system must define behavior for:
Failed delivery
Customs refusal by customer
Courier non-serviceable locations
Weight/dimension mismatch after pickup

Expected outcomes:
Refund-only OR
Return-to-origin (configurable)

8. Non-Goals (Out of Scope)

To avoid scope creep:
No warehouse / fulfillment center logic
No inventory forecasting
No advanced tax engines (Avalara, etc.)
No Amazon FBA integration as core logistics
No mobile app

9. Deliverables Expected from Freelancer

Architecture proposal for logistics flow
WooCommerce + shipping API integration
Vendor/designer dashboard enhancements (labels, tracking)
Admin configuration interface for shipping rules
Error handling & fallback logic

Documentation explaining:
Assumptions
Edge cases
Future extensibility

10. Evaluation Criteria for Freelancers

We are specifically looking for:
Prior experience with cross-border shipping
Understanding of customs, DAP/DDP concepts

Experience integrating:
Shipping APIs
WooCommerce custom logic
Ability to explain trade-offs clearly

11. Engagement Model (Important)

Open to:
Discovery / architecture phase

Followed by:
Fixed-price MVP
OR hourly development

Freelancers should:
Clearly state assumptions
Identify risks early

Suggest simplifications where possible