Handi-Ramp Sales Team

Aluminum Surcharge Staging

What it is, which products it affects, and exactly what the customer sees — step by step.

What Is the Aluminum Surcharge?

Due to aluminum material costs almost doubling, Handi-Ramp is adding a 10% temporary surcharge to all aluminum ramp products. This fee is applied automatically at checkout — customers don't need to enter a code or make any changes.

The surcharge shows up in two places: on the product page (before they add to cart) and as its own line item in the cart. It's transparent, clearly labeled, and cannot be removed by the customer.

One sentence for customers: "Because aluminum prices have increased significantly, we've added a temporary 10% surcharge to our aluminum products — it's shown before you add to cart so there are no surprises at checkout."

Which Products Are Affected?

🟥 Surcharge Applies
  • 🚐 Cargo Van Ramps
  • 🚪 Sliding Door Threshold Ramps
  • 🐴 Horse Mounting Ramps
  • Modular Portable Wheelchair Ramps (FG-PAR series)
🟩 No Surcharge
  • 🔩 Steel ramps & products
  • 📦 Accessories & hardware
  • 🪵 Non-aluminum materials
Rule of thumb: If a product is made of aluminum and falls into one of the four groups above, the surcharge applies automatically. You don't need to calculate it — the website does it for you.

What the Customer Sees Before Adding to Cart

When a customer selects a variation (length, model, etc.) on an aluminum product page, the surcharge amount and new total appear automatically — before the Add to Cart button.

CVR product page showing surcharge before Add to Cart
Key points about the product page display
  • The surcharge box only appears after a customer picks a variation (size/model). It won't show on the base product page until they interact.
  • It shows the exact dollar amount — not just "10% will be added."
  • The "Total Payable Amount" is the surcharge + base price combined.
  • For kit products (like Sliding Door Threshold Ramps that come in 3-piece sets), the surcharge is calculated per piece and shown as a combined total.

What the Cart Looks Like

Each aluminum product in the cart gets its own surcharge line item directly below it. The customer cannot remove the surcharge — the remove button is hidden on those lines.

Shopping cart showing per-product surcharge line items
✅ How it behaves
  • One surcharge line per aluminum product
  • If they order 2 of a product, the surcharge reflects 2× the price
  • Remove the product → surcharge auto-removes
  • Surcharge shows in the final order confirmation & order history
🚫 What can't be done
  • Customer cannot remove just the surcharge line
  • No coupon code will remove it (it's a product, not a discount hook)
  • Cannot be edited in quantity — it's always tied to the parent item
  • The base product price is not inflated — surcharge is always separate


What Checkout Looks Like

The surcharge lines carry through to the checkout page — customers see them in the order summary before entering payment. No surprises at the last step.

Checkout page showing surcharge in order summary

The Customer's Journey, Step by Step

1
Customer lands on an aluminum product page

No surcharge visible yet — it only appears after they select a variation/model.

2
Customer selects a size or variation

The "Temporary Aluminum Surcharge" table appears automatically showing the fee amount and new total before the Add to Cart button.

3
Customer adds the product to cart

Two line items are added: the product itself, and a separate "Temporary Aluminum Surcharge" line at 10% of the product price.

4
Customer reviews cart

They see both lines clearly. The surcharge has no remove button. If they remove the product, the surcharge line disappears automatically.

5
Customer checks out & places order

The surcharge appears on the order confirmation email and order history, labeled "Temporary Aluminum Surcharge."


FAQ — What to Tell Customers

"Is this permanent? How long will it be there?"
It's labeled "Temporary" because it reflects current market conditions for aluminum. We'll revisit it when costs normalize. We don't have a specific end date.
"Why does my cart show two separate lines for one product?"
The surcharge is intentionally shown as a separate line so it's fully transparent — you can see exactly how much you're paying for the product vs. the surcharge. It's not being charged twice.
"I see a charge labeled 'aluminum' on my order — what is that?"
That's the aluminum surcharge. It appears with the SKU "aluminum" in our order system for accounting purposes. It's the same "Temporary Aluminum Surcharge" shown in your cart.
"Does the surcharge apply to my whole order or just aluminum products?"
Only to the aluminum products in your cart. If you also ordered steel products, accessories, or other items, those are not affected — you'll only see one surcharge line per aluminum product.
"I ordered 2 ramps — why is the surcharge so high?"
The surcharge is 10% of the total price for that product line. If you ordered 2 ramps at $3,000 each, the surcharge is 10% of $6,000 = $600, shown as a single line for that product.