WooCommerce: How to Turn Off International Sales (and Why You Might Want To)
Introduction
Selling your products internationally can significantly expand your reach and boost your revenue. However, sometimes the complexities of international shipping, taxes, and regulations can outweigh the benefits. If you’re just starting out, overwhelmed by the logistics, or Explore this article on How To Change Default Email Address Woocommerce simply prefer to focus on your domestic market, disabling international sales in WooCommerce is a perfectly valid strategy. This article will guide you through the various methods of turning off international sales in WooCommerce and also explore the reasons why you might choose to do so.
Why Disable International Sales in WooCommerce?
Before diving into the “how,” let’s consider the “why.” Here are some common reasons WooCommerce store owners decide to restrict sales to their domestic market:
- Complex Shipping: International shipping can be costly and time-consuming. Dealing with customs, duties, and different carrier options can be a significant headache. Calculating accurate shipping rates is especially difficult.
- Tax and Legal Compliance: Different countries have varying tax regulations (VAT, GST, etc.) and legal requirements for selling goods. Understanding and complying with these regulations can be a complex and daunting task. Avoiding legal issues is a key reason for restricting international sales.
- Currency Conversion: Dealing with multiple currencies can add complexity to your pricing and payment processing. While WooCommerce supports multiple currencies, the added complexity might not be desirable, especially in the early stages of your business.
- Language Barriers: Providing customer support and product descriptions in multiple languages requires significant effort and resources.
- Return Policies and Logistics: Managing international returns can be particularly challenging, often involving high shipping costs and complex customs procedures.
- Focus on Domestic Market: You may simply want to focus on building a strong presence in your local or national market before expanding internationally.
- Displaying a custom message to customers from restricted countries.
- Redirecting users from restricted countries to a different page.
- Blocking specific countries at the IP address level.
Methods to Disable International Sales in WooCommerce
Here are several methods you can use to prevent customers from placing orders from outside your intended region:
#### 1. Check out this post: How To Add Credit Card Payment Method In Woocommerce Restricting Allowed Countries in WooCommerce Settings
This is the simplest and most straightforward approach. You can limit the countries where you ship to by modifying the WooCommerce settings.
1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings in your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Click on the General tab.
3. In the “Selling location(s)” dropdown, select the countries you *do* want to sell to. If you only want to sell within one country, select that single country. Select “Sell to specific countries” if you want to allow sales only to a list of countries.
4. In the “Default customer location” dropdown, you can choose where WooCommerce guesses your customer is based on their location. Choose “Shop base address” if you are only selling within that address’ country.
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5. Save the changes.
Note: Setting the Explore this article on How To Import Amazon Products Into Woocommerce `Selling location(s)` to a specific country will prevent customers from other countries from even seeing the checkout page or being able to add items to their cart.
#### 2. Limiting Shipping Zones
WooCommerce uses shipping zones to define where you ship and how much you charge for shipping. By creating a shipping zone that only includes your desired countries, you can effectively limit international sales.
1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings in your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Click on the Shipping tab.
3. Edit the “Shipping zones” section.
4. Create or edit an existing shipping zone and Explore this article on How To Create Add To Cart Button In Woocommerce add the desired countries. If you want to only allow sales within the United States, for example, create a zone and only add the United States to that zone.
5. Ensure no other zones include countries you *don’t* want to ship to.
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6. Add shipping methods (e.g., Flat Rate, Free Shipping) within your defined zone(s). Customers outside of these zones will not have valid shipping methods available to them.
#### 3. Using a Plugin for Country Restriction
Several WooCommerce plugins offer more advanced options for restricting sales based on country. These plugins can provide features such as:
Search the WordPress plugin repository for terms like “WooCommerce country restrict,” “WooCommerce geo IP,” or “WooCommerce country blocker” to find a suitable plugin. Remember to read reviews and check the plugin’s compatibility with your version of WooCommerce before installing.
#### 4. Custom Code (Advanced)
For more granular control, you can use custom code to block international orders. This approach requires some PHP coding knowledge.
Here’s an example code snippet that you can add to your theme’s `functions.php` file or use a code snippets plugin. Be cautious when editing your theme’s functions.php file, as errors can break your site. Using a code snippets plugin is generally recommended for safety.
<?php add_action( 'woocommerce_checkout_process', 'restrict_checkout_by_country' );
function restrict_checkout_by_country() {
$allowed_countries = array( ‘US’, ‘CA’ ); // Replace with your allowed country codes
$billing_country = isset( $_POST[‘billing_country’] ) ? wc_clean( $_POST[‘billing_country’] ) : WC()->customer->get_billing_country();
$shipping_country = isset( $_POST[‘shipping_country’] ) ? wc_clean( $_POST[‘shipping_country’] ) : WC()->customer->get_shipping_country();
if ( ! in_array( $billing_country, $allowed_countries ) || ! in_array( $shipping_country, $allowed_countries )) {
wc_add_notice( __( ‘We currently only ship to the United States and Canada. Please update your billing or shipping address.’, ‘woocommerce’ ), ‘error’ );
}
}
?>
Explanation:
- `add_action( ‘woocommerce_checkout_process’, ‘restrict_checkout_by_country’ );`: This line hooks the `restrict_checkout_by_country` function into the WooCommerce checkout process.
- `$allowed_countries = array( ‘US’, ‘CA’ );`: This array defines the allowed country codes (e.g., ‘US’ for the United States, ‘CA’ for Canada). Modify this array to include the countries you want to allow.
- The code retrieves the billing and shipping country from the user’s input or their saved profile.
- `if ( ! in_array( $billing_country, $allowed_countries ) || ! in_array( $shipping_country, $allowed_countries )) { … }`: This checks if the billing or shipping country is *not* in the allowed countries array.
- `wc_add_notice( __( ‘We currently only ship to the United States and Canada. Please update your billing or shipping address.’, ‘woocommerce’ ), ‘error’ );`: If either country is not allowed, an error message is displayed on the checkout page.
Important: Replace `’US’, ‘CA’` with the actual country codes you want to allow.
#### 5. Using a Geolocation Plugin
While not directly disabling international orders, a geolocation plugin can help manage customer expectations. You can display a notice based on their detected location that informs them you do not ship to their country, or that shipping costs might be higher than usual. These plugins use IP addresses to determine the user’s location.
Conclusion
Disabling international sales in WooCommerce can be a strategic decision for businesses looking to simplify operations and focus on their core market. Whether you choose to restrict allowed countries in the settings, leverage shipping zones, use a plugin, or implement custom code, the methods outlined in this article provide a comprehensive guide to achieving this goal. Remember to carefully consider the impact on your business before disabling international sales, and choose the method that best suits your needs and technical expertise.
