Are you wondering whether or not Shopify can shut you down? Did you get your store shutdown? Check out this comprehensive guide to find out why and how to get your account back.
So, Can Shopify Shut Your Store Down?
Yes, Shopify can shut you down regardless of the size or reputation of your store. It does not matter if you are a new business or a veteran generating high sales revenue, if you don’t follow Shopify rules, you are going to be suspended or banned.
Getting suspended is not an everyday phenomenon and a few times it has happened by accident. However, it is a possibility since Shopify is strict with the maintenance of its policy.
You should go through their Terms and conditions now and then, as they tend to update them.
Read this guide if you want to Cancel Your Shopify Store!
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Why Shopify Would Shut Your Store Down?
Violating Shopify’s Terms and Conditions
If you go through Shopify’s clearly defined terms and conditions, you will understand that they prohibit many things. These policies are to ensure the safety of their customers.
Some of these include:
- Child Exploitation
- Harassment, Bullying/ Defamation
- Hateful Content
- Illegal Activities
- Copyright Infringement
- Deceptive Practices
- Personal Or Sensitive Information
- Spam
- Self Harm
- Restricted Items
- Terrorist Organizations
Make sure you go over the entire TOS to understand if there’s any policies you might be breaking. A lot of times you may not know which exact policy you are breaking so read them over thoroughly. But the most common reason for getting your Shopify store shut down is:
- Restricted/Copyright Products
- Deceptive and Malicious Practices
Related: Can You Sell Replicas On Shopify
How To Regain Your Shut Down Shopify Store
If Shopify has shut down your store or suspended you, there is a way to get it back. Here is how you can regain your store:
Identify the Problem
Find out why you have been shut out. If you are aware of any illegal or harmful practices, you would already know why they banned you. Usually, Shopify will send you an email before or after shutting your store down. If they have not, you would want to reach out for help.
You can post in their community where one of the employees will respond to you as soon as possible. They would send out an email to you defining what protocol you had breached.
Rectify the Issue
You would be able to get your account back up if you have paid any outstanding dues if there are any. As soon as you clear out your dues, your Shopify store will be back up. Other than that, if you have violated their terms of service, you will not be able to restore your account.
As for poor performance, you can reach out to Shopify to buy more time before they shut you out. Remember Customer complaints and chargebacks are proof that you are not delivering quality.
How To Make Sure Shopify Does Not Shut You Down?
Precaution is always better than cure.
The best way to avoid such an unfortunate scenario is by avoiding being in that spot, to begin with. Here are a few practices to make sure your store is not on the list of shut ones:
1. Don’t Sell What’s Not Allowed
Shopify is precise and clear with what they don’t want you to sell on their e-commerce platform. All you would need to do is read their terms and conditions to know.
Any product, service, or information that may be harmful, illegal, or exploitative would be considered to be on the list of forbidden products. The easiest and simplest way to avoid squabble with Shopify is to know what you are allowed to display and sell in your store.
Related: Can You Sell Anything on Shopify? Allowed & Not Allowed List
2. Keep Your Chargebacks Low
Chargebacks can be a major reason and keeping it as low as possible keeps you out of trouble. Shopify monitors accounts, regardless of size and reputation or sales, that have high chargebacks from customers.
And what is a chargeback? It is when a customer returns the purchase or declines a transaction to go through. Chargebacks are high when you are failing to deliver quality goods and services to customers. Keeping it low is a good metric and keeps the Shopify watchers out of your store.
3. Be Mindful About Customer Communications
Remember that being rude to customers or sending them unsolicited messages can get you banned. So, to avoid being shut down from Shopify, you would want to be mindful of your conduct with your customers.
Your customers should not get offended in any way or form. This is especially important when you are sending out emails.
4. Be Real and Transparent
Honesty and transparency will get you far, even with Shopify. Be real with your customers and deliver them products and services that you promote. The quality of products and how they will work can define your honesty.
Final Thoughts
Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms and is known to maintain the quality of its stores through its privacy policies and terms and conditions. Failing to abide by these rules, will get you suspended.
Nevertheless, as long as you don’t sell one of the restricted items, maintain a good relationship with your customers, and keep your dues cleared, there’s no reason why Shopify would shut your store down.
However, if you are steering clear of all that has been mentioned, and still get suspended, you would want to contact Shopify to understand what you did wrong.
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FAQs
What Happens If You Don’t Pay Shopify?
Shopify does not delete your account immediately if you have outstanding dues or payments. They will put your account on hold unless you clear your dues. Usually they will put your store on hold for 30 days for something like this.
Can Shopify Suspend Your Account?
Shopify can suspend your account if they need to review your store. Sometimes you can get banned other times you can unbanned.
Can Your Shopify Store Be Suspended If Your Chargebacks Are High?
Yes, they can suspend your Shopify store if you have high chargeback rate. You need to have a low chargeback rate so, you don’t get in trouble with Shopify.
