Shopify INCORRECTLY rejecting UK Postal Code

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment

Topic summary

Checkout rejects valid postcodes after Shopify’s change to UK shipping zones. Jersey (JE), Guernsey (GY) and Isle of Man (IM) must now be selected as separate “countries,” causing postcode errors if customers leave Country/region as United Kingdom.

Impacts reported:

  • Lost orders, higher support load, and customer confusion because most buyers don’t expect to change country for Crown Dependencies.
  • Some cases of mainland UK (e.g., Warrington, Plymouth) and certain German postcodes being rejected; one case likely AVS (billing address) mismatch, others unclear.
  • DHL label issues for Isle of Man; VAT incorrectly charged to Crown Dependencies; “free UK” or “free worldwide” shipping promises undermined.

Shopify’s position and status:

  • Split intended to stop islands using cheaper UK rates; Crown Dependencies were already separate entities in backend. Acknowledges rollout is suboptimal; feedback passed to development; no ETA. Change unlikely to be fully reverted.

Workarounds and suggestions:

  • Add Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man to shipping zones with appropriate rates; instruct customers (FAQ/checkout note) to choose their region in the Country/region field.
  • Request for clearer, targeted error message when JE/GY/IM entered under “United Kingdom.”

Current state: Ongoing, unresolved as of mid‑2024; merchants must implement workarounds.

Summarized with AI on December 24. AI used: gpt-5.
11

Hi @AdiSalkic ,

Thanks for getting in touch. Prior to the UK shipping zone being split, the likes of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man were already listed as individual “countries” in the back end, although the feedback I have received here indicates they could previously check out when selecting the UK at check out and no longer can. I have communicated the issue you’ve cited here to our development team who continue to work on the roll out of this change.

In the meantime, you can add Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man to your shipping zone and set the same rates for these regions as you do for the rest of the UK. The customer will be required to select one of these three places as their “country” if they are based there but the shipping rates should still apply correctly.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care