WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce solution for WordPress, powering more than 30% of all online stores. With that popularity come common problems. In this article, we cover the 15 most common WooCommerce issues and how to fix them quickly.

1. Checkout page doesn't work or is empty

The most critical problem: customers cannot checkout.

Causes

  • WooCommerce pages not correctly configured
  • Plugin conflict
  • JavaScript error
  • Theme incompatibility

Solution

Check WooCommerce pages:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Page setup
  2. Check if all pages are assigned:
    • Cart page
    • Checkout page
    • My account page

Check shortcodes: The checkout page must contain the shortcode [woocommerce_checkout].

Test plugin conflict:

  1. Deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce
  2. Test checkout
  3. Activate plugins one by one

2. Payments fail or are not processed

Payments don't go through or give errors.

Solution

View payment gateway logs:

  1. WooCommerce → Status → Logs
  2. Select your payment gateway log
  3. Look for error messages

Check API credentials: Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments and check:

  • API keys correctly entered
  • Live/Test mode correctly set
  • Webhook URLs correctly configured

3. Products show "Out of stock" when there is stock

Solution

Check per product:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Go to Inventory tab
  3. Check:
    • "Manage stock?" checked
    • Stock quantity correct
    • Stock status on "In stock"

Global settings:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory
  2. Check "Low stock threshold"
  3. Check "Out of stock threshold"

4. Shipping costs not calculated correctly

Solution

Check shipping methods:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping
  2. Per zone check:
    • Is the zone active?
    • Are shipping methods added?
    • Are the prices correct?

Product weight and dimensions: For calculated shipping, products need weight and dimensions.

5. WooCommerce is slow

A slow webshop costs conversions.

Solution

Enable Object Cache: Install an object caching plugin like Redis Object Cache.

Optimize database:

  1. Remove abandoned carts older than 30 days
  2. Delete old revisions
  3. Optimize tables
DELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = 'shop_order' AND post_status = 'trash';
DELETE FROM wp_woocommerce_sessions WHERE session_expiry < UNIX_TIMESTAMP();

Identify heavy plugins: Use Query Monitor plugin to find slow plugins.

6. Emails are not sent

Order confirmations don't arrive.

Solution

Check email settings:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Emails
  2. Check if each email type is enabled
  3. Check the "From" address

Use SMTP plugin: Install an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP:

  1. Configure with your SMTP details
  2. Send a test email

7. Discount codes don't work

Solution

Check coupon settings:

  1. Marketing → Coupons → edit the coupon
  2. Check:
    • Expiry date not passed
    • Usage limit not reached
    • Minimum order amount
    • Excluded products/categories
    • Email restrictions

Coupons enabled? WooCommerce → Settings → General → "Enable coupon codes"

8. Cart empties after page refresh

Causes

  • Session problem
  • Caching too aggressive
  • Cookie problem

Solution

Caching exceptions: Exclude from caching:

  • /cart/
  • /checkout/
  • /my-account/

9. "Sorry, this product cannot be purchased"

Solution

Check product type:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Check if it's a valid product type
  3. For variable products: are all variations correct?

Price set? Products without price cannot be purchased.

10. Variable products don't show variations

Solution

Check attributes:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Attributes tab
  3. Check: "Used for variations" checked

Generate variations:

  1. Go to Variations tab
  2. "Create variations from all attributes"
  3. Set prices for each variation

11. Order status stays on "Processing"

Solution

Payment gateway callback: The payment gateway must receive a callback. Check:

  • Webhook URL correctly configured
  • No firewall blocking
  • SSL working

12. Product reviews don't work

Solution

Enable reviews:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Products
  2. Check "Enable product reviews"

13. Tax/VAT problems

Solution

VAT settings:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Tax
  2. Check:
    • "Enable taxes" on
    • Correct rates per country
    • Prices incl. or excl. VAT

14. Stock synchronization problems

With multiple channels or plugins.

Solution

WooCommerce settings:

  1. WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory
  2. Set correct behavior for backorders

15. Search doesn't find products

Solution

Search settings: WooCommerce product search searches by default in:

  • Title
  • Content
  • Excerpt
  • SKU (if enabled)

Better search plugin: Consider plugins like SearchWP or Relevanssi for better results.

WooCommerce Status Check

Use the built-in diagnostics:

  1. WooCommerce → Status → System Status
  2. Copy this report for support questions
  3. Check for red warnings

Need help?

Can't figure it out? Our support team is here for you! Submit a ticket through the customer portal and we'll usually help you within a few hours.