Shopify is one of the few eCommerce platforms where you can sell almost everything from anywhere in the world. From physical and digital products to services, you can sell anything.
However, being such a powerful platform, Shopify also has some social responsibilities to ensure that it is not being used to promote illegal or unsafe activities. That’s why they have made it clear about the products which are prohibited to sell from its stores – these are usually unsafe for the consumers or are considered environmentally hazardous.
So, if you are starting a Shopify store and looking for product ideas to sell on Shopify, here’s a complete list of banned products that you can cut from your list.
1. Investment & Credit Services
- You cannot sell services or solutions offered only by licensed security brokers. Services that are strictly banned under this category are mortgage consulting services, debt reduction, credit counseling or repair, investment services, real estate opportunities, or lending instruments.
2. Money & Legal Services
- Shopify restricts selling services such as money transmitters business, money orders, cash transfers.
- You also can’t offer bill-pay services, currency exchange, insurance, bill-pay services, crowdfunding, and bail bonds.
3. Virtual Currency Services
- You cannot sell cryptocurrency mining equipment or initial coin offerings services.
- You cannot sell virtual currency on Shopify like Bitcoin.
- You are not allowed to sell products in the form of digital wallets.
4. Sexually oriented items
- Shopify highly restricts any kind of product or services related to pornography or any other material under this domain like imagery, literature, etc that reveals nudity or any precise sexual act.
- It restrains adult live chat services, prostitution, or escorts.
- Shopify also restricts any kings of promotions for topless bars, gentlemen’s clubs, or strip clubs.
- You are prohibited to sell any type of adult toys, sexually-oriented massage parlors, or adult video stores.
5. Counterfeit or unauthorized goods
- No counterfeit goods are allowed to sell on Shopify. You are not allowed to do any unauthorized selling or reselling of a brand name or designer products.
- You are probably not allowed to sell any products that are imported or exported illegally within that place.
6. Intellectual property or proprietary rights infringement
- Using Shopify intellectual property with the consent of Shopify.
- Any service or action that reveals a fake affiliation with Shopify.
- Fake usage of Shopify’s logo, such as using Shopify trades or service marks directly or indirectly harms the Shopify brand.
- You are not allowed to sell any services that directly or otherwise infringe upon any third party’s patent, trademark, copyright, privacy rights, or trade secrets.
7. Gambling
- You are banned to offer services related to gambling like lotteries, sports forecasting, and bidding fee auctions.
- No internet gaming, sweepstakes, or contests can be sold on Shopify.
8. Regulated products or services
- Cannabis dispensaries and their related services.
- Sale of e-liquids, e-cigarettes, and tobacco.
- Peptides and research chemicals, online pharmacy services.
- ID-providing services, weapons and munitions, age-restricted services, and gunpowder or explosives.
- Products that use solvents like benzene, butane, kerosene, and gasoline are highly banned products.
9. Firearms & Weapons
- Shopify strictly prohibits selling firearms or any classification of weapons.
- Moreover, it does not allow crossbows, pellets, airguns, or targets.
10. Fireworks
- Fireworks or related goods or services, radioactive and inflammable materials.
- Although fireworks are legal in your area, Shopify’s Payment Services do not allow you to sell such items on Shopify.
11. Pharmaceuticals
- Online pharmacies are not authorized to do business on Shopify.
- You are not allowed to offer any drug-related products or medicines.
- Moreover, no physical equipment is allowed that involves drugs in one or another way, like hookahs, vaporizers, bongs, etc.
12. High-Risk Business Services
- Remote technical support, bankruptcy lawyers, essay mills, door-to-door sales, psychic services, etc.
- Airlines, cruises, travel reservation services, circumvention, prepaid phone cards, telemarketing, and phone services.
13. Multi-level Marketing
- Shopify does not involve any referral marketing programs or pyramid schemes or network marketing services.
14. Video Game Or Virtual World Credits
- You are not allowed to sell any in-game currency unless you are an operator of the virtual world.
15. Get rich quick schemes
- You cannot adopt any unfair deceptive practice that involves any investment policies or promises high rewards.
16. Harassment, Bullying, Defamation, And Threats
- You are strictly prohibited from uploading or adding any material or offering products or services that promote bullying or harassing any specific individual.
17. Hateful Content
- You are prohibited from promoting any hateful content or violence against people based on caste, sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, color, veteran status, or any type of discriminatory intolerance.
18. Illegal Activities
- Shopify also prohibits involving any products or services that promote actions that contravene the laws of jurisdictions through which you do business.
19. Confidential or Protected Information
- You are probably not allowed to deliver any post that includes, sensitive personal information, personally identifiable information, or confidential data like national ID numbers, credit/debit card numbers, or account passwords.
- You cannot use Shopify to process or collect any protected health information determined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
20. Self-Harm
- Shopify does not give you any opportunity to offer any goods or services that promote self-harm to customers.
Wrapping Up
The above-listed products are banned by Shopify globally, which means you cannot sell these products in any country using their platform. However, the list can go be longer for you based on your country.
Every country has its own restrictions on what kinds of goods can be sold online to its citizens. So, in order to comply with local laws Shopify prohibits selling any products and services restricted in that country.
I hope this list gave you a fair idea of products you cannot sell on Shopify. If you still want to sell any of these products and are allowed in your country, you can consider one of the Shopify alternatives to create your online store.
