Welcome back to the Links London Global headquarters, aka the garage! Today’s post is all about our latest major hurdle: Shopify has shut down our store.
It’s not clickbait—this actually happened! Shopify unexpectedly closed our store, and while it’s frustrating, it’s certainly not the end of the road. In this post, I’ll explain exactly what happened and why, based on our experience so far.
Why Shopify Closed Our Store
We had chosen Shopify as our eCommerce platform because of its ease of use and great features. I’ve used Shopify for other businesses over the years and generally had a good experience. When setting up the Links London store, I decided to clone sections of an old Links of London website—particularly their collection structure—since we’re going to sell repaired and restored Links of London pieces.
Though the old brand is dissolved, I suspect Shopify flagged the cloned structure as a violation of their Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). They didn’t provide specific reasons for shutting us down, but I believe the historical connection to the original Links of London might have triggered their system.
The Frustration: No Warning, No Explanation
The most frustrating part of this process is that Shopify provided no warning. Our store wasn’t just restricted; it was completely deleted. All the work we’d done was lost, and if we hadn’t saved backups of the content, it would have been irretrievable. I immediately submitted an appeal form, but six weeks later, I’ve yet to hear anything from Shopify.
When I reached out via live chat, the support team seemed more concerned with troubleshooting the appeal form rather than addressing why the store was shut down.
Moving Forward: Choosing a New Platform
At this point, it’s clear that Shopify doesn’t want to host our store. While it’s disappointing, we’ve decided to move on and choose a new platform. Long term, this will likely result in a more customized and polished website—though it will require more effort to set up and maintain.
For anyone else facing a similar situation, I’d advise exploring alternatives like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. These platforms don’t seem as eager to shut down stores for unknown reasons. It’s always good to have a backup plan when dealing with such critical aspects of your business.
Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead
Although this was a setback, it’s not the end of the world. We’re excited about the new platform we’ve chosen and are looking forward to sharing more updates as we continue building Links London. We’ve learned a lot from this experience, and we’re hopeful for smoother sailing ahead.
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes updates as we work through these challenges and make Links London a success.
