Do I have any recourse if Shopify is unjustly terminating my account?

[abestoutlet]

I received a email from Shopify saying they will terminate my account. The exact words are "We have been made aware that certain products being sold on your Shopify store, storename.myshopify.com, may not be authorized by the brand owner. We have reviewed your account and determined that it is in violation of Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). As a result, we are no longer able to host your store, storename.myshopify.com, or your custom domain, storename.ca, on our platform."

I emailed them back saying that I am authorized to sell everything I have on my site. I said I can provide letters of authorization, or any other documents they need to prove it. But in s follow up email I was told they they will terminate my account anyway. 

I'm not sure why they're so adamant on terminating my account. I haven't made it to the public yet and have sold no items. I said I would give all the proof before I set my site to public.

I don't want to lose the website I worked so hard to build. I was willing to comply and give everything that was required to prove myself. Is there anything I can 

[Imogen · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @abestoutlet. Thanks for taking the time to write about your situation with your shop here in the Shopify Community. 

I'm sorry to hear about this situation that you're facing with your store. I'm sure that when you were notified about things, that it came as a surprise. We're unable to authenticate users here in the Community, so I can't discuss or comment on any account specific details, but I can comment on some protocol that you can take moving forward.

The biggest piece of information I can provide you is to reach out via those emails you received from our team with any questions you have, or new information you want to provide. The folks on the other end of that email are the ones best equipped to answer your questions, and listen to any new information you have to provide. If you feel that you have information that's crucial for the team to have, then please reply to the emails you've been sent with that info so they receive it.

Due to the sensitive nature of situations like these, communicating with our team via replying to the emails you've received is what you'll want to do. Our front-line support staff (so the folks you reach out to via the help portal) could be helpful if contacted, but their scope is often heavily limited in these settings, so I really want to stress that following up with the emails you've received is what you should look to do. 

If you have any additional questions, feel free to follow up with me and ask away. I'll do what I can to lend you a hand.

[abestoutlet]

I have tried that already. I replied to them asking what policy I violated or that I am willing to cooperate and give whatever documentation they require to prove that I am allowed to sell the items. The response I received gave no additional information or attempted to solve the problem. Instead they just said 'we're going to continue and delete your account'.

I've already replied yet again, but it takes them days to reply, yet they only offered me until the 19th until my account would be terminated.

[Imogen]

Hey again, @abestoutlet. Thanks for following up. 

If you've already sent out some emails to the team that you're waiting to hear back on, then it's best to wait for those replies to see what information they provide you. The folks on the other end of the original email are the ones who will be able to provide with more information, and action the additional information you'd like to provide them regarding your store. Even with the date of the 19th, the team should follow up with you with replies to your emails. 

[Yura13]

Hi @abestoutlet ,

I faced the same situation a few days ago. Have you resolved your issue with the Shopify Trust & Safety Team?

I told them that I have all the documentation for all my products, but they just replied with the same message "In accordance with Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), we will be proceeding with closing your account as noted in our previous email."

They are not interested at all to resolve this issue.

[Imogen]

Hi there, @Yura13. Thanks for joining in on the conversation here.

I wanted to make sure that I jumped in here to let you know that you reply here has been seen! 

If you feel that this information is important for the folks you've been communication with to have, then it's best that you provide it to them via a reply directly to that team via the email thread they've started with you. 

As we can't access accounts or see account specific information here in the Community, your best bet to provide new information is to take the step I've outlined above.

[watchsupplyandc]

Have you found a resolution to this issue, had this happen to me and they didn’t even bother responding to my emails That I sent 20 days ago, store has been terminated and they haven’t responded. I expected much more from such a big e commerce platform @abestoutlet 

[Yura13]

Hi @watchsupplyandc,

I totally agree with you. 

I just want to let you know how disappointed I'm with the Shopify Trust & Safety team. They've been ignoring me for two months. I sent them authorization letters from my suppliers, and direct contacts of my suppliers so they could confirm the legitimacy of my business.

We spent several months designing and developing our store, we spent a lot of financial resources on Ads, coding, etc. And one day they just closed our store, without any previous investigation or documents requests. Now they just ignore my emails and follow-ups. And how can someone tell me now that Shopify is a seller-friendly platform?

I'll never forget this experience, how Shopify destroyed my business and several months of hard work. I will share it within our eCommerce community to debunk the myth about Shopify's attitude to its sellers.

[Black_Marketeer]

Same here ,,, they terminated my account without any notice and kept over $2000 of my money...this will affect my brand tremendously...I have nothing good to say about Shopify.

