Purpose: This is a guide on how to troubleshoot issues that may occur when integrating with WooCommerce V2.
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Error: API is not active when connecting WooCommerce shop
If you are trying to connect your WooCommerce shop to Sendcloud and encounter a message saying that the API is not active after clicking the Connect button, this is most likely due to changes in the default WooCommerce settings.
In recent versions of WooCommerce, the Legacy API is no longer enabled by default. While the previous version of the Sendcloud plugin relied on this API, the latest version does not.
You can download the latest version of our plugin here.
To resolve this issue, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Settings > Integration page in your Sendcloud account.
- Check whether any new WooCommerce integrations have been created. If so, you can safely disconnect them.
- Return to your WooCommerce shop and deactivate and completely uninstall any currently installed versions of the Sendcloud plugin.
- Install the plugin again using the link provided above.
- Activate the plugin and connect to Sendcloud. The integration should now proceed without issues.
Importer doesn't work
Check in the WooCommerce environment whether the permissions for the API keys are set to read/write. This is necessary to correctly import the data.
Please check the HPOS mode settings in WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > Features. If HPOS mode is enabled, make sure that the compatibility mode is also enabled or else, Sendcloud will be unable to retrieve orders.
Orders are imported with delay
When you are fetching the orders, please implement the Cache-Control HTTP header with the no-cache Request Directives parameter, as described in this documentation. This will make it possible for Sendcloud to ignore cache and retrieve the newest orders. For more information, click here.
Connect Button Grayed Out in Sendcloud Integration Page
If the “Connect” button in the Sendcloud Integration screen is grayed out and you cannot proceed with the connection:
Check your permalink settings in WordPress. If the structure is set to Plain, the connection will not work.
To resolve this:
- Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress admin panel.
- Select any structure other than “Plain” (e.g. Post name).
- Save the changes.
- Go back to WooCommerce > Sendcloud and try connecting again.
This should resolve the issue and enable the “Connect” button.
Connection blocked by firewall or security plugin
If you're setting up or migrating your WooCommerce integration and the connection to Sendcloud fails, even though you've followed the setup steps correctly, this is often caused by a firewall rule, WordPress security plugin, or hosting-level security setting blocking the request to Sendcloud.
This is especially common when enabling Service Points, since that feature sends two additional requests to write custom data to your store.
If you use Cloudflare, this is often caused by Bot Fight Mode. To resolve it:
- Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
- Go to Security > Bots.
- Turn off Bot Fight Mode.
- Go back to WooCommerce and retry the connection.
If you don't use Cloudflare, check whether a WordPress security plugin (e.g. Wordfence) or your hosting provider's firewall is blocking outgoing requests to Sendcloud. If unsure, consult your IT team or hosting administrator.
WPML Plugin Compatibility (Multilingual Orders Missing)
If you're using the WPML plugin to support multiple languages in your WooCommerce store and you notice that some orders (especially those placed in non-default languages) are not appearing in Sendcloud or are missing when syncing, this may be caused by WPML's translation settings for the Order post type.
To ensure compatibility, follow these steps:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to WPML > Settings
- Scroll down to the section called Post Type Translation
- Find Orders (shop_order) in the list
- Set it to Not Translatable
- Click Save
Once this setting is updated, try fetching the orders again via your integration or API endpoint.
All orders should now sync correctly, regardless of the language used at checkout.
Still experiencing difficulties? Create a ticket, and support will get back to you as soon as possible!