Question 1

Why did Shopify suspend my store?

Accepted Answer

Shopify suspends stores for violating their Acceptable Use Policy or Terms of Service. The most common triggers are a chargeback rate above 1%, refund rates exceeding 10%, prohibited keywords in product listings such as trademarked brand names or restricted health claims, fulfillment latency over 5 days, identity or banking information mismatches, and sudden order volume spikes that trigger fraud detection. Reinstate monitors all 8 of these risk signals in real time.

Question 2

How do I appeal a Shopify store suspension?

Accepted Answer

To appeal a Shopify store suspension, you must submit a Plan of Action (POA) to Shopify's Trust & Safety team in reply to the original suspension email. A successful POA has three sections: the specific root cause of the violation, corrective actions you have already taken, and preventive measures you will use to ensure it does not recur. Reinstate's AI Appeal Generator creates a compliance-optimized POA in 60 seconds when you paste your suspension email.

Question 3

What is Shopify's chargeback threshold?

Accepted Answer

Shopify's internal chargeback threshold is approximately 1% of total orders. At 0.5% you are in a yellow warning zone, at 0.8% you are likely being monitored, and at 1% or above you face an immediate risk of payment processing restrictions or account suspension. The rate is calculated as chargebacks divided by total orders processed over a rolling 30 to 60 day window.

Question 4

What is a Shopify Store Health Score?

Accepted Answer

A Shopify Store Health Score is a 0 to 100 composite rating that measures how well your store complies with Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy and payment gateway risk requirements. Reinstate calculates your score using 8 weighted signals: chargeback rate, refund velocity, fulfillment latency, tracking coverage, order volume anomalies, keyword violations, identity consistency, and multi-store risk. A score above 90 is excellent, 70 to 89 is good, 50 to 69 is moderate, and below 50 indicates high risk.

Question 5

Can Reinstate prevent my Shopify store from being suspended?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Reinstate provides 24/7 automated monitoring of the same compliance signals Shopify uses to evaluate merchant accounts. When any signal enters a high-risk zone you receive an instant alert with a specific recommended action. Merchants who act on these alerts can resolve issues days or weeks before Shopify's Risk Operations team initiates a review.

Question 6

How much does Reinstate cost?

Accepted Answer

Reinstate offers four pricing options. The Basic plan is $9 per month with weekly automated scans. The Standard plan is $29 per month with daily scans. The Pro plan is $49 per month with scans every 6 hours and on-demand manual scans. There is also a one-time $99 Emergency Appeal option for merchants who are already suspended and need an immediate AI-generated appeal letter without a subscription.

Question 7

Is Reinstate safe to connect to my Shopify store?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Reinstate uses official Shopify OAuth with read-only scopes. We never have permission to modify your store, fulfill orders, or change product data. Access tokens are stored encrypted with AES-256. We comply with all mandatory Shopify GDPR webhooks including customers/data_request, customers/redact, and shop/redact. All store data is permanently deleted within 30 days of app uninstall.

Question 8

What are the prohibited keywords that get Shopify stores suspended?

Accepted Answer

Shopify scans product listings for several keyword categories that trigger automated flags. The main categories are medical and health claims such as cures, treats, or FDA approved language; trademark and counterfeit references such as Nike style or Rolex inspired; age-restricted product language without proper verification; and references to prohibited product categories including replica goods, weapons, certain CBD or vaping products, and unsubstantiated health benefits. Reinstate scans every product listing in your store for these categories.

Question 9

How long does Shopify take to respond to a suspension appeal?

Accepted Answer

Shopify's Trust & Safety team typically responds to appeal submissions within 3 to 7 business days. For billing and identity verification issues, reinstatement can happen within 24 to 72 hours once you provide the missing information. For Acceptable Use Policy violations or duplicate-shop reviews, expect 7 to 14 days. Sending repeated follow-up emails does not speed up the process and can be marked as harassment.

Question 10

What is a Shopify Plan of Action?

Accepted Answer

A Shopify Plan of Action (POA) is a structured document that you submit to Shopify's Trust & Safety team when appealing a store suspension. An effective POA has three required sections: a clear statement of the root cause of the violation, the specific corrective actions you have already taken with measurable details, and the preventive measures you will use going forward. Vague apologies or emotional appeals are rejected; concrete, factual responses get approved.

Shopify Compliance Guides

What to Do When Your Shopify Store Is Suspended

Understanding Shopify's 1% Chargeback Threshold (And How to Stay Under It)

Prohibited Keywords That Get Shopify Stores Banned (And What to Use Instead)

The 8 Signals Shopify Uses to Flag Your Store for Suspension

How to Write a Plan of Action That Gets Your Shopify Store Reinstated

Shopify Payments Suspended: What It Means and Exactly How to Fix It

How Long Does a Shopify Appeal Take? Full Timeline + What to Expect

Shopify Acceptable Use Policy: What's Prohibited and Why Merchants Get Banned