Hello,
My Shopify store was flagged and placed under “further review” while I was still in the process of building it. The store was not live at that time and was still protected by a storefront password, so it was not publicly accessible. I had not started selling anything yet and was only configuring the store.
I successfully completed identity verification and provided all requested information. I was simply working on the setup when the store suddenly got flagged.
I would like to understand how long this type of review usually takes, especially in cases where the store is flagged before launch. It is unclear whether this is a standard automated process or something that requires manual intervention from Shopify’s Trust and Safety team.
At the moment, I am also unable to contact Shopify Support directly, as the support page returns an error every time I try to reach out. This makes it impossible to get any clarification or guidance on how to proceed.
I would appreciate message from a moderator or Shopify staff member.
@AdamAnd Hi there,
It sounds like your store was flagged as part of Shopify’s automated risk and compliance checks, which can sometimes occur even before a store goes live. This can happen if certain setup patterns or account signals trigger a review.
Since you’ve completed identity verification and provided the requested information, the next step usually involves Shopify’s Trust & Safety team reviewing your account manually. Review times can vary depending on workload, but it often takes a few business days.
Often check your email inbox (and spam/junk folder) for any updates from Shopify regarding the review.
While waiting, it’s important not to make major changes to the account that could further delay the review.
If anyone here has experienced a similar “pre-launch review” flag, it would be helpful to hear about your timeline or any additional steps that worked.
Did you check the email address of Shopify’s Trust and Safety team to confirm if it’s from a real Shopify team?
@AdamAnd This does happen sometimes, even before a store goes live. In most cases it’s an automated Trust & Safety review that gets triggered during setup (apps, payment setup, products, or location details can all do it), and then it moves to manual review once identity verification is completed.
There isn’t a fixed timeline, but typically reviews take a few business days, and in some cases up to 1–2 weeks, depending on volume and whether anything else needs checking. Being password-protected doesn’t always prevent a flag, as Shopify still scans backend activity.
If support access is erroring, try:
Logging out and back in, or using an incognito window
Accessing support via help.shopify.com/contact while logged in
Replying directly to any verification or review emails you received (this often reaches the Trust & Safety team faster)
At this stage, the best thing to do is wait for the review to complete and avoid making major changes to the store until you hear back. A moderator or Shopify staff member can usually confirm status once they see the thread.
Hope that helps, you’re not alone with this, and it’s usually resolved once the review finishes.