'Blocking' customers from certain countries

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Topic summary

A UK-based electrical firm is receiving unwanted traffic from the US due to a similarly-named tourist attraction in Virginia. Since their products are designed exclusively for the UK electrical system and won’t work elsewhere, the owner seeks to restrict site access to UK visitors only.

Proposed Solutions:

  • Remove all non-UK shipping zones in Shopify settings to prevent international orders from being completed
  • Use geolocation/country blocker apps from the Shopify App Store
  • Implement custom JavaScript code for country blocking

Recommended Apps:

  • Country Blocker
  • miniOrange Lock-On
  • Ultimate Country Blocker (includes visitor log for traffic monitoring)

The store owner prefers avoiding additional apps but appears resigned to using one, as no native Shopify feature fully addresses this need. The discussion remains open with multiple third-party solutions offered but no final decision indicated.

Summarized with AI on October 26. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi, I run a UK based electrical firm with products that are specific to the UK electrical system (it won’t work in any other country).

Currently, I am receiving a lot of traffic from the US (there is a tourist attraction in Virginia with a very similar name) which obviously won’t lead to sales.

Is there a way to make my store ‘UK exclusive’ so that my site is just accessible to potential customers?

Thanks in advance!

1 Like
2

Hi! This can be handled by app https://apps.shopify.com/country-blocker-1#:~:text=Restrict%20specific%20countries%20from%20visiting,range%20limiting%20the%20unsought%20users.

3

Hi Paul, is there any way to do this without an App? Thanks :slightly_smiling_face:

4

Hi there @KieranC !

Thanks for sharing your specific query and circumstances with us here in the Shopify Community.

There are a couple of ways you can restrict access to ordering or even viewing your store to your domestic market.

A simple way to exclude international orders would be to remove all shipping zones apart from your own country from your shipping settings and zones so that only orders within your country can be completed.

If you’d rather be able to more fully control access to even view your site, you can look at using a geolocation type app from our app store.

Can you tell me a bit more about your business or anything else you’re working on for it at the moment?

Are you new to selling electrical goods online, or have you been selling with Shopify for a while now?

1 Like
5

Hi Don,

Thanks for your reply.

I have been selling these products for some time now but just trying to streamline my Shopify operations. We offer a wide range of smart products, specifically designed and manufactured for the UK electrical system.

It’s a shame that I will have to add another app to my store to achieve UK exclusivity but thank you for clarifying.

Regards,

Kieran

6

Well, you also can handle it by js. Check this https://community.shopify.com/c/shopify-discussions/how-do-i-block-a-country/m-p/677754/highlight/true#M159962

7

As I understand, you want to restrict access to your entire store only to customers from the UK. I understand that you are looking for an easy and free solution. To achieve the optimal solution I recommend using our miniOrange Lock-On application. This app will effectively resolve your concern about traffic from the US, ensuring that only UK customers can access your store.

Thanks.

8

You could try Ultimate Country Blocker. You can block any country outside the UK from visiting your website. There is a visitor log for you to monitor incoming traffic.