After update – Checkout Page Defaults to International Shipping

To further explain, I have FLAT rate shipping as the default ship method for United States orders, and have international delivery and local delivery options. Before this last update, I never had any problems as the DEFAULT ship method WAS FLAT rate option but now it automatically assumes any order is an international order and puts in the INTERNATIONAL option as default on the checkout page even though I have double-checked that my FLAT rate shipping is the Default in my WooCommerce settings!

If I refresh the browser on the Checkout page it changes it to the FLAT rate, but I am going to lose orders when USA customers see a shipping rate of $58.95 which is only for international orders – my USA customers will NOT know or think of refreshing their browsers. This should not behave this way after the update.

Please advise on possible solutions asap please. Thank you.

Anyone please? This is very upsetting. I have tried everything I can think of. No matter how many times I make my FLAT rate be the default, it will NOT show up as default. Seems as if default option for shipping is being ignored and International Shipping is being selected.
I have cleared cache over and over and problem persists.

For example here is my site link
Any help would be appreciated
https://starwedd.com/product-category/baptism/unique-baptism-favors-christening-favors/

Please add any simple product to shopping cart and see that International Express shipping rate is shown by default even though on backend I have WOOCOMMERCE Shipping Option Default set to Flat Rate USA.

Notice that once you refresh the shopping cart page, the correct Flat Rate USA shipping options appear.

I am going out of my mind trying to figure out what the “bug” is after the update!

What is the ‘default customer location’ in tax settings, and what shipping method plugin is this? Screenshots of shipping settings and shipping defaults welcome.

Thank you kindly! In Tax Settings – I have never before selected any “default location” please see screenshot here https://starwedd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/WC-Tax-Setting.jpg

I have never used a shipping method plugin – just the built-in shipping options provided with WooCommerce – please see my set up screenshot here
https://starwedd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/WC-Ship-Settings.jpg

Regards.

Set ‘no default address’ to ‘store base address’. That should make new customers default to the US and thus see correct shipping options. I’ll try to replicate the bug side of things my side, but for now that should do what you need.

Thank you – I have done as you indicated however this is really a problem because now it is adding sales tax automatically and I only collect sales tax for North Carolina orders. I have now had to disable sales tax altogether so as not to scare away non North Carolina customers. Also, now that the Flat USA rate appears by having set the default tax address to store base address, it is appearing for anyone who is shopping internationally therefore they will seem to think that 1st class $6.99 is an option! Oh what a mess. I hope you can find a solution.

I look forward to any updates.
Kind regards.

The issue is simple;

You have flat rate shipping to the US, limited to the US
You have international shipping without a limitation

If the customer has no address yet (“no default address”) they see the only available method – international.

Under shipping there is a “Hide shipping costs until an address is entered” option. Maybe that would be better in your use case in conjunction with “no default address”?

Thanks Mike. I see what you are saying, however I have been using WC for over 2 years with same exact shipping options and I had no problems up until I updated WC to latest version today. I must therefore logically believe this is associated with the update. I am wondering if other people with similar setup have not yet discovered this perhaps?

I did try the hide shipping cost option until an address is entered, but guess what happens. I run a test order, no shipping cost appears so I type an address and nothing comes up for shipping rates, then customer is prompted to proceed to PayPal without knowing what the shipping cost is! Something is just not right.
I wish I had waited a while longer to update.

Another aspect that tells me something is not right is that default country for bill to and ship to comes up as United States however the international shipping option appears, and once I refresh the browser it displays flat USA rate correctly. Again this all began today after updating.

I hope someone else having this same issue can chime in as well.

@usaesp2011 One thing I do notice related to that, the payment box refreshes but not the totals box. This could be theme related.

Could you do a quick comparison with Twenty Twelve active?

Thank you. I have confirmed it is NOT theme related. I followed your instructions and switched to Twenty Twelve active and still defaults to Express Mail International on Checkout page. See screenshot of 2012 active theme here https://starwedd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2012-theme.pdf

Again, prior to the WC update yesterday, this was never an issue.
I don’t know how other people have not noticed this now that I tested on Twenty Twelve theme and confirmed it is not related to my theme.

Use a new session (different browser) and test the “Hide shipping costs until an address is entered” – you won’t get an international method by default.

Also, when you switched themes you should have gone to checkout, since the order area may have updated correctly and shown US shipping. Give it another shot.

Just thought I would chime in and say that I am having the exact same problem as usaesp2011, save for the fact that I am not using a “Flat Shipping” option, but just a standard one.

The option is defaulting to International Shipping for users who have not yet specified their location. I would like it to default to Standard, until they TELL me they need international (by inputting their address)