App is rejected. There are many similar apps approved on the store.

[sandeepchauhan]

My app was rejected today. Here is the message from the reviewer:

"As outlined in section 1.A.9 of our app store requirements, apps that connect merchants to marketplaces can't host those marketplaces on Shopify, or turn merchant stores into marketplaces. "

We do not connect to any marketplace. We simply let other sellers sell on client's stores.

There are many other similar apps currently running on the app store. Any suggestions, how can we get approved?

https://apps.shopify.com/search?q=multi+vendor&st_source=

https://apps.shopify.com/search?q=marketplace&st_source=

[Visely-Team]

"We simply let other sellers sell on client's stores."

by this, you are turning merchant stores (hosted on Shopify) into marketplaces, which is prohibited by the app store requirement below.

But I hear you, there are apps that are doing this, so it's either the requirement does not apply retroactively, or there is something else in the middle.

[sandeepchauhan]

Can someone from Shopify look into this issue and provide an answer? That would be helpful.

Our app allows sellers to increase their inventory by asking other non-shopify users to submit their products. There are many apps in current app store who do this. We are not creating any marketplace.

I hope that Shopify uses same rules for every app developer. If my app is rejected, then why do I see so many other apps doing similar or even more things like this:

https://apps.shopify.com/search?q=multi+vendor&st_source=

https://apps.shopify.com/search?q=marketplace&st_source=

If we should change our messaging, or description, then please help me.

[sandeepchauhan]

My app is more like a dropshipping app. Here is the flow:

1. A seller wants to have more products on his/her store

2. This seller wants to put products from other vendors (not on shopify) on his/her store

3. But this seller does not want to hold the inventory. He just wants to show their products, let them handle the shipping etc, and share the margin.

4. My app allows the seller to do this on shopify

I am not sure why the review team rejected the app. Can I open a ticket with them? Or open a discussion with them? There seems to be no way to open a discussion with them (if the app is rejected)

Here are other dropshipping apps doing similar things (even more):

https://apps.shopify.com/search?q=dropshipping&st_source=

[csherline123]

Had the same issue today - was this resolved somehow?

We are not a marketplace but Shopify is deeming us as one. We allow brands to cross-promote to each other after they've captured a sale but don't handle payments. We already have 50+ brands on Shopify using our product and created an app to make onboarding easier for brands. 

[yolosv]

Have got the same answer from Shopify, someone can help us? 

[Helen]

Hi, there! I’m Helen from Shopify Support, here to offer some clarification on this. 

For those of you who have had their apps rejected due to it being a prohibited app type, specifically Apps that host marketplaces on Shopify (Section 1.8), this type of functionality must be designed as a sales channel instead. A sales channel is an app, and can still be public, but it needs to be designed this way because it contains all of the functionalities you will need to create a marketplace type of integration. To help further assist you, please see the developer tutorial Building Shopify Channels. 

We here in general support are not developers and so we are limited in this type of technical knowledge. However, this thread is a great place to continue the conversation, and open it up to those who do have the technical expertise. For any Partners or developers that have already built a sales channel for this purpose, we’d love to hear from you!

[Devven]

Does this still apply after what @Helen replied? We recently submitted our app as a sales channel and it was rejected because it integrated with an app in the shopify App Store. 

[Devven]

We followed this method and created a marketplace type of integration that is designed as a sales channel and our app was rejected. Can you please discuss our app with the shopify app team? 

Partners Email: support@ecommercesupplychain.net 

App Name: Dual Distribution Channel 

[Helen]

Hey, @Devven. Thanks for reaching out. Sorry to hear your app hasn’t been approved yet; it can sometimes take a few iterations to fully meet the requirements. 

Did you receive an email from the App Review team regarding this? Please check your spam/junk folder as well for it, because the email will contain more specifics about the review process, the reason your app has not been approved, and the instructions on how to resubmit it once the corrections are made.

While our App Review team is unable to provide direct support on how to make the changes, it is encouraged to take a look at our Developer Docs and/or start a topic about your particular inquiry on the App & Partner platform Community boards if you need assistance with it. 

All the best!