Estimate Cart

Using the Estimate Cart endpoint you can discover the estimated totals and available shipping methods for any combination of Sku's and a shipping address. This feature can be useful for debugging failed carts where one or more Sku's may have been unavailable in a certain region or no shipping methods were returned for an address.

Cart estimation is not a part of the checkout process and is instead best used as a method for anticipating the behavior of a cart or debugging a failed cart.

When using Estimate Cart you do not need to manage the lifecycle of a cart. Violet will handle the creation, modification, and deletion of any external carts that may need to be created while estimating a cart.

When the Estimate Cart process fails in the external commerce platform, Violet will attempt to parse and surface all error messages from the external system so that you are able to fully understand why the estimation failed. The most common reasons for failure will be Sku unavailability and incorrectly formatted shipping addresses.

---

Response Behavior

SKU Availability

Each SKU in the response includes an available boolean field indicating whether the item can be purchased. When a SKU is unavailable (e.g., out of stock, discontinued, or region-restricted), the available field will be false.

{
  "skus": [
    {
      "sku_id": 10000,
      "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
      "available": true,
      "price": 9999,
      "quantity": 2,
      "line_price": 19998
    },
    {
      "sku_id": 10001,
      "name": "Discontinued Controller",
      "available": false,
      "price": 2999,
      "quantity": 1,
      "line_price": 2999
    }
  ]
}

SKUs with available: false are still included in the response but should not be used in cart creation. Always check this field before proceeding to checkout.

Inventory Information (BETA)

For supported platforms, SKUs may include an inventory object with detailed stock information:

Field	Type	Description
sufficient_inventory	Boolean	Whether there is enough inventory for the requested quantity
available_inventory	Integer	The total quantity available for purchase

{
  "sku_id": 10000,
  "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
  "available": true,
  "quantity": 5,
  "inventory": {
    "sufficient_inventory": false,
    "available_inventory": 3
  }
}

The inventory object is currently in BETA and may not be available for all merchants or platforms.

External Error Messages

Each estimated cart may include an external_error_messages array containing raw error strings from the commerce platform. These messages provide additional context when estimation fails or encounters issues.

{
  "merchant_id": 10000,
  "platform": "SHOPIFY",
  "external_error_messages": [
    "The requested quantity is not available",
    "Cannot ship to the provided address"
  ]
}

Interpreting Error Messages

The external_error_messages array contains raw error strings from commerce platforms. While these messages vary by platform and aren't suitable for programmatic parsing, they're valuable for:

1. Your support team — Full messages help diagnose issues without escalation

2. End users — Provides context about what went wrong (display directly or use to craft friendly messages)

3. Escalation to Violet — Include these messages when contacting support for faster resolution

Scenario	skus array	external_error_messages	Recommended Action
SKU unavailable	Contains SKU with available: false	May contain product name	Log message for support; show user the SKU is unavailable
Insufficient inventory (BETA)	Contains SKU with inventory.sufficient_inventory: false	May show quantity details	Display message to user; log for troubleshooting
Merchant unreachable	Empty or missing	Contains errors like "HTTP 404 Not Found"	Merchant-level failure — log for ops team; mark all merchant items invalid
Invalid discount	SKUs present (may be available)	Contains discount error	Display to user; discount issue doesn't affect SKU availability

Best Practice: Use structured fields (available, inventory) for validation logic. Log external_error_messages for troubleshooting and display them to users for context. These messages are the most detailed diagnostic information available when platform issues occur.

Non-Tracked Inventory

Some merchants don't track inventory. In these cases:

• available will be true (the item can be purchased)

• available_inventory may be 0, negative, or absent

Always trust the available boolean as the primary indicator. Only use inventory fields when they're present AND the merchant tracks inventory.

---

Handling Estimation Errors

Important: For multi-merchant carts, the API may return HTTP 200 even when individual merchants fail. Always check the errors array regardless of HTTP status code.

Single-Merchant Estimation Errors

When estimating a cart with SKUs from a single merchant fails, the error will be surfaced as an API Exception in the response body with a 400 or 422 HTTP status.

_{Example: Response when single-merchant estimation fails due to an unavailable SKU.}

{
  "message": "This item is no longer available for purchase.",
  "error": "sku_not_available",
  "code": 4223,
  "data": {
    "skus": [
      {
        "message": "This item is no longer available for purchase.",
        "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
        "sku_id": 99999
      }
    ]
  }
}

Multi-Merchant Estimation Errors

When estimating a cart with SKUs from multiple merchants, the response will return HTTP 200 with any errors nested in the errors array. Valid SKUs from successful merchants will still be included in estimated_carts.

