Troubleshooting

This guide is designed to help you navigate the most common questions and technical hurdles while using Sip Subscriptions. Whether you're setting up your first plan or managing a growing base of loyal subscribers, use the categories below to find quick solutions.

Display & Visibility Issues

Subscriptions not showing on product pages

If your subscription options aren't appearing to customers, run through this checklist:

• Check Setup Step 3: Ensure you have added the subscription widget to your Shopify theme.
• Verify Plan Attachment: Go to Plans > Edit Plan > Products to confirm the specific product is linked.
• Enable the Widget Block: In the Shopify Theme Editor, ensure the widget block is toggled to "visible" on your product template.
• Preview Mode: Use the Theme Editor’s preview function to see if the widget renders correctly.

Customers can't see the Customer Portal

• Check Setup Step 2: Verify that the customer portal is enabled in your settings.
• New Customer Accounts: Ensure all four extension targets are enabled (Profile Page, Order History, Order Status, and Thank You Page).
• Classic Customer Accounts: Confirm the "Manage Subscriptions" block is manually added to your account page template.
• Login Required: Remind customers they must be logged into their store account to access the portal.

Payments & Billing

Payment Failed — what happens next?

When a transaction fails, Sip Subscriptions follows a structured recovery process:

1. Notification: The customer receives a "Payment Failed" email (if enabled).
2. Retries: The app automatically retries based on your settings (Settings > General > Billing Attempts).
3. Default Logic: By default, we retry up to 3 times, waiting 1 day between each attempt.
4. Final Action: If all retries fail, the system will execute your chosen fallback (Skip order, Pause, or Cancel).

Customer wants to update their payment method

• Admin Method: Go to Subscribers > [Subscription], then click the payment method menu in the sidebar and select "Change payment method." This emails the customer a secure update link.
• Self-Service: Customers can click "Update Payment Method" directly within the sidebar of their portal's subscription detail page.

How to trigger an immediate charge

If you need to bill a customer right away (e.g., after a manual correction):

1. Go to Subscribers and select the specific subscription.
2. Click the edit menu next to "Next Billing Date."
3. Select "Attempt billing now."
4. Check the result in the Billing History section.

Subscription Management

Customer can't cancel their subscription

If a customer reports the "Cancel" button is missing or greyed out, it is likely due to a minimum billing cycle requirement. The button will remain disabled until the required number of orders is met. A tooltip will appear to show them how many orders remain.

Subscription shows as "Expired"

An "Expired" status means the subscription reached its maximum allowed billing cycles.

How to change a customer's next billing date

1. Navigate to Subscribers and click the relevant subscription.
2. Select the edit menu next to "Next Billing Date."
3. Choose "Change next billing date" and pick a future date.
4. Note: The customer will be notified via email if the "Billing Date Changed" notification is active.

Notifications & Domain Setup

Emails not being sent

If communication is dropping, check the following:

• Master Toggle: Ensure the main switch is ON at Settings > Email Notifications.
• Event Toggles: Check that the specific notification (e.g., "Order Confirmation") is individually enabled.
• Domain Verification: If using a custom domain, ensure your DNS records are correct and the status shows as "Verified."
• Recipient Types: Remember that Merchant and Customer notifications are separate; check both toggles.

Inventory & Advanced Setup

How to set up Pre-paid Subscriptions

To charge upfront for multiple deliveries (e.g., Pay for 3 months, deliver monthly):

1. Go to Plans and edit a frequency.
2. Toggle "Pre-paid subscription" to ON.
3. Set the Billing Frequency as a multiple of the Delivery Frequency. (Example: Deliver every 1 month, bill every 3 months).

Stock Forecast shows shortfalls

The Forecast page predicts if you have enough inventory for upcoming renewals.

• Filter by 7, 14, or 30 days to prioritize urgent needs.
• Click a row to see exactly which subscribers are driving the demand for that specific product.

Plan Limits — what counts towards my usage?