When it comes to eCommerce businesses, one of the most popular platforms is Shopify. It is a platform that allows you to set up online shops.
This platform gives you great control of your business and comes with a wide range of features. That makes it a great option for just about anybody.
But just because it has a lot of great features and is a good option for business owners, it is still a business. That means that they have certain terms of service policies that might lead them to shut you down.
So what can you do about that? Why would it happen in the first place? All these questions are what we are looking to answer for you so you have all the info you need to make sure your account doesn’t experience this situation.
Why Does This Happen?
There are a few reasons why Shopify might shut you down. The first is if you violate the terms and conditions that Shopify has built into its policies. But there are a few other situations that could cause the team at Shopify to close your account down:
- Being a risk t Shopify’s reputation
- If you are deemed a high-risk business
- Selling of prohibited products (like those using copyrighted works)
How Common is This?
You may be surprised to hear that Shopify does this much more than you would expect. Their policy is very strict, and so if you violate it, they are quick to shut you down. But, of course, there are steps to this process, so it should not come as a surprise most of the time.
The best way to not have this situation arise, as we said above, is to have a clear understanding of what the term of service prohibits. By reading this and knowing these terms, you should not fall prey to this issue.
Do You Get a Warning Before it Happens?
It might be nice if you got some warning that Shopify was going to shut you down. But the truth is that the platform can suspend or delete your account without warning for violating their terms of service.
Even worse, if this happens, you could lose data and all kinds of pertinent info to your business. So just to be on the safe side, we highly suggest you always keep backup records so you don’t have to start from scratch someplace else.
Can You Get Your Account Back Once it is Deleted?
If you simply deleted it, then yes, it can be recovered. You just have to use Shopify API and find the elements on the local database to reopen your shop. If, however, the platform deleted your account, it might be impossible.
If you feel that the account has been deleted wrongly, then reaching out to customer support at Shopify should be your first step. Suppose you have violated the terms of service, though, you will not be able to restore your store.
What Should You Not Do on Shopify?
So what should you not do on Shopify so that you can refrain from having the platform delete your account? There are a few things we suggest:
- Don’t sell products that are prohibited on the site. Things like hateful content or products that use copyrighted materials.
- Try not to have too many chargebacks.
- Let your account slip into bad health.
- Know that you cannot send unsolicited communications to customers
Other than this we highly suggest that you don’t open the store without reading the terms of service policy. This will ensure you know what can and can’t be sold. It will also make sure that you know what the platform deems violations of this policy.
Final Thoughts on Can Shopify Shut You Down
So yes, you could wake up one day to find that Shopify has shut down your store. This can be done without warning if they determine you have broken the policies they outlined in their terms of service.
So it’s best to understand them and concentrate on doing everything you can not deal with this tragic situation interrupting your business. We hope that we have helped you do just that!