Why is Etsy limiting my buyer to a maximum order total for a custom listing?

Hi! That “order must be £X or less” message is almost always coming from Etsy’s checkout/payment risk controls (or a specific payment method’s limit) for that buyer/address combo—not from anything you set on the listing. It can be triggered by things like a new/unverified buyer account, a card/bank that can’t be authenticated for that larger amount, or Etsy deciding the transaction looks higher-risk when the shipping country is changed (France vs UK), so it automatically caps what they’re allowed to place in one checkout.

What I’d do to complete the order correctly (shipping to France from the start) is this:

1. Have the buyer try a different payment path

• Make sure they’re signed in (not guest checkout), and that their Etsy account has a verified email/phone if Etsy prompts it.
• Try paying with a different payment method (another card, PayPal if available, etc.). These caps often show up when the buyer is being routed to a particular method/processor that won’t approve the higher amount.
• Try in the Etsy app vs desktop, or a different browser/device, and have them remove anything unusual (VPN, aggressive ad blockers). It sounds basic, but it genuinely changes which checkout flow they get.

1. If the cap stays: split it into two Etsy transactions (cleanly)
   If Etsy won’t allow ~£230 to France for that buyer, the most reliable workaround is to create two private listings reserved for them:

• Listing A (Deposit / Part 1): price up to whatever Etsy allows (e.g., ~£130). Include the full shipping charge only on this listing (so you don’t double-charge shipping).
• Listing B (Balance / Part 2): the remaining amount with free shipping (or “no shipping” only if Etsy lets you set it that way for your item type).

Important: the buyer must check out with their France address on both orders so the receipts, customs info, and Etsy’s order records match the actual destination.

1. Don’t plan on changing the address after purchase
   You’re right to avoid that. Even if you could buy a label manually, shipping to a different country than what’s on the Etsy order can create headaches with tracking, protection/claims, and customs documentation.

A quick note on the missing “create custom order” button: that option usually appears when custom order requests are enabled in your shop settings (and it can be inconsistent depending on whether you’re using the app vs Etsy.com). But since you already made a private listing, that part isn’t the cause of the £130 cap.

If the buyer still can’t place even the split orders to France, it’s a strong sign it’s buyer-side account/payment verification, and the fastest fix is for them to contact Etsy Support from their account (they can usually see the exact reason internally, even if you can’t).