Is this email from risk-management@shopify.com legitimate?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Legitimacy of emails from risk-management@shopify.com: Confirmed by a Shopify staff member (Trust & Safety). These notices are triggered when systems detect potentially unauthorized branded/trademarked items and include an attestation form to complete by the stated deadline.

Required actions and timelines:

  • Fill out the attestation form (options include removing items, proving authorization, or indicating “I sell used authentic products”).
  • Reply to the email for clarification; Trust & Safety (T&S) may take 2–3 business days to respond.
  • Failure to comply may lead to account closure to prevent further sales.

Platform vs. Shopify Payments:

  • Platform may allow sale of trademarked items if compliant with Acceptable Use and not illegally obtained; however, Shopify Payments can restrict “high-risk” items (luxury/brand-name) due to chargeback/fraud risk.
  • Alternatives like PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net can be used if Shopify Payments is unavailable.

Outcomes reported:

  • Some merchants removed borderline items and continued without payment holds.
  • Others replied; some were told no further action was required.

Concerns and suggestions:

  • An InfoSec professional flagged the email format as spear-phishing-like and urged Shopify to place notices in Admin and send linkless alerts.

Status: Active/ongoing; merchants should complete the attestation and seek legal advice if needed.

Summarized with AI on December 21. AI used: gpt-5.
17

Hello Sir;

I am wondering how it is illegal to sell branded or trademarks online if I bought it legally and it is authentic goods? what happened to the “First Sale Doctrine” law??

it was clear that you are not required or need a reseller license or permit to resell authentic products you bought legally:

The First Sale Doctrine in Trademark Law

The first sale doctrine allows the resale of items bearing a trademark, such as a logo or brand name, after the trademark owner has sold those items, unless this is likely to confuse or deceive consumers. The U.S. Supreme Court applied the first sale doctrine to trademark law in Prestonettes, Inc. v. Coty, 264 U.S. 359 (1924).

The defendant in Prestonettes bought a product from the plaintiff, packaged it with other ingredients, and sold it to consumers. The packaging for the defendant’s product used the plaintiff’s trademarked name to indicate that the plaintiff’s product was included. The court held that this did not violate the plaintiff’s trademark rights.

As we understand you trying to protect consumers from fake products and protect yourselves from possible law suits from Trademark owners, This is very important topic for lot of stores that got affected by Shopify actions, , but please advise us regarding this matter with much appreciation.

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