Connection Troubleshooting

The TrackShip for WooCommerce plugin needs access to your WooCommerce store API to connect and sync tracking data. If something goes wrong during the connection process or webhook updates, this guide walks you through the most common errors and how to fix them.

Forbidden

A Forbidden error usually means something on your server is blocking TrackShip’s requests. This could be a security plugin, a hosting-level restriction, or Cloudflare.

Check the following:

• Security plugins — Review any security plugins installed on your site. If one is blocking TrackShip’s write requests, either disable it or add TrackShip to its allow list.
• Cloudflare — If your site is behind Cloudflare, a firewall rule may be blocking requests. Learn how to whitelist in Cloudflare ↗
• Server or hosting configuration — If neither of the above is the culprit, your hosting provider may be blocking external HTTP requests. Contact their support team and ask them to whitelist TrackShip.

Unauthorized

This error means TrackShip can no longer access your WooCommerce store API — usually because the API key was changed or permissions were revoked.

To resolve it:

1. Go to your TrackShip dashboard > Stores and remove the existing connection to your store.
2. Reconnect your store.

Timeout

A timeout error means the connection to your store took more than 10 seconds to establish, or the store didn’t respond in time. This is typically a server-side issue.

Here’s what to try:

1. Contact your hosting provider — They can help identify the root cause and suggest a fix.
2. Ask about server resources — If you’re on shared hosting, your site may be competing for resources. Upgrading to a dedicated server or VPS can help.
3. Review server logs — Ask your host to check for errors or bottlenecks tied to the timeouts.
4. Check firewall rules — Firewall rules can sometimes cause delays in processing requests. Review your firewall settings or ask your host to check for any rules that may be slowing things down.
5. Optimize site performance — Work with your host on caching and reducing resource-heavy plugins.

Deactivated

You’ll see this error if the TrackShip for WooCommerce plugin has been deactivated on your store.

To fix it: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins, and click Activate next to TrackShip for WooCommerce. Once it’s active, go to TrackShip > Settings and restart the connection process.

Internal Server Error

A 500 error means something went wrong on your store’s server when TrackShip tried to make a request. This is not a TrackShip issue — it originates from your WooCommerce site.

Common causes and fixes:

• Plugin conflict — A recently installed or updated plugin may be causing a fatal error. Try deactivating plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
• Theme conflict — Switch temporarily to a default WordPress theme to rule out theme-related errors.
• PHP errors — Enable WooCommerce logging or ask your host to check the PHP error logs for details on what’s failing.
• Server resources — Your server may be running out of memory. Ask your hosting provider to check and increase the PHP memory limit if needed.

Tip: Check your WooCommerce > Status > Logs for REST API errors — they often point directly to the cause.

SSL CA certificate problem

This error occurs when your server’s SSL certificate doesn’t match the target domain, or when the certificate authority (CA) bundle on your server is outdated or misconfigured.

To fix it:

• Check your SSL certificate — Make sure the certificate installed on your store covers the correct domain (including any subdomains if applicable). A mismatch between the certificate’s subject name and your store URL will trigger this error.
• Update your CA bundle — Your server may have an outdated CA certificate bundle. Ask your hosting provider to update it.
• Check for domain mismatches — If your store URL recently changed (e.g. added or removed www), make sure both your SSL certificate and TrackShip connection settings reflect the same URL.

If you’re unsure, contact your hosting provider — they can verify your SSL setup and reissue the certificate if needed.

DNS resolution failed

This error means TrackShip’s servers were unable to resolve your store’s domain name. This typically happens when your domain’s DNS records are misconfigured, propagating, or the domain has expired.

To fix it:

• Check your domain status — Make sure your domain is active and hasn’t expired. You can verify this through your domain registrar.
• Check DNS propagation — If you recently changed your DNS records or moved hosts, propagation can take up to 48 hours. Use a tool like dnschecker.org ↗ to check propagation status.
• Verify your DNS records — Confirm that your domain’s A record or CNAME is pointing to the correct server IP address.
• Contact your hosting provider — If everything looks correct on your end, your host can verify that DNS is resolving properly from their side.

Unknown

We’re not sure what’s causing this one. Please reach out to the TrackShip support team and we’ll help you get to the bottom of it.