You Cannot Continue Checkout Because There Are No Shipping Options Available
I have a problem with the Plugin, always "There are no shipping methods available"
With this guide, we'll tell you how to troubleshoot the error message 'There are no shipping methods available' that appear on WooCommerce cart or checkout page.
We will specifically look into the WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping plugin and check out a few cases where you may see the above error message.
Why do you see 'There are no shipping methods available'on the WooCommerce Cart/Checkout page?
WooCommerce is an amazing WordPress plugin capable of letting you set up the desired online store. And with its features, you can sell and deliver all kinds of products to your customers with no problem whatsoever.
You may have a few hiccups in the midst of setting up the store. But that's completely normal for someone who's new to WooCommerce or e-commerce, in general.
One of the most common issues is the error message that appears on the cart/checkout page, i.e, 'There are no shipping methods available'. This message can apper due to many reasons and can have serious repercussions if the site is live.
Common reasons why you see no shipping methods on the Cart/Checkout page
The above error is usually a simple fix and doesn't take a lot of your time getting things sorted out. However, there are certain things that you should ensure to avoid this message to appear in the first place. So let's go through some of them.
WooCommerce Product has no weight and dimensions
Shipping is the delivery of 'physical items' from one place to another. But in order to do so, your WooCommerce products must always have a weight and dimensions associated to it.
Please ensure your products have the two fields filled with appropriate values. Also, please make sure to follow one unit type, i.e, either 'lbs' and 'in' or 'kg' and 'cm'.
WooCommerce Shipping Zone is not configured correctly
For the default WooCommerce shipping methods, it's very important that you configure the shipping zones correctly. If a shipping method does not belong to any zone then that method won't appear on the cart page. And, if a customer tries to add a product into cart but is not from the defined zones, even then they won't be able to see the methods.
You can read the guide on WooCommerce Shipping Zones to understand the needs and importance of zones. It will also show you how to properly configure the zones to achieve your business case.
WooCommerce Shipping services are not available for the destination
Many shipping/courier companies like UPS and FedEx offer multiple shipping services to their users. These services vary based on their functionality, service area, delivery time, weight limit, etc., For instance, FedEx Ground service works domestically and does not deliver packages to other countries.
So if you're using any one of the WooCommerce Shipping plugins, then it's better to check out the services and the corresponding shipping regions to ensure successful deliveries.
Incorrect shipping carrier account credentials
In continuation to the above section, if you're using a shipping carrier then you must have an online account associated to it. So if you're using UPS as your main shipping solution, then you must have a valid account in order to ship items via UPS services.
Usually during the plugin set up process, many users often enter incorrect or testing credentials into their live websites. This can cause problems, especially on the cart/checkout page and trigger the aforementioned error message. So, you need to be extra careful while entering the account credentials in the plugin settings. Check out how to set up WooCommerce shipping carrier.
Incorrect destination address entered by the customer
This happens all the time. Store owners around the globe face this issue with no fault of their own. Customers that try purchasing products often enter incorrect address details like city name or zip code, and get the same error message we discussed earlier.
The only way to handle this issue is to use a address validation service, usually found in the good WooCommerce Shipping Plugins. This feature essentially lets the shipping services verify the entered shipping address. You can read more about WooCommerce Address Validation here.
How to display shipping rates accurately with WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping?
WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping Pro is one of the most advanced WooCommerce conditional shipping plugins out there. It lets you set up shipping methods based on numerous factors and gives you immense control over your overall shipping process.
The plugin is quite user-friendly and packs-in some really advanced shipping features. So, in order to display accurate shipping rates and methods, you should make sure you follow these guidelines to ensure smooth functioning.
Set up WooCommerce Shipping Zones correctly
WooCommerce lets store owners set up shipping zones that allows store owners to group shipping destinations together. Once you've defined the zones correctly, you need to select Zone list under the Display/Hide matrix columns as shown below.
Once done, you need to configure the shipping zones and assign shipping methods under the Shipping Rules tab.
WooCommerce follows the 'first-occurrence' approach. So if you define the same shipping zone to all of your shipping methods, then by rule, only the first rule will be selected and the rest would be ignored. To avoid that, you must set the shipping zones purely based on Zip/postal codes.
You can read this article onCalculate Shipping Rates based on WooCommerce Shipping Zones for more information and best practices.
Use the Shipping Calculation Logic(AND) carefully to manage between Shipping Class and Product Category
The WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping plugin comes with Calculation Logic(AND) that essentially lets you create shipping rules for both Shipping Class and Product Category. You can switch between the two options under the Calculation Mode found under the Settings tab.
If you enable the above option then you would notice the following events.
- Let's assume that you have a Rule 1 with Shipping Class A and Rule 2 with Shipping Class B. Then by default, when both the classes are in the cart, the rates from both the rules will be added and shown. That is, if both the Method Group names are same.Now let's say that Product Category is set to 'Any Product Category'. If AND logic is enabled for this case and since there are no rules that contains both the shipping classes, no shipping method would be shown on the Cart. So, you will have to create a rule with both the classes.
- The above logic also applies for Product Category as well. But in this case, the Shipping Class column will contain 'Any Shipping Class'.
- When you have both Shipping Class and Product Category in the shipping rule and if Calculation Logic(AND) is enabled then that rule will return the shipping method only when all the products in the cart fall under the exact Shipping Class and Product Category.
Define WooCommerce Shipping rates based on product weight slabs/brackets
Calculating shipping rates based on weight is the best way to optimize your shipping process. The WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping plugin lets you set weight slabs/brackets, allowing you to set different rates for different price slabs.
However, if you haven't defined the weight to your products then you wouldn't be able to see the shipping rates on the Cart page. So, repeating the basic concept here, you must define the WooCommerce product weight under the Edit product page.
Another area where you must provide accurate product weight is when setting up weight slabs/brackets. Suppose you have an item that weighs 3.99 lbs and you have defined a rule that works only between a weight slab of 4-5 lbs. In that case, you won't see that shipping method on the Cart page since it doesn't agree to the rule.
As a solution, it is recommended that you should set up a weight bracket around the product weight and not an exact match. So instead of setting up 3.99-5 lbs, you can set up 3-5 lbs but only if it's possible with your current setup and doesn't interfere with other rules.
You can learn more about WooCommerce weight-based shipping and how to set it up on your online store.
Provide a valid weight limit for accurate shipping rate calculation
It's necessary to mention the correct weight limits for your products for accurate shipping rate calculation. If you have entered an invalid format, let's say 3,3 lbs then the plugin would not calculate and display the shipping methods. Moreover, WooCommerce does not support this format and only let you enter dot(.) and nothing else.
Define correct quantity limits for accurate rate calulation
Another parameter that's quite important when it comes to displaying correct shipping rates is cart quantity. Similar to product weight limit, it's equally important to make sure that the quantity slabs have correct limits. Otherwise, customers won't be able to see the your desired shipping methods on the cart/checkout page.
You can read the guide on WooCommerce Shipping costs based on quantity to understand this concept better.
Conclusion
We hope this article would have helped you solve the 'There are no shipping methods available' error message. We also showed you how the WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping plugin helps you set up the desired shipping methods prices on your WooCommerce store.
If you need any help setting up WooCommerce shipping on your store then feel free to Contact PluginHive Customer Support.
Happy selling! 🙂
brunningpissompons.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/problem-plugin-always-no-shipping-methods-available/