Discriminated by shopify pay

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment

Topic summary

A merchant operating an aquarium fish e-commerce store was banned from using Shop Pay for selling freshwater shrimp, which allegedly violates Shopify’s policies. The merchant reports inconsistent enforcement, noting at least three other aquarium stores currently using Shop Pay while selling identical products.

Key Issues:

  • Multiple support contacts over two months yielded no clear explanation for the ban
  • Shopify provided no specific reasoning, only confirmation of the restriction
  • Policy appears to be applied inconsistently across similar businesses

Suggested Solutions:

  • Request a formal policy review, citing approved competitors as examples
  • Implement alternative payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net) as temporary workarounds
  • Note: Third-party processors typically charge higher fees than Shop Pay

Status: Unresolved. The merchant remains banned with no timeline for reinstatement or clear path to appeal.

Summarized with AI on October 30. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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I have been discriminated by shop pay policies.

I have an e-commerce aquarium fish store has been banned from using shop pay because apparently It’s against their policy to sell freshwater shrimp

I can list 3 e-commerce stores using shop pay right now selling the same thing if they really wanted, why is it the case other aquarium stores are able to use shop pay and mine is banned? I’ve asked them extensively for a response with no clear picture. I’ve contacted support at least 5 times the last 2 months with no help either. If anyone experiences this as well please share how you’re dealing with this/got through with it. Any help is appreciated.

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Hi @jihnius

Sounds incredibly frustrating, and I totally understand why you feel singled out. Shopify’s policies on live animals, including freshwater shrimp, can sometimes be inconsistently enforced, which is why you’re seeing other stores still using Shop Pay :slightly_smiling_face:

Your best bet is to request a policy review by explaining that similar stores are approved and asking for clarification on how the policy is applied. In the meantime, explore alternative payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net so your business isn’t completely dependent on Shop Pay.

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I’ve done that and they’re provided nothing useful. Never a “why” you are banned just a “you’re banned and deal with it” attitude. Extremely disappointed for future customers to reference. Definitely agree on using other 3PP but they usually have higher fees so it would be ideal to come back to shop pay later on.

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Get it, hope everything will be fine soon!

1 Like