[amzaar]

Hii did you received your funds yet?? can you share your experience i having same situation their safety trust team not responding? 5-6 emails done no respond its been 7 days over they said payout scheduled on 27th October 2023  

how shopify running business we have to highlight these kind of situation with Big NEWS Agency or other media HOW THEY DESTROYING AND HARRASING BUSINESS OWNERS 

[CamiK]

Did you get it solved? I have the same issue?

[jorgehp1]

Me too, were you able to solve it?

[all_secure]

No I was not.

[Imogen]

Hi there, @watchsupplyandc. Thank you for joining in on the thread here.

To set some expectations, Shopify Support Staff are unable to authenticate users here in the Community, so I won't be able to directly look at your account, or access any data related to your account.

With that being said, situations like this are disappointing and upsetting, and I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing this. As I can't directly look at your account here, I have some next steps I can advise you on:

• Reply to the email communication you would've received from our Team regarding this situation. Any questions you have are best answered by the folks on the other end of that email.
• You can also consider reaching out to our Live Team for more information. There is a chance they may not be able to see everything related to your account (front line support employees aren't privy to all situations handled by our Internal Teams) but they may be able to advise you on some next steps, or provide you with new information.

[FunkyMonkey]

They just did the same thing to us. We are the most honest and generous sellers Shopify will ever host. We were instructed to review the email they sent for more information. What email? We never received it, nor did we get the email of the chat as was promised, which had important links.

We have no idea what happened? Whatever caused them take such drastic action against us is a lie. We have been in this business for 26 years. In all that time we have never been charged with selling something we didn't acquire honestly, and legally. We can prove that we are authorized to sell the products we have.

So, what do we do now? We put all of our eggs in the Shopify basket because we believed in them, that they were the solution for small family businesses like ours.

We did not get "a fair shake."

[Black_Marketeer]

They just did the same to us ... No warning or actual reason ... horrible customer care ..worst I've experienced in 40 years... wouldn't recommend Shopify to anybody.

[silversalve]

Dear Account Owner,

We have reviewed your account and determined that it is in violation of Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). As a result, we are no longer able to host your store on the Shopify platform and your account has been closed.

The full amount of pending payouts will be held in reserve for 120 days. On Sep 14, 2023. We will transfer your existing payouts less any chargebacks and related fees to the bank account on file for your Shopify Payments account.

Shopify’s Terms of Service can be found here and our Acceptable Use Policy can be found here.

Thank you,

Shopify Trust & Safety Team

[FunkyMonkey]

Hi, Silversalve,

The first thing you need to do is find out what their complaint is. On the message from the Trust & Safety Department there might be a request as to what information they want. You may have received it via email, I didn't. There also might be an alert next to your name on the Shopify dashboard.

They wanted verificatioin that was authorized to sell some highy counterfeit toys; DC Comics, Disney, Garfield, SpongeBob, Hello Kitty, etc., etc. The message said they wanted proof of authorization for one our more of my products. That's it! No which one. All of them. I sent them the authorization from Spin Master which covered DC Comics, then they came back with what brands they were looking at.

I reopened the case four times. Each time we'd get a little closer to what they wanted. They give you almost no time to respond with all they are asking for.

NOTE: Their deadline is actually midnight before the deadline date. I always got that wrong.

It was a long process. Took about a month. They actually closed my store, which was a real bummer. Regular customers wanted to know if we are still in business. I told them we were deciding if we wanted another platform to host our website. Our Google ranking and trusted store emblem vanished, along with any traffic.

Once they close your store and block you out, you don't get a chance to download your data. If you still have access to your store, do that now.

The absolute first thing is finding what it is they think you did. If you have any link from the Trust & Safety Team and/or the Legal Team (they are copied on everything), take a crack at sending them something related to their complaint. That would get the conversation going.

I made the mistake of sending them too much information. One of my brands was bought by Spin Master so I made a mistake of explaining that. My short, to the point, and simple response did it.

Don't give up.

[watchsupplyandc]

Honestly this is absolutely ridiculous. Live support tells me to respond to the email i received in regards to the termination which i did *7 emails sent* to be exact. it has since been 26 days since i sent the first email and i still have not received a single response. To this day i have never seen such poor customer service. Live chat tell me the same thing over and over and offer zero assistance to me. trust and safety don't respond to the emails. My sole source of income was taken away from me overnight. Ridiculous

ticket ID 4b0f8223-6bd7-495b-b5af-896e92444593

[Imogen]

Hi there, @watchsupplyandc. Thank you for taking the time to jump in on this ongoing thread.

