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Troubleshooting Ship Restrict

Quick solutions to common Ship Restrict problems - fix restrictions not working, city matching issues, license problems and more

Last updated: 8/30/2025

Troubleshooting Guide

Having issues with Ship Restrict? This guide helps you solve common problems quickly.

Quick Fixes for Common Issues

Before diving into details, try these quick fixes that solve 90% of problems:

  1. Clear your cache - Both browser and WordPress cache
  2. Check your spelling - City names must match exactly
  3. Save your changes - Make sure you clicked "Update" or "Save"
  4. Test as a customer - Use incognito mode to test checkout

Restrictions Not Working

Problem: Customer can still buy restricted products

Quick Check: Is the product in the right category or tagged correctly?

Solutions:

  1. Verify the rule is active

    • Go to WooCommerce → Ship Restrict
    • Check your rules are listed
    • Make sure logic is correct (Block vs Allow)

  2. Check product assignment

    • Edit the product
    • Verify category/tags match your rule
    • Or check individual product restrictions

  3. Clear all caches

    • WordPress cache (if using cache plugin)
    • Browser cache (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
    • WooCommerce cache (Status → Tools → Clear transients)

  4. Test the right address

    • Use exact state abbreviations (CA not California)
    • City names must match customer input
    • ZIP codes must be exact 5 digits

Problem: Wrong products are being restricted

Common Causes:

  • Product is in unexpected category
  • Product has conflicting tags
  • Individual restriction overrides rules

How to Fix:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Check all categories and tags
  3. Look for individual restrictions in Shipping tab
  4. Remove conflicting settings

City Restrictions Not Working

Problem: Cities aren't being blocked

Most Common Issue: Name mismatch

Customer types: "St. Louis" Your restriction: "Saint Louis" Result: No match!

Solution: Add both versions:

  • St. Louis, MO
  • Saint Louis, MO

Other common variations:

  • Fort/Ft. Worth
  • Mount/Mt. Vernon
  • North/N. Las Vegas

Problem: City restriction affects entire state

Check: Did you select a state without adding a city?

Fix:

  • For city-only: Select state AND enter city name
  • For state-wide: Select state, leave city blank

ZIP Code Issues

Problem: ZIP codes not blocking properly

Common Cause: Customer enters ZIP+4 (90210-1234)

Your restriction: 90210 Customer enters: 90210-1234 Result: No match!

Solutions:

  1. Ask customers for 5-digit ZIP only
  2. Add both versions (90210 and 90210-1234)
  3. Use a message: "Please enter 5-digit ZIP code"

Problem: Too many ZIP codes to manage

Solution: Consider using city or state restrictions instead

Better approach:

  • Instead of 50 ZIP codes in Chicago
  • Just restrict "Chicago, IL"

License Problems

Can't activate Pro license

"Invalid License Key" error:

  • Copy/paste directly from email (no typing)
  • Check you bought Ship Restrict (not another product)
  • Make sure no extra spaces before/after key

"License Already in Use" error:

  • Deactivate on other site first
  • Or purchase additional license
  • Contact support if unsure

"Connection Failed" error:

  • Your server may block external connections
  • Contact your host to whitelist keyforge.dev
  • Try again in a few minutes

License shows expired but you paid

  1. Check your email for renewal confirmation
  2. Try re-entering the license key
  3. Contact support with your order number

Performance Problems

Slow checkout with restrictions

For large catalogs:

  • Use categories/tags instead of individual restrictions
  • Upgrade to Pro for better caching
  • Reduce number of active rules

Quick fixes:

  1. Combine similar rules
  2. Delete unused rules
  3. Use broader restrictions (state vs cities)

Getting timeout errors

Increase PHP limits: Contact your host to increase:

  • Memory limit to 256MB
  • Execution time to 60 seconds

Messages and Display Issues

Error message not showing to customers

Check:

  1. Go to Ship Restrict settings
  2. Scroll to "Error Message" section
  3. Make sure message is set
  4. Use {product} to show product name

Default message: "The {product} cannot currently be shipped to your location."

Message appears but product stays in cart

This is a theme compatibility issue:

  • Try with default WooCommerce theme
  • If it works, contact theme developer
  • Or contact Ship Restrict support

Testing Your Setup

How to properly test restrictions

Don't test as admin! Admin view can be different.

Proper testing:

  1. Open incognito/private browser window
  2. Add restricted product to cart
  3. Go to checkout
  4. Enter restricted address
  5. See restriction message

Test addresses to use

California Test: John Doe 123 Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90001

New York Test: Jane Smith 456 Broadway New York, NY 10001

Texas Test: Bob Johnson 789 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701

Common Setup Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using wrong logic

"Block from" means: Don't ship TO these places "Allow only" means: ONLY ship to these places

Example confusion:

  • Want to ship only to California
  • Used "Block from" + selected California
  • Result: Can't ship to California!
  • Fix: Use "Allow only" instead

Mistake 2: Overlapping rules

Having multiple rules that conflict:

  • Category rule: Block California
  • Product rule: Allow California
  • Product rule wins!

Remember: More specific always wins

  1. Variation (most specific)
  2. Product
  3. Category
  4. Tag (least specific)

Mistake 3: Not testing thoroughly

Always test:

  • Each restricted location
  • Each product type
  • Different customer scenarios
  • Mobile and desktop checkout

Cache Issues

Changes not appearing

Clear everything in this order:

  1. Ship Restrict cache

    • Update any product (triggers cache clear)

  2. WordPress cache

    • Go to Settings → Permalinks
    • Click Save (even without changes)

  3. Browser cache

    • Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (PC) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)

  4. CDN cache (if using CloudFlare, etc.)

    • Purge cache in CDN dashboard

Getting Help

Before contacting support

  1. Check plugin version - Update to latest
  2. Test with default theme - Rule out theme issues
  3. Disable other plugins - Check for conflicts
  4. Clear all caches - Often solves issues

Information to provide

When emailing support, include:

  • Your Ship Restrict version
  • WooCommerce version
  • What you expected to happen
  • What actually happened
  • Screenshots if possible

Contact Support

Free version: WordPress.org forums Pro version: support@shiprestrict.com

Pro support includes:

  • 4-8 hour response time
  • Direct developer help
  • Priority resolution

Emergency Fixes

Everything stopped working!

Safe recovery steps:

  1. Deactivate Ship Restrict plugin
  2. Clear all caches
  3. Reactivate plugin
  4. Re-enter license (if Pro)
  5. Test with one simple rule

Can't access admin after changes

Via FTP/File Manager:

  1. Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
  2. Rename "ship-restrict" folder to "ship-restrict-disabled"
  3. Access admin and fix settings
  4. Rename folder back

Database cleanup

If you need to start fresh:

  1. Deactivate plugin
  2. Delete plugin
  3. Reinstall plugin
  4. Settings will be reset

Note: This removes ALL settings and rules!

Still need help? Contact our support team. Pro users get priority support with faster response times. We're here to help you succeed!

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