Shopify Payments holds payouts for risk reviews and deactivates accounts for prohibited businesses. The review looks at chargebacks and order patterns, which a scan cannot see, and at the storefront: what is sold, whether policies exist and whether the store looks like it will fulfil orders.
| Check | Rule |
|---|---|
| No restricted or prohibited content No supplements with health claims, weapons, replica or 'inspired by' brand goods, tobacco, or other content the platforms restrict. | Google's Shopping ads and listings policies (prohibited and restricted content) (read 2026-10-06) |
| Refund policy states a window, conditions and a process The refund or return policy exists and says how many days a customer has, what condition items must be in, and how to start a return. | Merchant Center: Set up your return policies for Shopping ads and free listings (read 2026-10-06) |
| Shipping policy states costs, regions and delivery times The shipping policy exists and gives costs, where you ship and how long delivery takes, and product pages do not promise faster delivery than the policy. | Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions) (read 2026-10-06) |
| Contact details visible A phone number or email address, and a physical business address, on the contact page or in the footer. | Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unacceptable business practices) (read 2026-10-06) |
| No fake urgency No countdown timers, fake 'people viewing' counters or fabricated recent-sales pop-ups from the common apps. | Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions) (read 2026-10-06) |
| No permanent or inflated sales Not every product is permanently 'on sale', and compare-at prices are not several times the selling price. | Product data specification: sale price [sale_price] (read 2026-10-06) |
Not legal advice. Policies change; each rule above names the page it restates and when it was read.