"Restricted not to use the shipping method" — what it really means
Before you begin
What you see
A shopper, usually on Turbify, gets this message:
One or more items in your cart are restricted not to use the shipping method that you chose.
It sounds as if a product is blocked from that method. Often, no product is restricted at all.
What it really means
ASM shows this message when no rule for the method passed all of its checks. A real product restriction is one way that happens, but any failed condition on the method's rule can produce the same message: order value, weight or points limits, states, ZIP codes, a matrix rule, and so on.
So treat it as "this method didn't qualify for this cart", and find out which condition failed.
Most likely causes
1. A condition on the method's rule doesn't pass
How to confirm: quote the same cart and ZIP code in the Shipping Estimator. If the method is missing, open its rule in Shipping Rules and check each condition against the cart:
- Destination: is the shopper's country, state or ZIP code covered?
- Order value: is the cart's subtotal inside the rule's minimum and maximum?
- Weight or points: is the cart inside the rule's limits?
- PO boxes: does the rule block them?
How to fix: adjust the condition if it's wrong. See How shipping rules work.
2. A matrix rule removed it
A matrix rule on this method, or on another method, can remove it, for example when another method is cheaper.
How to confirm: look for matrix rules that mention this method. See Matrix rules.
3. A product really is restricted from this method
How to confirm: remove products from the estimator cart one at a time. If the method returns when one product is gone, that product is restricted.
How to fix: see Stop a product shipping by some methods or to some places.
4. The ZIP code isn't recognized (Turbify)
A mistyped or unknown ZIP code has no state, so rules limited to states fail.
How to confirm: try a ZIP code you know is valid in the same state. If it works, the shopper's ZIP code was the problem.
Related messages
These come from the same family of shopper messages, which Turbify stores can rewrite in Settings → Error Messages:
- "Based on the items in your shopping cart, there was no match to any of the defined shipping rates." — no enabled rule matched the cart at all.
- "One or more items in your cart are restricted not to ship to your shipping state." — a product can't ship to that state.
- "One or more items in your cart are restricted not to ship to your shipping country." — a product can't ship to that country.
- "The shipping method you chose is set to block PO Boxes. Please choose a different method or change your shipping address." — the rule blocks PO boxes.
See Customize shopper error messages (Turbify).
Still stuck?
Contact support at support@advancedshippingmanager.com or 1-888-546-4932 (Mon–Fri, 9AM–5PM EST). Send us your store URL, the method name, the cart (product IDs and quantities), the ZIP code, and a screenshot of the Shipping Estimator for that cart.