Our Escalated Teams work on a queue system, so I recommend allowing the team the time they need to get back to your initial reply. If you continue to email the team without receiving an update from them, you may be negatively impacting your placement in the queue, causing the turnaround time on a review from the team to be longer than usual.

My recommendation is to wait and keep an eye on your email inbox for an update from the team. They'll follow up with you via email as soon as they've had the chance to get to your ticket within their queue. 

[amzaar]

SAME SITUATION HERE I WAS WAITING AFTER TERMINATION ACCOUNT ITS BEEN 4 MONTHS ALMOST MY PAYOUT NOT RELEASED YET THEY ALREADY SAID MY PAYOUT SCHEDULED FOR 27TH OCTOBER 2023 NOW I HAVENT RECIVED YET ANY PAYMENT 

[Imogen]

Hi there, @amzaar. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to folks here in the Shopify Community via this thread. To set some expectations for you, we're unable to authenticate users via the Community, so I'm unable to access any store specific information, or discuss store specific matters.

In this situation, it would be best for you to reach out to us via our Help Center so you can connect with us via an authenticated channel. From there, our advisors can communicate with our Internal Teams to get you some more information related to your query. Once you land in our Help Center, please let our AI Chat Assistant know about your issue, and it will assist you with getting connected with an advisor.

Please, let me know if you encounter any troubles with this process.

[jorgehp1]

Hello did they finally answer? What did you do?

[KesleyBoutique]

Yes, they don't respond back. I have a business  loan with Shopify that gets paid with every transaction and because my account is being closed I need to know what will happen to this loan. I opened a new shopify store and I need to know if I can transfer this loan. Something of this gravity when it comes to a business loan is huge. No answer. 

Additionally I opened a new account and somehow it linked to the e-mail of the account that is closing. I am unable to change the account bc it says the account would need ownership transfer. I asked if when the account is de-activated by Shopify in 5 days - if I would lose this new account too. Which I was advised it was ok to start a new account. They said it is possible since the e-mails are linked. The person chatting didn't even know for sure because when she tried to get a hold of the accounts team, this team also never answers. All the associates in the chat always say they will get back to you via e-mail and they never do. I can't believe a company like Shopify that host huge accounts don't have this organized and can't provide appropriate support. 

I made over 1.2 million in sales in 3 years using Shopify and I wish they treated me nicer and actually provided support to help me with something of this caliber. 

[amzaar]

THEY ARE BIG FRAUD COMPANY NEVER EVER TRUST THEY GOING TO TAKE YOUR MONEY
SHOPIFY SHOULD BE SHUT URGENT BASIS WORLDWIDE
VERY RUDE PEOPLE SUPPORT THEY EVEN DONT KNOW WHATS HAPPEN WITH THEIR
COMPANY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT ARE PEICE OF SHIT

[iqbal_rahim]

Yes it's true i was selling clothes and running my brand on shopify they sudden terminated my store with 3000 GBP in it this termination is totaly unfair i hate shopify they destroyed my family it was only my income source i reached their team through email i asked the what's illegal in selling wedding outfits they answered me we can't tell the reason this is a whole **bleep** system never build your brand on shopify 

[KesleyBoutique]

This team never writes back. I think someone needs to oversee this team because it is concerning and I am wondering if the  team is ethical or if anyone actually event works there. Sometimes companies hire bad employees and don't realize it for a very very very long time. This team will never answer. 

[rosaocasio]

This is the same thing that is happening to me. Only they offer me a solution at a price of $150.00, $300.00 or $500.00. I feel this is a gimmick to get me to pay their employees to work on my store. Instead of offering a free option of correction.

[mirzamohtashimm]

Hey bro, my Shopify store is terminated without any reason, can u help me

[Imogen]

Hi there, @mirzamohtashimm. Thanks for jumping into our thread here.

Have you had the opportunity to read through the accepted solution for this post? It includes all of the next steps you'll want to follow to get more information regarding your store. As we're unable to authenticate folks here in the Community Forums, replying to any emails you received about the topic is the right step for you to be taking to get more information.

[Giorgialai]

It's not true, they close stores out of nowhere and no longer respond to you by email to support you or give you a valid reason, I've heard many stories of people who found their store closed overnight without a reason. Absurd!!!

[rosaocasio]

This was not helpful. As I believe their method seems as though they are trying to push me into hiring one of their employees by force to work on my store. Instead of providing me the information to correct the problem.

[ALPHAGAMER]

This happend to me as well and honstley i dont know where is the problem

[FunkyMonkey]

Read the solution posted by Shopify Staff. It works.

https://community.shopify.com/c/shopify-discussions/quot-termination-of-your-shopify-account-quot/m-...

