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Sellers of Shopify are more like sellers on Amazon than they know. Shopify controls what you can sell, what apps you can use, so is it really software for your

Sellers of Shopify are more like sellers on Amazon than they know. Shopify controls what you can sell, what apps you can use, so is it really software for your business or you’re just a cog in its machine to become the next Amazon. I’ve seen so many DTC brands switch to Medusa and Woocommerce with a custom storefront.

gpm 5mo ago
> Shopify controls what you can sell In what ways? I'm sure there are businesses they refuse to support (like any company) but I have a family member running a Shopify store (selling things that you couldn't over Amazon due to logistics) and Shopify - Doesn't have any pre approval process for products. We can add and edit products instantaneously with no process involving anyone else. - Has never appeared to care, even when "products" are things like "we agreed on a delivery method over the phone". I'd also point out that the store owns the brand with Shopify. We could switch out the backend for a different ones and the users wouldn't really notice. You couldn't do the same with Amazon.
- theturtletalks 5mo ago
  Try selling used Apple products which you can on any website or marketplace online, except Apple will contact Shopify and they will unpublish products without even telling you. You used to be able to install custom Shopify apps on your own store, now they make you jump through hoops. Their ideal situation is an Apple like walled garden where you can only install apps from their store. Had a friend trying to vibecode a custom Shopify app so he could replace one from the App Store that was running him $250/m. It was so confusing that he just gave up. I’m trying to get him to switch to an open-source alternative. Try selling Vape products or adult products and you’ll see you don’t really control the software. Selling used Apple products, vapes, and adult products is completely legal. Yes Stripe and PayPal can stop you from accepting payments for those products. But why is my business software doing the same?
  - gpm 5mo ago
    Shopify not being willing to fight battles to keep supporting stores that other people don't want them to isn't exactly the same as them choosing what you can sell... Though I guess I see some similarity. > I’m trying to get him to switch to an open-source alternative. Well if you want an argument in favor between terrible support, glitchy software, huge price hikes, and so on we aren't particularly happy with Shopify either...
    - daveguy 5mo ago
      So... They're not choosing what you can sell. They're letting arbitrary third parties choose what you can sell? That seems worse.
      - embedding-shape 5mo ago
        Indeed it's worse, and apparently Valve/Steam is the only one who seems to care about something resembling freedom to sell legal things, even if we might subjectively disagree.
    - paulddraper 5mo ago
      > Shopify not being willing to fight battles to keep supporting stores that other people don't want them to isn't exactly the same as them choosing what you can sell... It is the same. Or rather the latter is inclusive of the former.
      - theturtletalks 5mo ago
        Exactly, Shopify as a business can do what it wants. But I will never let software manage my business that I don’t have control over.
        hamdingers 5mo ago
        > I will never let software manage my business that I don’t have control over. I can't imagine this is actually possible in 2026 unless your business is a something like a cash-only lemonade stand.
- econ 5mo ago
  I read some interesting drama involving YouTube style false copyright flagging at scale. Don't ask me for details but I got the impression they got just involved enough to maximize harm. It's not software but a platform which has both pros and cons.
- ranger_danger 4mo ago
  During Covid we were selling medical PPE on Shopify and they shut us down, along with lots of other people. We weren't price gouging or doing anything shady either. Instead we setup our own site and were quickly getting large orders for 1 million+ masks per week from big box stores and hospital groups. https://directpaynet.com/banned-ppe-seller-get-merchant-account/ https://directpaynet.com/banned-ppe-seller-get-merchant-acco...
BoogieWoogie123 5mo ago
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codegeek 5mo ago
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evilfred 5mo ago
Shopify doesnt block selling Nazi merchandise so idk what control you think they exercise
- theturtletalks 5mo ago
  Nazi merchandise doesn’t have a corporation using back channels to get Shopify to unpublish products.
valdiorn 5mo ago
Sorry but as someone who has a Shopify store and also sells via Amazon - you are dead wrong. I have much more freedom with Shopify, it's not even comparable. It's not even apples to oranges, it's apples to calculators. Amazon places a lot more restrictions on everything, from products, product descriptions, images, it's quite difficult to list original products on Amazon (took me 2 weeks of work to register our product backlog when I started selling via Amazon, despite having GTINs and everything already in place). Cashflow etc is not comparable in ANY way. Just wanted to call out a blatantly wrong comment.
- theturtletalks 5mo ago
  Depends on what you sell. We were in electronic recycling selling everything from Xeon processors and server ram to used iPhones and MacBooks on Amazon. Easy to sell and list, no issues. Then we realized we weren’t really building a brand on Amazon so we started a Shopify store. Listed the same products and one day just unpublished. Messaged Shopify and they said we can’t sell used Apple products. Send them our Amazon and eBay stores with thousands of sales. Didn’t care. I brought in a payment processor myself, still unpublished. I just built my own Shopify alternative at that point. In the end, you’re selling products that Shopify deems ok so you’re not going to face these issues. Do you really think Shopify doesn’t have issues just cause you don’t face them?
  - zaphar 5mo ago
    I am admittedly not an expert here but this does not at all sound like something that Apple can force Shopify to do. I was under the impression that when Apple does something like this it's primarily because the seller was positioning themselves as an official Apple reseller in some way which they do pretty aggressively police. Did Shopify give you any more details on why they believed they had to delist you?
    - theturtletalks 5mo ago
      The same thing happened with our other store. Because we were in electronic recycling, many items came without batteries or chargers due to fire-risk concerns, so we had to source replacements ourselves. We eventually launched a private-label brand for generic camera batteries, drone batteries, power-tool batteries, chargers, and similar accessories. Then Shopify unpublished those products too after Canon contacted them, claiming we were not allowed to sell them. But these were generic replacement products, the same kind of items sold by Anker and countless other electronics brands online. If Canon believed we were doing something illegal, they could have sent a cease-and-desist and gone through the normal legal process. Instead, they went through Shopify’s back channels and effectively skirted due process, using platform pressure to remove products they simply did not want us selling. But don’t worry, companies like Anker who have resources and pull can still sell them and have online websites. Again, the market is being manipulated and winners chosen.
panos_news 5mo ago
"I’ve seen so many DTC brands switch to Medusa and Woocommerce with a custom storefront." How many? A few dozen? lol
- tomnipotent 5mo ago
  The answer is most likely none.

