BugWP logo BugWP
Back to Community
Home / Community / Core → Requests and feedback

Troubleshooting the 'No Shipping Methods Available' Error in WooCommerce

42 threads Sep 16, 2025 Core → Requests and feedback

Content

Understanding the "No Shipping Methods Available" Error

A common and frustrating issue for WooCommerce store owners is the error message: "There are no shipping methods available". This alert appears for customers during the checkout process, preventing them from completing their purchase. Based on community reports, this problem often arises after a store is initially set up or following changes to the shipping configuration.

Why This Error Occurs

This error is not caused by a bug in WordPress core but is specific to the WooCommerce plugin's shipping settings. It typically means that WooCommerce has processed the customer's cart and location but could not find any valid, configured shipping method to apply to the order. The most frequent causes include:

  • No shipping zones or methods have been configured.
  • The customer's shipping address (e.g., Colombia) does not match the regions defined in the active shipping zones.
  • A shipping method exists, but its conditions (e.g., minimum order weight or price) exclude the current cart.
  • A conflict with another plugin or the theme is interfering with shipping calculation.

How to Resolve the Issue

Follow these steps to diagnose and fix the problem.

Step 1: Configure Your Shipping Zones and Methods

The first and most crucial step is to ensure you have set up at least one shipping zone with a valid method.

  1. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping in your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Click into a shipping zone (e.g., "Locations not covered by your other zones") or create a new one that targets the country your customer is ordering from.
  3. Within the zone, add a shipping method like "Flat rate," "Free shipping," or "Local pickup."
  4. Configure the settings for that method and save your changes.

Step 2: Verify the Customer's Location

Ensure the shipping zone you configured includes the country your test customer is using. For example, if you are testing with an address in Colombia, you must have a shipping zone that lists Colombia as a target region.

Step 3: Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

As seen in other support threads, plugins like activity logs or custom code can sometimes disrupt normal site function. To test for a conflict:

  1. Temporarily switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
  2. Disable all plugins except WooCommerce.
  3. Test the checkout process again. If the shipping methods now appear, you have a conflict.
  4. Re-enable your plugins one by one, testing after each, to identify the one causing the issue.

Step 4: Seek Further Assistance

If the problem persists after these steps, the issue may be more complex. Since this is a WooCommerce-specific functionality, the best place to find help is from its extensive user community and developers. You can ask for help in the official WooCommerce support forums, where other store owners can share their experiences and solutions.

Remember, always clear your site and browser cache after making configuration changes to ensure you are seeing the most recent version of your site.

Related Support Threads Support