Excited to start selling on Shopee?
I know you can’t wait to start, and hey, who hasn’t thought about gaming the platform’s algorithm for quicker success?
But hold on a moment, there’s something you should be aware of before you jump right in.
You see, just like any game, there are rules to follow, and understanding them is the key to success.
Rules of the Game
These rules, or policies, are diligently enforced by Shopee with one goal in mind: to ensure that sellers meet a standard that provides a positive and delightful experience for shoppers.
Sellers on Shopee can receive penalty points for failing to meet buyer expectations, which includes not complying with listing regulations, fulfilling orders, providing excellent customer service, and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Accumulating a high number of penalty points can lead to the suspension of seller privileges.
Additionally, Shopee may impose a temporary listing limit for excessive listing violations.
To understand how penalty points are issued, see here.
Shopee Listing Violation Policy
In this article, we’ve compiled Shopee’s Listing Violation Policy with illustrative examples in the table below to help you better understand it.
Understanding what each policy entails will empower you to steer clear of penalties and safeguard your valuable seller privileges.
No. | Listing Violation | Violation Type | Example |
1 | Prohibited listings | Products prohibited by law | A listing for a product that is illegal to sell, such as drugs or weapons. |
Products violating Shopee’s listing policy | A listing for a product that violates Shopee’s listing policy, such as a product that is not allowed to be sold on Shopee. | ||
Products without relevant licenses | A listing for a product that requires a license to sell but the seller does not have the relevant license. | ||
Advertisements | A seller creating a listing on Shopee to advertise their own website where they sell products not available on Shopee. | ||
Switched listings | A seller advertising a genuine designer handbag in their listing but sending a fake designer handbag to the buyer. | ||
Misleading discounts | A seller increasing the price of their product before applying a discount to make it appear as though the buyer is getting a better deal than they actually are. | ||
Mislabelled goods | A seller advertising a product as organic when it is not actually organic. | ||
2 | IP infringement and counterfeit listings | IP infringement | A seller using a trademarked logo or copyrighted image without permission from the owner in their product listing. For instance, using a popular cartoon character’s image to sell a t-shirt without obtaining the necessary permissions from the owner of the character’s intellectual property rights. |
Counterfeit items | Products that are made to imitate an existing brand with the intention to deceive or defraud customers. An example of this would be selling a fake designer handbag that looks like the real thing but is not made by the original brand. | ||
3 | Listing Spam Policy | Duplicate listings | A seller has two listings for the same t-shirt design in their shop. The only difference between the two listings is that one has a slightly different title and description, but the product, price, and images are the same. |
Price spam | Listing a product at an extremely low or high price to get more views, but with no intention to sell the product at the listed price. | ||
Keyword spam | Using irrelevant or misleading keywords in a product listing to attract more views. | ||
Attribute spam | Using incorrect attributes in a product listing. A seller lists a phone case for sale and selects the attribute “compatible with iPhone 12” in the product details. However, the phone case is actually only compatible with iPhone 11 models. | ||
Re-uploading of deleted listings | Re-uploading a listing previously deleted by Shopee without making any edits |
Who can report listings that do not adhere to Shopee’s policies?
Have you ever wondered who can make such a report when you find yourself not complying with the policies?
Well, Shopee has made it easy for any user of its platform to do so.
Whether you are a:
- Seller
- Buyer
- ShopeeFood Buyer
- ShopeeFood Driver
- ShopeeFood Merchant/Seller
you can report any non-compliant listings using this link here.
Shopee Listing Violation Guide
We want to be upfront with you – we haven’t covered all the rules here. We’re just giving you the highlights!
Our aim is to remind you that as a seller, it’s essential to sell responsibly, just like how you’d expect great treatment as a buyer.
Oh, and by the way, Shopee might add or change some rules from time to time. So, it’s smart to stay informed! To get the full picture, we highly recommend checking out Shopee’s Seller Education Hub and downloading their Listing Violation Guide here early in your journey with Shopee.
Knowledge is power, and it sets you up for success as a seller in this awesome online marketplace! 😀