gpm 5mo ago

> Shopify controls what you can sell In what ways? I'm sure there are businesses they refuse to support (like any company) but I have a family member running a Shopify store (selling things that you couldn't over Amazon due to logistics) and Shopify - Doesn't have any pre approval process for products. We can add and edit products instantaneously with no process involving anyone else. - Has never appeared to care, even when "products" are things like "we agreed on a delivery method over the phone". I'd also point out that the store owns the brand with Shopify. We could switch out the backend for a different ones and the users wouldn't really notice. You couldn't do the same with Amazon.

theturtletalks 5mo ago
Try selling used Apple products which you can on any website or marketplace online, except Apple will contact Shopify and they will unpublish products without even telling you. You used to be able to install custom Shopify apps on your own store, now they make you jump through hoops. Their ideal situation is an Apple like walled garden where you can only install apps from their store. Had a friend trying to vibecode a custom Shopify app so he could replace one from the App Store that was running him $250/m. It was so confusing that he just gave up. I’m trying to get him to switch to an open-source alternative. Try selling Vape products or adult products and you’ll see you don’t really control the software. Selling used Apple products, vapes, and adult products is completely legal. Yes Stripe and PayPal can stop you from accepting payments for those products. But why is my business software doing the same?
- gpm 5mo ago
  Shopify not being willing to fight battles to keep supporting stores that other people don't want them to isn't exactly the same as them choosing what you can sell... Though I guess I see some similarity. > I’m trying to get him to switch to an open-source alternative. Well if you want an argument in favor between terrible support, glitchy software, huge price hikes, and so on we aren't particularly happy with Shopify either...
  - daveguy 5mo ago
    So... They're not choosing what you can sell. They're letting arbitrary third parties choose what you can sell? That seems worse.
    - embedding-shape 5mo ago
      Indeed it's worse, and apparently Valve/Steam is the only one who seems to care about something resembling freedom to sell legal things, even if we might subjectively disagree.
  - paulddraper 5mo ago
    > Shopify not being willing to fight battles to keep supporting stores that other people don't want them to isn't exactly the same as them choosing what you can sell... It is the same. Or rather the latter is inclusive of the former.
    - theturtletalks 5mo ago
      Exactly, Shopify as a business can do what it wants. But I will never let software manage my business that I don’t have control over.
      - hamdingers 5mo ago
        > I will never let software manage my business that I don’t have control over. I can't imagine this is actually possible in 2026 unless your business is a something like a cash-only lemonade stand.
econ 5mo ago
I read some interesting drama involving YouTube style false copyright flagging at scale. Don't ask me for details but I got the impression they got just involved enough to maximize harm. It's not software but a platform which has both pros and cons.
ranger_danger 4mo ago
During Covid we were selling medical PPE on Shopify and they shut us down, along with lots of other people. We weren't price gouging or doing anything shady either. Instead we setup our own site and were quickly getting large orders for 1 million+ masks per week from big box stores and hospital groups. https://directpaynet.com/banned-ppe-seller-get-merchant-account/ https://directpaynet.com/banned-ppe-seller-get-merchant-acco...

