Guides

Answers to questions Shopify merchants ask about blocking countries and unwanted orders, including what does not work.

• How to block a country on Shopify
  Shopify has no built-in setting that stops visitors from a country. What shipping zones do, what a country blocker app adds, and what neither can stop.
• Card testing on Shopify: what helps and what doesn't
  Card testers use your checkout to try stolen cards. What Shopify already does, what you can add, and where country, email and phone rules fall short.
• Does blocking countries hurt SEO?
  Blocking countries you don't sell to is usually fine for SEO; blocking the US is not. What Google recommends, how crawler checks work and how to verify.
• How to restrict Shopify checkout by country
  Shipping zones limit where orders ship, but not the billing country, email or phone. How to restrict checkout by country on Shopify, including express checkout.
• Fake orders from other countries on Shopify
  Getting orders from countries you never sell to? How to tell fake orders from real ones, what to do with them and how to stop more coming in.
• Can you block VPN visitors on Shopify?
  What can and cannot be detected by IP address: Tor and cloud networks yes, most personal VPNs no. What that means for blocking on Shopify.