# Estimate Order

Using the Estimate Order 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 estimating an order before creating an order with [Direct Order Submission](/api-reference/orders-and-checkout/orders/create-order.md).

When using Estimate Order 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 an order.

When the Estimate Order 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.

{% openapi src="/files/6wHrOR6auqy1RgLt3CZI" path="/orders/estimate" method="post" expanded="true" %}
[order-service.yaml](https://3937396275-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8lXIp71Ct5qCUhXjko2q%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b77a2b241ffb937bc7e7164b2dd2c53cb538ac3c%2Forder-service.yaml?alt=media)
{% endopenapi %}


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.violet.io/api-reference/orders-and-checkout/orders/estimate-order.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.