I never would have gussed why they decided to review my account. I sell toys and collectibles, including some popular knock-offs. (Disney, DC Comics, Star Wars, etc.) They want me to prove that I am an authorized reseller and/or my products are not counterfeit. They have been working with us. We're down to the last two collections, and will be sending them more documents tomorrow.

Just follow their instructions to a-T. 

Best wishes....

[Savita_dahiya]

Hi,  My friend also have the same situation. Please tell me that how to solve it . Because he is very upset. Please anyone have the solution of his problem. He also recieved the same email like @abestoutlet . please help him.

[Imogen]

Hi there, @Savita_dahiya. Thank you for following up on this thread.

If your friend received an email regarding this situation, your friend will need to follow up on that email directly for advice on the next steps they need to take. We're unable to authenticate users here in the Community, so please directly to reply to the email they received.

[Wonder07]

Really ?

how people are supposed to answer if they get this back when they send a message? 

Thanks for contacting Shopify Support!

A support ticket has not been created.

We are changing how we best support you. As part of these changes,  suppor ... no longer accepts incoming messages, this includes when you reply to a support ticket after it has been closed.

[Imogen]

Hi there, @Wonder07. Thank you for taking the time to follow up with us on this thread.

If you received an email from our Team regarding your store in a context like what is outlined in this thread, then there should be an 'appeal' form that you can complete and fill out via the email you received. If you're looking to follow up with our Support Team in relation to a non-closed store issue, you can reach back out to our Authenticated Support Team via the Help Center.

[all_secure]

I have followed this thread to the end. It seems we have all experienced the same issue with shopify. “Account closed”

I don’t understand why they say we broke their policy but won’t tell us how so that we can correct it. Something is not right with this company. I’m looking into legal options. 

[Imogen]

Hi there, @all_secure. Thank you for joining in on this thread.

If you have any questions regarding your account, it's best that you direct those questions in a reply to the team that sent you the notification regarding your account. They're the folks best equipped to answer any questions you have regarding this situation.

[dadropshipping]

Can you actually help us with this non sense? Can we know why shopify is terminating our stores ???

[Imogen]

Hi there, @dadropshipping. Thank you for taking the time to follow up on this thread here! Apologies for the delayed reply. I've been out of office for the Holidays back I'm back in now, and catching up with folks.

To set some expectations for you, we're unable to authenticate users in the Shopify Community. This means that I can't access your account, account details, or discuss any account specific information with you in this environment. When it comes to notifications around your store such as this, it's best that you reply to the email that you received directly if possible, as the folks on the other end of that email are best equipped to assist you with any questions you may have.

[Mohelbaz]

they just done the same to me they are the worst place ever to do business and hold over 2300$  I believe they  take this money for them self and keep it ,

Shopify is Scam be aware from it 

[Imogen]

Hi there, @Mohelbaz. Thank you for taking the time to follow up with this ongoing thread. I apologize for the delayed reply. I've been out of office for the Holidays back I'm back around today, and taking the time to catch up with folks.

To set some expectations for you, we're unable to authenticate your account here in the Community, meaning that we can't access you account info, discuss account details, or access any account specific support tickets.

In situations like this, you should have received information via email regarding the funds you were meant to be paid out. I recommend checking your email for information regarding these funds, and when you can expect to receive them. If you have not received an email with such information, you can use this link to speak to our Live Team to request that info. 

[CamiK]

I have the same issue. They terminated my account today without no reason or further explanation. They are holding my money and keeping it.

what should I do?

[jorgehp1]

Hello, did you get a reply?

[Imogen]

Hi there, @jorgehp1. Thanks for taking the time to follow up here on this thread! If you haven't already I recommend that you exercise the steps I've mentioned in the post marked 'solution' for this situation. To sum things up, if you received an email from our Team regarding a decision being made about your business, it's best that you follow up with those folks via email directly so they can answer any questions that you may have.

[jorgehp1]

Hey, I did for over 10 times now and you know what, 0 responses🥲

[Imogen]

Thanks for that follow up, @jorgehp1. This is likely because our Teams that handle these requests need time to review the follow ups that they receive, and they may have a queue of previous replies that need to be addressed. I recommend allowing the Team the time they need to review your replies so they can follow up with you directly. There is a chance that your additional replies may impact your position in their queue, so it's best to allow them the time they need to review things so they can follow up with you ASAP.

[VerciSG]

Nah, its been 1 entire month and they haven't even get back to me. What they doing? Eating lamb shank at the beach?