_{Example: Response when one merchant fails while another succeeds. The entity_type of SKU indicates which SKU caused the error, referenced by entity_id.}

{
  "estimated_carts": [
    {
      "merchant_id": 10000,
      "platform": "SHOPIFY",
      "sub_total": 19998,
      "shipping_total": 500,
      "tax_total": 2000,
      "total": 22498,
      "skus": [
        {
          "sku_id": 10000,
          "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
          "available": true,
          "price": 9999,
          "quantity": 2,
          "line_price": 19998
        }
      ],
      "available_shipping_methods": [
        {
          "label": "Standard Shipping",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 500,
          "shipping_method_id": "abc123"
        }
      ],
      "has_shipping_methods": true
    }
  ],
  "errors": [
    {
      "id": 55555,
      "bag_id": 77777,
      "entity_id": "99999",
      "entity_type": "SKU",
      "message": "This item is no longer available for purchase.",
      "date_created": "2023-11-07T05:31:56Z",
      "platform": "BIGCOMMERCE"
    }
  ]
}

Common Error Codes

Code	Error	Description
2002	sku_not_found	The requested SKU does not exist in Violet's catalog
2003	sku_not_available	The SKU exists but is currently unavailable
4219	order_sku_not_available	The SKU is no longer available for purchase
4223	insufficient_inventory	Not enough inventory for the requested quantity
4232	invalid_shipping_address	The provided shipping address is invalid
4236	blocked_address	The address has been blocked due to fraud history

---

Response Examples

Successful Estimation (All SKUs Available)

{
  "estimated_carts": [
    {
      "merchant_id": 10000,
      "platform": "SHOPIFY",
      "base_currency": "USD",
      "sub_total": 19998,
      "shipping_total": 500,
      "tax_total": 2000,
      "discount_total": 0,
      "total": 22498,
      "skus": [
        {
          "sku_id": 10000,
          "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
          "price": 9999,
          "quantity": 2,
          "line_price": 19998,
          "merchant_id": 10000,
          "external_id": "31516807528534",
          "available": true,
          "requires_shipping": true,
          "product_type": "PHYSICAL"
        }
      ],
      "available_shipping_methods": [
        {
          "label": "Free Shipping",
          "carrier": "OTHER",
          "price": 0,
          "shipping_method_id": "18ff5c0a16d83cb8ba46848e48e06532"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ground Advantage",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 712,
          "shipping_method_id": "468c823c817c753e850ff6658ef1480f"
        },
        {
          "label": "Priority Mail",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 934,
          "shipping_method_id": "02ef65ebff687faa10c71830d41144b2"
        }
      ],
      "has_shipping_methods": true,
      "external_error_messages": []
    }
  ],
  "errors": []
}

Partial Availability (Some SKUs Unavailable)

When some SKUs in a single-merchant cart are unavailable, they will be included in the response with available: false. The totals will only reflect the available items.

{
  "estimated_carts": [
    {
      "merchant_id": 10000,
      "platform": "SHOPIFY",
      "base_currency": "USD",
      "sub_total": 9999,
      "shipping_total": 500,
      "tax_total": 1050,
      "discount_total": 0,
      "total": 11549,
      "skus": [
        {
          "sku_id": 10000,
          "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
          "price": 9999,
          "quantity": 1,
          "line_price": 9999,
          "available": true,
          "requires_shipping": true,
          "product_type": "PHYSICAL"
        },
        {
          "sku_id": 10001,
          "name": "Discontinued Controller",
          "price": 2999,
          "quantity": 1,
          "line_price": 2999,
          "available": false,
          "requires_shipping": true,
          "product_type": "PHYSICAL"
        }
      ],
      "available_shipping_methods": [
        {
          "label": "Standard Shipping",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 500,
          "shipping_method_id": "abc123"
        }
      ],
      "has_shipping_methods": true
    }
  ],
  "errors": []
}

Insufficient Inventory

When the requested quantity exceeds available stock, the inventory object (when available) provides details:

{
  "estimated_carts": [
    {
      "merchant_id": 10000,
      "platform": "SHOPIFY",
      "sub_total": 49995,
      "shipping_total": 1500,
      "tax_total": 5000,
      "total": 56495,
      "skus": [
        {
          "sku_id": 10000,
          "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
          "price": 9999,
          "quantity": 5,
          "line_price": 49995,
          "available": true,
          "inventory": {
            "sufficient_inventory": false,
            "available_inventory": 3
          },
          "requires_shipping": true,
          "product_type": "PHYSICAL"
        }
      ],
      "has_shipping_methods": true,
      "external_error_messages": [
        "Insufficient inventory for item with ID 10000."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "errors": []
}

---

Best Practices

Recommended Implementation Pattern

async function validateSkus(skuIds, shippingAddress) {
  const response = await estimateCart({
    skus: skuIds,
    shipping_address: shippingAddress
  });

