Multiple merchants report having their Shopify stores suddenly banned or deactivated by the platform’s risk assessment team, often without clear explanation or warning. The original poster lost a store generating £25,000/month in sales and has had 6 stores closed total, with 40 pending orders left unfulfilled and no access to customer information.
Common complaints include:
No advance notice or detailed explanation for closures
Inability to access stores to refund customers or fulfill orders
Automated, impersonal responses from support
Allegations of “high risk” designation without justification
Withheld funds from completed sales
Outcomes:
One user (businessowner7) eventually recovered their store after persistent contact attempts
Most others report being unable to get stores reinstated despite repeated attempts
Several merchants are considering or switching to alternative platforms (Wix, WooCommerce, independent hosting)
Ongoing issue: This appears to be a recurring problem affecting multiple merchants, with frustration centered on lack of transparency, poor communication, and the platform’s ability to shut down businesses without recourse. The discussion remains unresolved for most participants.
Summarized with AI on October 28.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
I have spent 4 days building, sorting out social media accounts and fully building a store only to add a payment method and be told that the store is now inactive and when i speak to the shopify team they say they will get the issue raiosed and i will be notified within 72 hours of the result.
I have had this with an old store and for no reason whatsoever it was take n down - i have spent hours doing this - i dont use anything other than the recommended oberlo products for the site and nothing was ripped off from anywhere or fake…
i have now emailed the director of shopify Tobias Lutkse to find out and make an official complain but this is not good servcie - my old store was selling ÂŁ25,000 per month in sales and i have not been able to recreate this as they banned the store!!!
you have also stolen customers money as it has not been deposited to me and the customers do not even have it back! absolute scammers but doing it professionally so its not “illegal” - what an absolute joke - i suggest anyone who wants to build a site DO NOT use shopify and use wix or another ecomm platform that will not ban you for sill little reason with no route for recourse even if you’re legit"
Shopify have now closed 6 of my stores with no explanation - no email or guidance or hekp - just left to rot - i took over 40 orders and they closed the store with no access to customer information to let them know what is going on - i tried loads to speak to them and they said the details wont be passed on to me but its my problem to contact them and fulfull the order?!?!?! wtf
shopify is absolutely fantastic - up until they deem your store “high risk” for no reason whatsoeevr and leave you to drown with potential customers reporting you to police becuase they think they have been scammed. imagine this happening if you had a shope for a few years and they did this??? mine was active for 1 year selling £25,000 per month and they closed it and basically told me to get lost
absolutely disgusted. whilst shopify may be the best platform to “ready” a store qucik and get it active - i would suggest taking lionger with Wix or woocommerce and not getting this result.
it’s like someone can come out of nowhere and just knock your business out - imaging the chamber of commerce turning up on your doorstep and clsoing your shop down on the high street?!?!?! just wouldn’t happen would it, this is no different.
I have even emailed the director of shopify “tobias Lutke” and had no reply not even acknowledgement from them.
Similar thing happened to me now they are telling me there’s nothing they can do?? They suck now I can’t makes sales or money because of them!! Going with their competitor for sure!
Same thing happened to me. Absolutely disgraceful, I had 12 orders to fullfil and now I can’t even log into my inactive store to refund the customers! Hopefully You had this issue fixed.
I’ve been trying to conact them but no luck. They have given no explanation at all in what my account has done wrong to receive this ban. I will be moving to another platform with better communication. Cheers
I wouldnt bother going to Etsy, it is no different there. I had three stores shut down with no warning and no explanation whatsoever, I came here wondering if it was any different and by the sounds of these posts it doesnt look like they are. All the same, I had a store doing well, selling vintage art, was never violating any policies everything public domain, then WHAM… big red banners across the account after months and months of work, they just close it down. It cant be right for someone to just take away someones living like that.
Hello , I also have the same problem. Can you help men and tell me how did you reopened a store? We can contact through whatsapp , instagram , email. Please help me
This has been happening to so many merchants lately, and it’s incredibly frustrating when there’s no real explanation. It’s one of the downsides of relying on a big platform that can just remove your business overnight. A lot of people are switching to independent hosting where they have full control and actual human support. Hope you find a solid solution soon!
Something similar happened to me. I spent months creating an API connection connecting my backoffice to my Shopify store, and paid for a year subscription in advance, only for Shopify to remove all my products without giving notice and without any reason other than (copyright infringement) which is not true, but they won’t provide any supporting documentation. They asked me for documentation though and I have provided them with everything they asked (written agreement with suppliers), but they keep changing the rules and still won’t reinstate the products.
Absolutely absolutely disgraceful. Starting a dispute is one thing, I can understand that, but they are unwilling to enter in a conversation about the validity of their claims, with an indifference that is infuriating. Replies seem automated and impersonal. Meanwhile holocaust denying merch stores can go about unchecked. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2024/11/18/holocaust-denial-tests-tech-giant-shopifys-free-speech-ethos/. To be honest I never expected this from Shopify, but I am extermely disappointed.