BoogieWoogie123 5mo ago

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codegeek 5mo ago

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evilfred 5mo ago

Shopify doesnt block selling Nazi merchandise so idk what control you think they exercise

theturtletalks 5mo ago
Nazi merchandise doesn’t have a corporation using back channels to get Shopify to unpublish products.

valdiorn 5mo ago

Sorry but as someone who has a Shopify store and also sells via Amazon - you are dead wrong. I have much more freedom with Shopify, it's not even comparable. It's not even apples to oranges, it's apples to calculators. Amazon places a lot more restrictions on everything, from products, product descriptions, images, it's quite difficult to list original products on Amazon (took me 2 weeks of work to register our product backlog when I started selling via Amazon, despite having GTINs and everything already in place). Cashflow etc is not comparable in ANY way. Just wanted to call out a blatantly wrong comment.

theturtletalks 5mo ago
Depends on what you sell. We were in electronic recycling selling everything from Xeon processors and server ram to used iPhones and MacBooks on Amazon. Easy to sell and list, no issues. Then we realized we weren’t really building a brand on Amazon so we started a Shopify store. Listed the same products and one day just unpublished. Messaged Shopify and they said we can’t sell used Apple products. Send them our Amazon and eBay stores with thousands of sales. Didn’t care. I brought in a payment processor myself, still unpublished. I just built my own Shopify alternative at that point. In the end, you’re selling products that Shopify deems ok so you’re not going to face these issues. Do you really think Shopify doesn’t have issues just cause you don’t face them?
- zaphar 5mo ago
  I am admittedly not an expert here but this does not at all sound like something that Apple can force Shopify to do. I was under the impression that when Apple does something like this it's primarily because the seller was positioning themselves as an official Apple reseller in some way which they do pretty aggressively police. Did Shopify give you any more details on why they believed they had to delist you?
  - theturtletalks 5mo ago
    The same thing happened with our other store. Because we were in electronic recycling, many items came without batteries or chargers due to fire-risk concerns, so we had to source replacements ourselves. We eventually launched a private-label brand for generic camera batteries, drone batteries, power-tool batteries, chargers, and similar accessories. Then Shopify unpublished those products too after Canon contacted them, claiming we were not allowed to sell them. But these were generic replacement products, the same kind of items sold by Anker and countless other electronics brands online. If Canon believed we were doing something illegal, they could have sent a cease-and-desist and gone through the normal legal process. Instead, they went through Shopify’s back channels and effectively skirted due process, using platform pressure to remove products they simply did not want us selling. But don’t worry, companies like Anker who have resources and pull can still sell them and have online websites. Again, the market is being manipulated and winners chosen.

panos_news 5mo ago

"I’ve seen so many DTC brands switch to Medusa and Woocommerce with a custom storefront." How many? A few dozen? lol

tomnipotent 5mo ago
The answer is most likely none.