Long-time Shopify merchant of Harry Potter merchandise warns all products may be suspended in 2 days during the Christmas season; over €10,000 in Shopify Payments is on hold despite orders already shipped.
The merchant says all requested invoices and documents proving authenticity and purchase from authorized EU distributors were submitted to Shopify Payments/Trust & Safety, with multiple email replies but no clear update.
A responder notes Community Forums cannot access accounts or expedite reviews and advises contacting Shopify Support via Live Chat/inbox to escalate to the Shopify Payments team.
A separate participant argues that reselling Harry Potter items requires an explicit license from Warner Bros. Discovery/J.K. Rowling, suggesting contacting WBD and noting potential upfront fees and royalties (up to 20%), or selling non-infringing “inspired by” items.
The merchant counters that under EU “exhaustion of rights” (first sale doctrine within the EEA), trademark owners cannot block resale of genuine goods lawfully placed on the EU market, and that their invoices prove legitimacy.
Status: unresolved and urgent. Key issues remain whether the submitted documentation satisfies Shopify’s policies and whether EU resale principles align with Shopify’s enforcement. No concrete timeline provided by Shopify; potential suspension remains imminent.
Summarized with AI on December 10.
AI used: gpt-5.
We are a company that has been working with Shopify for many years, and we have never had any issues in the past. We exclusively sell original Harry Potter–related products, all purchased from official manufacturers and authorized distributors. We have hundreds of invoices proving this, and we have already provided Shopify with all the documentation requested.
Despite this, we now find ourselves in a truly troubling situation. During the most important time of the year for our business, we are being told that in just two days all products in our store may be suspended. This would prevent us from selling anything at all during the Christmas season, causing enormous financial damage and seriously hurting our reputation as one of the main Harry Potter–themed stores in Italy.
We also currently have over €10,000 processed through Shopify Payments — all related to orders that we have already shipped — and those funds are being held. We have repeatedly asked for clarification, yet we continue to receive vague and delayed responses, with no concrete timeline or guidance. Every day we are working under growing anxiety, fearing that our business could collapse in 48 hours due to an unjustified action, even though our goods are fully legitimate and our documentation is complete.
We are posting here in the hope that someone from the Shopify team can urgently review our case and escalate it before our entire business is compromised by what appears to be a bureaucratic misunderstanding. We are not asking for special treatment — only for a proper and timely review of the documents we have already submitted. Years of work are at risk of being lost if this is not resolved immediately.
Thank you to anyone who can assist or direct us to someone who can.
Unfortunately, posting in the Community Forums won’t speed up or influence the review process, because no one here has access to account-specific information. The only team that can properly review your documents, release your funds, or prevent a suspension is Shopify Support.
I strongly recommend reaching out directly through Shopify Live Chat or the Support inbox and asking for your case to be escalated to the Shopify Payments team. They’re the only department that can look into the documentation you’ve already submitted and give you a clear update.
thank you for your reply. I understand that the Community Forum cannot directly influence account-specific issues.
However, we have already submitted all requested documentation directly to Shopify Payments / Trust & Safety, including invoices proving that all our products are original and licensed. We have replied to their emails multiple times, and we are still waiting for any response, while the suspension of our entire catalog is scheduled in just two days, right during the Christmas season.
We are posting here only to highlight the urgency publicly because our business is at immediate financial and reputational risk, with thousands of euros in processed orders currently held. We have no other way to escalate or receive updates, as Shopify Support itself cannot contact Trust & Safety internally.
We hope this helps clarify why we are reaching out publicly and that someone from Shopify can urgently review our case before irreversible damage occurs.
Fun fact: selling authentic Harry Potter merchandise is highly restricted to license issued ONLY by J.K. Rowling/Warner Bros. Discovery.
It’s likely your documents don’t include this. You may purchase from licensed resellers, that doesn’t give you authorization to resell yourself. That’s probably why Shopify is suspending your products.
Any inquiries for your venture should be emailed to Warner Bros. directly: WBCPInquiries@wbd.com
You will need to include a professional proposal as well as a detailed business plan. Expect to pay a substantial fee up front with royalty expenses of up to 20%.
An alternative is selling “Inspired by” items, but these cannot have any likeness to the original work. Good luck.
thank you for your message. I understand your point, but I would like to clarify that in Europe the situation is different. I purchase all my products from authorized manufacturers and distributors, which gives me the right to resell them legally. I always keep proper invoices and documentation to prove the authenticity and legitimacy of the items.
Therefore, my sales are fully compliant with European regulations, and I am not selling counterfeit or unauthorized merchandise.
You are incorrect. Warner Bros. Discovery has a massive worldwide trademark portfolio. They manage over 65,000 active trademarks globally to protect its brands and they actively enforce these trademarks worldwide. They operate in over 200 countries. If you do not have explicit consent from them, you do not have the right to sell their products.
I understand that Warner Bros. Discovery owns a large portfolio of trademarks and actively enforces them worldwide. However, I would like to clarify the situation regarding sales in Europe.
I purchase all my products from authorized manufacturers and distributors, which ensures that the items I sell are genuine and legally placed on the market. Under European law, specifically the principle of exhaustion of rights (first sale doctrine within the EU), a trademark owner cannot prevent the resale of genuine products that were legally sold within the European Economic Area.
Therefore, my sales are fully compliant with European regulations. I always maintain proper invoices and documentation to prove the authenticity and legitimacy of the items.
I appreciate your concern, but I would like to reassure you that my business operates legally and respects intellectual property rights.