Yes, we have been experiencing this problem on and off for some years now, affecting sales and store performance but hopefully it can be fixed soon.
I wish you all the best with the new platform.
Topic summary
Core Issue:
Shopify store owners in Nigeria cannot access their websites without a VPN, while the sites work normally in other countries. The problem affects multiple ISPs, particularly MTN and Airtel, and has persisted for months in some cases.
Root Cause:
The issue appears linked to Nigeria’s NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) blocking certain Shopify IP addresses, possibly due to recent cryptocurrency website bans that inadvertently affected Shopify servers sharing similar IPs.
Proposed Solution:
Multiple users report success by changing their domain’s A record to IP address “23.227.38.72” through their domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap). This workaround has restored accessibility across Nigerian ISPs for several store owners.
Current Status:
- Some users confirm the fix works after DNS propagation
- Others report mixed results, with accessibility issues persisting on specific ISPs
- Shopify support has been unable to replicate or resolve the issue effectively
- Business impact includes lost revenue, customer complaints, and high-risk order flags when customers use VPNs
- One user created a video tutorial demonstrating the IP change solution
Note: DNS changes require propagation time (typically up to 48 hours) before taking effect.