Merchants can use location-based shipping restrictions in their Bolt Checkout. These aid merchants who cannot ship their products to specific states or countries.
- Enabling Location Based Shipping Restrictions
- United States Restrictions
- International Restrictions
- P.O. Box Restrictions
When a customer attempts to ship to a restricted location, they will receive an error message. The error message informs the customer that 'Delivery is not available for this order.' The error will appear after the customer enters their shipping address.
Enabling Location-Based Shipping Restrictions
Merchants can set up location restrictions by using the Bolt Merchant Dashboard. In order for a user to set location restrictions, they must be an Administrator on the dashboard.
To access location restrictions:
- Open your Bolt Merchant Dashboard.
- Navigate to the Settings tab and select Checkout.
- Scroll down to Shipping Settings.
The following sections are available:
- Shipment options in the United States
- Shipment options outside of the United States
You can change any of these settings by clicking on Edit. Use the drop-down list in each dialog box to select an option.
United States Restrictions
Even when shipping only within the United States, you may need to block shipments to some locations. These limitations are often due to the merchandise being shipped. For example, some items, like large lithium batteries, cannot go by air, and some items, like alcohol, are restricted by some states.
The shipment options in the United States are:
- Allow all states, territories, and military post offices.
- All states and territories (don’t allow military post offices).
- All states (don’t allow territories or military post offices).
- All continental states (don’t allow territories, military post offices, Alaska, or Hawaii)
- Allow certain states, territories, or military post offices. If you choose this option, you also must select the locations that apply.
- No states, territories, or military post offices.
International Restrictions
You may need to block shipments to some or all international locations. The two primary reasons to block international shipping are cost and legal limitations. It can be cost-prohibitive to ship to certain locations or to ship certain types of merchandise appropriately. For example, some nations apply prohibitive import taxes, and some perishable items need expedited air shipment. Legal limitations are determined by the merchandise being shipped. For example, some technological items are restricted for export, and some items, like alcohol, are illegal in some countries.
The shipment options outside of the United States are:
- Allow all countries.
- Allow certain countries. If you choose this option, you also must select the locations that apply.
- Allow only shipping to the United States.