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Does shopify own our email list? (30)

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Does Shopify own our email list for a website hosted on their platform?

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Emails are attached to a domain. So depends who owns the domain/host domain.

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I guess the OP means the email list, so possible customers that signed up/ opted in... not an actual email address created on the domain of the store.

Assuming I'm right, the list of emails should be yours, but you in order to comply with all the regulations, you need some data such as IP adress and the GDPR agreement... etc. Since I'm not a Shopify user, I cannot confirm if they provide this info if you want to export the list out... anyone knows?

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It's a bit confusing because I am using their portal for opt-ins.

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Well... I think I can ask their support if I can move the email list if I want to shift my store to another portal. And maybe keep exporting every month or so. And in case of a random ban, I basically have nothing to lose. Thoughts?

I was wondering what happens in case of messenger subscribers. FB rarely deactives a page. But again it's all pretty crazy. Messenger subscribers are tied to a page, right?

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No matter what tools/services/products you use to generate emails, it's attached somehow to a domain (in this case your e-comm store). If that domain belongs to you, you are the owner, maybe Shopify put in their terms that they can use a copy or such (seems weird to me, but oke).

FB will not share any data, since all is encrypted. You can only use that on FB platform is you are still allowed.

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@stickupkid helpful indeed! I need to reasearch this a bit more.

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Sounds a bit assuring. If I have the email list, there's not much to worry about a random Shopify ban. But I still feel they won't be as random as Facebook. But again Facebook isn't as random as most think. They just don't let out their hidden policies that led to the ban.
And let's expect a bit of leniency after November 3.

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I didn't want to scare you at all my man. Shopify definitely isn't as ban easy as Fb, but it's a possibility so I wanted to make sure you are aware of it.

Exporting the emails is a good idea IMO, but I would really look into it more, since you need to have certain info along with the emails... I mean the IP and timestamp that proves they agreed to be included in the list, in case someone ever complains about spam or the GDPR crap. Exporting just the plain email addresses isn't enough.

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NO at @matuloo you have helped and not scared me. And I will keep all this in mind while exporting emails. Maybe contact my autoresponder service too.

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@matuloo no one can close a woocommerce store, right? It seems to be just a plugin installed on wordpress...

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Yup, woocomerce is basically a WP plugin, so it's fully controlled by yourself. It's a very popular one and offers a lot of features and options to customize your store. I got a friend who is using it to setup stores for local clients and he says it's a very good option. Bit harder to setup but worth the hassle.

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Right! Shopify has a lot many benefits and the apps that can go with it. But here's the thing... I OWN the woocommerce site. Maybe move the site to woocommerce when Shopify creates an issue.

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If you want to look at alternatives, there is also PrestaShop which i used in the past. If you have more than 50 products and/or lots of customization, it can be worth having a look at, for inventory management and logistics.

For simple shops, i would go with Woocommerce though, except if the payment systems in the geo are not supported.

In these cases, it might be better to go with a local Shopify equivalent, like JumpSeller in Latam.

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And in all these I can move my shop from Shopify and completely own the store?

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Depends on the particular service, I've seen both hosted solutions and also those that you host on your own (self hosted).

In case of a hosted solution, there is always a small risk that they can decide to cancel your store as it's still on their servers. With a selfhosted solution, you're your own "lord"

And just as jeremie suggested, there are local eshop systems available in pretty much every country. These might be a good choice too, since they respect the local law and usually support more local payment options and better integrate with local invoicing/accounting systems, parcel services etc.

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I am in India. And a few local companies approached me and I "shooed" them away saying, "prove why I should choose you over Shopfiy. " They had no answer.

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Prestashop / Woocommerce yes, as these are turn-key solutions. JumpSeller is an hosted solution.

Yet, after my experience in ecom, I realized I spent too much time on designing the website, making the payment integrations. I would not go with these hosted tools if I had to restart launching a product, especially to run a test on a product I am not sure can perform. I would find a platform like Shopify that has everything integrated. If the product gets traction, it can be interesting to move to a custom solution. If not, you can iterate faster to another one.

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Right! Thank you.

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Shopify support says the ban happens only in case of violation of their policies mentioned in this link:

https://www.shopify.com/legal/aup?ut...campaign=Gurus

Should I believe them?
Or they are pretty random with their bans like Facebook. No wonder Facebook bans are not "random" either if one understands the intricacies.

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Some people make several millions a year using Shopify. Shopify has a totally different model than FB, which needs to protect its audience. You pay them to host your store. As long as you follow the T&C, I have never heard of ban. One common cause of ban is selling branded products.

Mark Joyner explained why FB bans so much in his conf "How to Survive the Impending Digital Marketing Apocalypse of the 2020's" during AdWorld.

You can't compare both as far as bans are concerned.

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Shopify DEFINITELY doesn't ban as randomly as FB. But there is no 100% guarantee that you won't get into trouble with them... I've heard stories where shopify suspended a store just because a competitor claimed they had the copyrights for a product the other store was selling... I wasn't in a position to verify this claim, so cannot confirm it, nor deny.

Let me put it this way: if shopify has the features you need to launch something quickly, then by all means use them and just make sure you follow the rules. Should you really hit the jackpot with a killer product or products, consider moving the store to a platform/solution you can fully control.

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Branded products as in my own brand? Or infringing on someone else's brand and they complain?

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But Shopify apps and a few other features seem to useful to do away with...
It looks like Shopify does not have a problem until you grow too big to make competitors and big shots jealous ( as long as you are following their on-paper terms and conditions).

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Yup, shopify is a great platform, otherwise it wouldnt be so popular

I think there is like 95% or even higher chance that you won't get into any problem as long as you follow the rules.

Selling branded products where you do not own the brand, some brand/copyright owners might complain as it might be against their rules regarding distribution deals they have with big sellers and distributors. For example, I don't think you can just buy a bunch of new apple phones "somewhere" and sell them worldwide... there are rules for this. Distributors have the rights to be the only entity in a specific region or country who can officially sell.

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I understand. But dropshipping from China seems to be an exception this rule.

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I'd say it depends on what products you're selling, from what producer/brand. If it's some local Chinese brand and they dropship it directly from their factories or authorized resellers, it should be ok. But in case of known international brands, I'd be extra careful ... chances are the products could be fakes, which could get you into trouble.

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It's obvious they are duplicates if I am selling Apple products (or the like) from China.

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Yup, and this is one of the things that I'm pretty sure can earn you a ban from Shopify Selling fake apple products on their platform is against the rules, I have found several threads on their community forums, where people discuss this and the admins advice them to report it. How strict they are is a question, since many seem to be still doing this, but yes, it's definitely one of the reasons they to ban for.

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Right! Shopify does not seem that risky but REALLY appreciate your warning to have a backup in place.

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