The original post was regarding print on demand. There was no mention about drop shipping. Drop shipping is allowed, albeit generally drop shippers have low quality scores, and trust signals which is the reason for suspension.
Topic summary
A merchant received a Google Merchant Center suspension for misrepresentation after leaving placeholder text on their website following a theme change. Despite removing the text and appealing, the suspension persisted.
Core Issue Identified:
The primary problem appears to be using a print-on-demand (POD) business model. Google’s policies require merchants to physically stock finished products ready for immediate shipping. POD violates this requirement since products are manufactured only after orders are placed.
Recommended Solutions:
- Complete product field data in Google Channel (gender, descriptions, all available attributes)
- Use correct policy page links from Settings > Policies rather than Online Store > Pages
- Build trust signals through customer reviews and professional website presentation
- Consider stocking finished products instead of relying solely on POD
Key Limitations:
- POD stores fundamentally cannot use Google Shopping ads due to inventory policy violations
- Other Google ad formats (text, display, YouTube) remain available
- Google provides minimal specific feedback on misrepresentation issues
- Multiple merchants report repeated suspensions despite following guidelines
Status: The discussion remains open with ongoing frustration about Google’s lack of transparency and the challenges POD/dropshipping businesses face with Merchant Center approval.