Shopify has mysteriously deactivated all three of my attempts to create an online store for my new drop shipping business. No explanations given. No warnings. No attempts to communicate with me first.
My first store was set up through a consultant who I paid to help get my store set up. That store was called foggyflame.com. This consultant has helped hundreds, maybe thousands, of people set up Shopify stores. He probably knows what he is doing. My store had been up and running for a couple of months. Today, out of the blue, Shopify deactivated that store, with no meaningful explanation given. I thought Shopify tried to communicate violations of your usage policies before taking the drastic action of yanking the plug on someone’s store. I was not told anything about WHY you deactivated my store!
Would someone please explain it to me so I can avoid that problem in the future?
Last week I tried to set up another store with Shopify, called ablecane.com. You immediately pulled the plug on that one — again, mysteriously, with no meaningful guidance as to why. I then spent many, many hours setting up a Shopify store to take the place of the one you had just deactivated. I called the new store myablecane.com. About the third day that store was going, you AGAIN mysteriously deactivated it. I still have no idea what I did wrong. I had a long conversation with a support consultant about this, and he sounded eager to try to help me. More than a week has gone by with no communication from Shopify about my appeal or the support consultant’s promise to take action.
I am frustrated beyond measure by the way Shopify yanks the rug out from beneath up-and-coming new stores like mine. How many times will you do this to me? How can I prevent this problem in the future??
Shopify has shown very poor customer support in my case. No follow-up with appeals. No follow-up from your support consultant.
Hello @rdwhitaker ,
If you’re receiving annual payments from Shopify and you never created an account, it sounds like someone may have set up an unauthorized account using your payment details. Here’s what you should do immediately:
- First, contact your credit card provider to dispute these charges and block any further payments. Explain that you never authorized these transactions, and provide any transaction details you have.
- Next, try reaching out to Shopify through alternative channels—like Twitter (@ShopifySupport) or any available phone support. Clearly state that you don’t have a Shopify account, yet you’re being charged, and that you suspect someone has used your payment information to set up an account. Be sure to include any evidence you have (like transaction IDs or dates) to help them locate the account.
- Finally, document everything—take screenshots of the charges, save any emails, and note down your communication attempts. This documentation will be important if you need to escalate the issue further with consumer protection agencies or law enforcement.
My problem is not what you described. Shopify deactivated MY store that I created and was trying to use. Nobody is billing me for their store.
This is not my problem. I actually did create 3 Shopify stores, and each one has mysteriously been deactivated by Shopify. So I now have no online store from which to sell my items. Shopify has not told me WHY they deactivated my stores.
Thank you for your kind response. I was being very careful in all of the categories you mentioned. That’s why it’s so frustrating. I spent many hours designing my stores and thoroughly and accurately as I know how, and they still became deactivated for no understandable reason. My first store was even designed and set up by a paid consultant who has helped thousands of people build Shopify stores. Even HIS store was deactivated!
I cannot go in to my store to check on any of the issues you mentioned because that store no longer exists.
People tell me to just build a new store and keep going. I cannot keep the same store name as I had before, because Shopify has the named locked-out. This means all my previous organic advertising is useless. I am getting lots of messages saying people love my product, how can they buy it? They can’t because my store has vanished. So building a new store would mean my previous advertising is completely wasted, and I would be starting all over from scratch.
I have no confidence that Shopify would allow a new I store I might create now to exist in the future. They could just as easily shut a new one down and force me start all over yet again.
I’m wondering if other store-building platforms would be more stable than Shopify. I’m looking around.