  // Check HTTP status first (single-merchant failures)
  if (response.status >= 400) {
    return {
      valid: [],
      invalid: response.data.skus.map(s => ({
        sku_id: s.sku_id,
        message: s.message
      }))
    };
  }

  // Multi-merchant or success - check errors array
  const validSkuIds = new Set();
  response.estimated_carts.forEach(cart => {
    cart.skus
      .filter(sku => sku.available)
      .forEach(sku => validSkuIds.add(sku.sku_id));
  });

  const invalidSkus = response.errors
    ?.filter(e => e.entity_type === 'SKU')
    .map(e => ({ sku_id: e.entity_id, message: e.message })) || [];

  return {
    valid: Array.from(validSkuIds),
    invalid: invalidSkus
  };
}

Common Use Cases

Use Case	What to Check
Pre-checkout validation	available field on each SKU
Inventory management	inventory.sufficient_inventory and inventory.available_inventory
Shipping availability	has_shipping_methods and available_shipping_methods array
Debugging failed carts	errors array and external_error_messages
Multi-merchant carts	Check each estimated_cart individually; some may succeed while others fail

---

Deprecated

Estimate Cart

post

Legacy alias for POST /orders/estimate. Estimates cart totals including taxes, shipping, and discounts without creating or persisting an order. Use POST /orders/estimate instead.

Header parameters

X-Violet-TokenstringRequired

API token for authentication

X-Violet-App-SecretstringRequired

Application secret key

X-Violet-App-Idinteger · int32Required

Application ID

Example: 10000

Body

application/json

Request body for estimating cart totals without creating or persisting a cart. Use this to preview prices, taxes, shipping costs, and discount amounts before committing to a full cart creation flow. The response returns per-merchant breakdowns with available shipping options and estimated totals.

base_currencystring · enum · min: 3 · max: 3Optional

The base currency the cart should be calculated in.

Default: USDPossible values:

Responses

200

success

application/json

Response containing estimated cart totals. The estimated_carts list contains one entry per merchant, each with line item totals, available shipping methods, tax estimates, and discount breakdowns. All monetary values are in the smallest currency unit (e.g. cents for USD).

400

bad request

application/json

401

unauthorized

application/json

404

not found

application/json

500

internal server error

application/json

post

/carts/estimate

HTTPcURLJavaScriptPython

POST /v1/carts/estimate HTTP/1.1
Host: sandbox-api.violet.io
X-Violet-Token: text
X-Violet-App-Secret: text
X-Violet-App-Id: 1
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 225

{
  "base_currency": "USD",
  "skus": [
    {
      "sku_id": 10000,
      "quantity": 2
    }
  ],
  "shipping_address": {
    "address_1": "2815 Elliott Ave",
    "address_2": "Unit 100",
    "city": "Seattle",
    "state": "WA",
    "country": "US",
    "postal_code": "98121",
    "phone": "1234567890"
  }
}

Single SKU estimationMultiple SKUs across merchants

{
  "estimated_carts": [
    {
      "merchant_id": 10000,
      "platform": "SHOPIFY",
      "base_currency": "USD",
      "totals_in_base_currency": true,
      "sub_total": 19998,
      "shipping_total": 712,
      "tax_total": 2119,
      "discount_total": 0,
      "total": 22829,
      "skus": [
        {
          "sku_id": 10000,
          "quantity": 2,
          "name": "Nintendo Entertainment System",
          "price": 9999,
          "line_price": 19998,
          "compare_at_price": 12999,
          "merchant_id": 10000,
          "external_id": "31516807528534",
          "available": true,
          "inventory": {
            "available_inventory": 50,
            "sufficient_inventory": true
          },
          "requires_shipping": true,
          "product_type": "PHYSICAL",
          "custom": false,
          "offer_id": 55555,
          "weight_in_grams": 850,
          "trade_compliance": {
            "harmonized_system_code": "6109.10.00",
            "country_code_of_origin": "US",
            "province_code_of_origin": "CA"
          }
        }
      ],
      "available_shipping_methods": [
        {
          "label": "Free Shipping",
          "carrier": "OTHER",
          "price": 0,
          "shipping_method_id": "18ff5c0a16d83cb8ba46848e48e06532"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ground Advantage",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 712,
          "shipping_method_id": "468c823c817c753e850ff6658ef1480f"
        },
        {
          "label": "Priority Mail",
          "carrier": "USPS",
          "price": 934,
          "shipping_method_id": "02ef65ebff687faa10c71830d41144b2"
        }
      ],
      "shipping_address": {
        "address_1": "2815 Elliott Ave",
        "address_2": "Unit 100",
        "city": "Seattle",
        "state": "WA",
        "country": "US",
        "postal_code": "98121"
      },
      "discounts": [],
      "has_shipping_methods": true,
      "tax_inclusive_pricing": false,
      "external_error_messages": []
    }
  ]
}