How can i allow international customers to purchase flowers for delivery in my local market?

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Topic summary

A florist is experiencing checkout issues where international customers cannot complete online purchases through Shopify and must call to place orders for local delivery instead.

Root Causes Identified:

  • Shipping settings may be blocking orders from outside the business’s country
  • Payment gateways might be rejecting foreign credit cards
  • Configuration doesn’t distinguish between international buyers and local delivery addresses

Recommended Solutions:

  • Enable international payment acceptance through Shopify Payments, PayPal, or Stripe
  • Configure shipping zones to accept orders globally while restricting actual delivery to the local area only
  • Add checkout messaging clarifying that orders are accepted worldwide but delivery is limited to the local market
  • Consider apps like Zapiet or GiftShip designed specifically for gift/local delivery scenarios

Status: The issue remains unresolved pending the business owner’s implementation of suggested configuration changes.

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

I’ve been really scratching my head about this.

Whenever I have an international client order, they call in via phone because shopify won’t allow anyone internationally to purchase.

Surely there must be a way for someone in other countries to order things to be delivered to people in my local market.

2

Hi @gnbrobs

I totally get why this is frustrating—your international customers should be able to place orders easily without having to call in every time. The good news is, there’s a way to fix this, and it’s actually a pretty common setup for local delivery businesses like yours.

The Issue

By default, Shopify might block international purchases if your shipping settings aren’t configured properly or if you’re restricting payment methods based on location. Since your customers are ordering for delivery within your local market, the issue likely comes down to:

  1. Shipping settings – Your store might not accept orders from outside your country.
  2. Payment settings – Shopify Payments or other gateways may be blocking foreign cards.

The Solution

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Enable International Payments- Go to Settings > Payments and check if your payment provider accepts international credit cards. If you’re using Shopify Payments, make sure you allow payments from all countries where your customers might be ordering from.

  • If your payment gateway is limiting international transactions, consider adding PayPal, Stripe, or another processor that supports worldwide payments.

2. Fix Your Shipping Zones- Since you’re only delivering locally, but taking payments from anywhere, you need to allow orders from all countries while keeping your delivery zone local.

  • Go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery > General Shipping Rates
    • Make sure you have a shipping zone that includes all countries but with a “Local Delivery” rate that only applies to your area.
    • Alternatively, you can use Shopify’s Local Delivery feature under Settings > Shipping & Delivery.

3. Use a Custom Checkout Message- To avoid confusion, add a note at checkout saying:

“We accept orders from anywhere in the world, but deliveries are only available in [your local area]. Please enter the recipient’s address in the delivery field.”

  • You can do this under Settings > Checkout > Additional Scripts (if using Shopify Plus) or by customizing the Cart page.

4. Consider an App for Gifting or Local Delivery

If your business relies on people ordering for others, apps like Zapiet - Local Delivery or GiftShip can make it easier to handle gifting addresses while allowing international orders.

Let me know if this helps, or if you need a step-by-step on anything. I know how annoying it is when customers can’t check out properly.

If you need extra help, just let me know asap. Thanks!
Daisy.