FAQ & Troubleshooting

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Find answers to common questions and solutions to issues with WP Sell Services.

General Questions

What is WP Sell Services?

WP Sell Services is a Fiverr-style service marketplace plugin for WordPress. It allows you to create a platform where vendors offer services and buyers purchase them.

Key Features:

  • Service marketplace with packages
  • Order management system
  • Buyer requests (like Fiverr requests)
  • Vendor profiles and dashboards
  • Review and rating system
  • Dispute resolution
  • Basic analytics
  • WooCommerce integration

Do I need WooCommerce?

Free Version: Yes, WooCommerce 6.0+ is required for cart and checkout.

Pro Version (planned): Will support alternative e-commerce platforms and standalone payment processing.

What are the minimum requirements?

  • WordPress 6.0 or higher
  • PHP 8.0 or higher (PHP 8.1+ recommended)
  • WooCommerce 6.0 or higher
  • MySQL 5.7 or higher / MariaDB 10.2 or higher

Is it multisite compatible?

Yes, WP Sell Services works on WordPress multisite networks. Each site in the network can run its own marketplace.

Setup Issues

Services not displaying

Check these items:

  1. Permalinks:
  2. Service Status:
  3. Category Assignment:
  4. Cache:

Vendor registration not working

Solutions:

  1. Enable Registration:
  2. Check User Role:
  3. Approval Mode:

Pages showing 404 errors

Fix:

  1. Regenerate Permalinks:
  2. Check Page Assignments:
  3. Check Post Type Registration:

Order Issues

Orders not appearing in vendor dashboard

Check:

  1. Order Status:
  2. Vendor ID:
  3. Database Connection:

Buyer can’t submit requirements

Solutions:

  1. Order Status:
  2. Already Submitted:
  3. File Upload Issues:

Delivery files not uploading

Troubleshoot:

  1. File Size:
  2. File Type:
  3. Storage:
  4. PHP Configuration:

Buyer Request Issues

Requests not expiring automatically

Solution:

Expiration requires WordPress cron to be functioning.

Check WP-Cron:

  1. Tools → Site Health → Info → wp-cron
  2. Verify cron is not disabled

Enable Cron:

// In wp-config.php, ensure this is false or not present
define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', false );

Setup Real Cron (recommended):

# Add to server crontab
*/15 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

Can’t accept proposal

Verify:

  1. Request Status:
  2. Proposal Status:
  3. Ownership:
  4. Not Expired:

Order not created after accepting proposal

Check:

  1. Database Permissions:
  2. Return Value:
  3. Debug Log:

Dispute Issues

Can’t open dispute

Requirements:

  1. Order Must Exist:
  2. User Authorization:
  3. One Per Order:
  4. No Status Restriction:

Evidence not showing

Verify:

  1. Evidence Stored:
  2. JSON Format:
  3. Evidence Types:

Dispute resolution not processing refund

Important: The resolve() method does NOT process actual payments.

You must manually:

  1. Process refund through WooCommerce:
  2. OR use payment gateway admin panel
  3. OR credit buyer’s wallet (if Pro wallet enabled)

The dispute system only:

  • Records the refund amount
  • Updates dispute and order status
  • Notifies parties

Analytics Issues

Service views not tracking

Service views require manual implementation:

// Add to functions.php or custom plugin
add_action( 'template_redirect', function() {
    if ( is_singular( 'wpss_service' ) && ! is_admin() ) {
        $service_id = get_the_ID();
        $views = (int) get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_views', true );
        update_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_views', $views + 1 );
    }
} );

Views are stored in wpssviews post meta. Not tracked by default.

Profile views not counting

Profile views also require manual tracking:

add_action( 'wpss_vendor_profile_viewed', function( $vendor_id ) {
    $views = (int) get_user_meta( $vendor_id, '_wpss_profile_views', true );
    update_user_meta( $vendor_id, '_wpss_profile_views', $views + 1 );
} );

Fire the wpssvendorprofile_viewed action when profile is viewed.

Analytics data not updating

Performance Tip: Cache analytics to reduce database load.

Clear Cache After Changes:

// Delete transients after order completion
delete_transient( 'wpss_admin_dashboard_stats' );
delete_transient( 'wpss_vendor_stats_' . $vendor_id . '_30days' );

Email & Notification Issues

Emails not sending

Solutions:

  1. Test WordPress Email:
  2. Configure SMTP:
  3. Check Spam:
  4. Enable Notifications:

Notifications going to wrong users

Check:

  1. Role Filtering:
  2. Email Addresses:

Performance Issues

Slow analytics dashboard

Optimize:

  1. Add Database Indexes:
  2. Use Caching:
  3. Limit Results:

Slow search results

Improve Search:

  1. Use Search Service:
  2. Limit Search Scope:
  3. Add Search Index:

File Storage Issues

Running out of disk space

Solutions:

  1. Increase Server Storage:
  2. Set Retention Policy:
  3. Optimize Files:
  4. Future: Cloud Storage:

Attachments missing after period

Check:

  1. File Cleanup:
  2. Manual Deletion:
  3. Backup:

Common Error Messages

“Dispute already exists for this order”

Meaning: Each order can only have one dispute.

Solution:

  • View existing dispute instead of creating new one
  • Update existing dispute with additional evidence

“Order not found”

Causes:

  • Order ID doesn’t exist in database
  • Order was deleted
  • Using wrong order ID

Fix:

  • Verify order ID is correct
  • Check wpss_orders table for order
  • Use order number instead if searching

“Invalid dispute status”

Causes:

  • Trying to set status not in the 5 valid statuses
  • Typo in status name

Valid Statuses:

  • open
  • pending_review
  • escalated
  • resolved
  • closed

“Evidence cannot be added to closed dispute”

Meaning: Disputes with status ‘closed’ cannot be modified.

Solution:

  • Evidence can only be added before dispute is closed
  • Contact admin to reopen if necessary

Getting Help

Documentation Resources

Enable Debug Mode

For troubleshooting, enable WordPress debug:

// Add to wp-config.php
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Check logs at: wp-content/debug.log

System Information

Get system info for support:

  1. Tools → Site Health
  2. Go to Info tab
  3. Review:

Contact Support

Before contacting support, have ready:

  1. WordPress version
  2. PHP version
  3. WP Sell Services version
  4. Active theme name
  5. List of active plugins
  6. Error messages (from debug.log)
  7. Steps to reproduce issue
  8. Screenshots if applicable

Support Channels:

  • Free Version: WordPress.org support forum
  • Pro Version: Priority email support

Can’t find your answer?

Search the full documentation or post in the WordPress.org support forum. For Pro customers, contact priority support directly.

Last updated: February 14, 2026