Many violations don’t come from bad intentions, they often happen because sellers try to “game” logistics benefits, boost performance metrics, or mix external sales with TikTok Shop fulfilment. Unfortunately, these shortcuts can lead to serious penalties, including listing restrictions, account suspension, or permanent bans.

Here’s a clear breakdown of the practices that are strictly prohibited, and what Malaysian sellers should do instead.

1. Dropshipping That Misuses TikTok Shop Fulfilment

Important: Dropshipping itself is not banned.

What is prohibited is using TikTok Shop as a logistics shortcut for sales that actually happened somewhere else.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

Some sellers:

• Close a deal on WhatsApp, Instagram, or offline.

• Then create a TikTok Shop order just to:

  • Use subsidised shipping.

  • Enjoy platform vouchers or incentives.

  • Make their shop look more active.

Others may manually place an order on behalf of a buyer who:

• Doesn’t even have a TikTok account.

• Never checked out through TikTok Shop themselves.

There are also livestream cases where sellers tell customers:

“Don’t pay me directly,  just place an order here to get free shipping.”

Even if the intention is convenience, this is considered system abuse.

Why the Platform Flags This

TikTok Shop’s ecosystem is designed to measure real demand generated inside the platform.

When sellers reroute outside transactions:

• Sales data becomes inaccurate.

• Campaign performance looks stronger than it actually is.

• Shipping subsidies are used for transactions TikTok never generates.

2. Fake Orders and Sales Manipulation

Fake orders are treated very seriously because they artificially inflate a shop’s performance.

Examples That Trigger Violations

• Sellers buy from their own store to boost GMV.

• Asking friends, staff, or affiliates to “help make some orders.”

• One small group repeatedly bought the same SKU to push rankings.

• Creating bulk orders during campaigns to look like a bestseller.

Red flags also include:

• Fake or invalid tracking numbers.

• Delivery scans that don’t match the customer’s address.

• Reviews that sound generic or unrelated to the product.

Why This Is Considered Data Fraud

These activities mislead:

• Customers → who trust ratings and sales volume.

• Algorithms → which recommend products based on real demand.

• Campaign systems → which reward shops unfairly.

This isn’t seen as a “marketing strategy.” It’s treated as manipulating marketplace data.

3. Manipulating Order Status to Avoid Penalties

Some sellers try to avoid Late Dispatch penalties by updating order statuses early.

Example of a Violation

Marking an order as:
“To Ship – Awaiting Collection”
even though:

• The item is not packed yet.

• No courier booking has been arranged.

Even if you ship later, the earlier status update is considered false reporting. TikTok Shop expects status updates to reflect actual operational progress, not to “pause the clock.”

4. Shipping Violations That Break Buyer Trust

Fulfilment must match exactly what was promised in the listing and checkout.

Strictly Prohibited Actions

• Sending empty parcels just to generate tracking.

• Shipping incomplete sets or wrong items.

• Using:

  • Invalid tracking IDs

  • Reused tracking numbers

  • Fake warehouse details

• Delivering to an address different from the buyer’s confirmed address.

• Changing shipping details without customer approval.

• Providing false return information.

These are classified as fulfilment fraud, not packing mistakes.

5. Selling Prohibited or Unsupported Products

Even if a product can be sold elsewhere, you cannot ship it through TikTok Shop if it violates:

• Platform product policies

• Courier or logistics restrictions

• Malaysian regulations

Trying to “sneak through” restricted items can result in severe enforcement because it exposes the platform and logistics partners to legal risk.

What Happens If You Violate These Rules?

When a seller is found to be breaching platform policies, TikTok Shop does not immediately jump to the harshest punishment. Instead, it applies graduated enforcement, meaning the penalties increase based on how serious the violation is and whether it keeps happening.

This system is designed to correct behaviour first, but it becomes strict very quickly if abuse continues. Here’s what sellers may face if violations are detected:

• Listing removal

• Traffic suppression

• Campaign disqualification

• Shop restrictions

• Suspension or permanent account closure

Repeated offences result in much heavier penalties.

Can Sellers Appeal?

Yes. If you believe enforcement was applied incorrectly, you can submit an appeal directly through TikTok Shop Seller Centre.

However, appeals succeed only when:

• You can provide clear operational evidence.

• The violation resulted from system or logistics errors, not intentional manipulation.

Staying Compliant While Scaling Smarter

As TikTok Shop tightens enforcement, sellers need cleaner workflows, accurate fulfilment, and real-time control over orders and inventory, not manual fixes that can trigger compliance risks. The focus is no longer just on selling more, but on operating correctly at scale.

BigSeller helps streamline that process with an all-in-one system for listing, order management, inventory syncing, automation, and reporting across multiple platforms. Built for Southeast Asian sellers, it reduces operational errors while improving efficiency and visibility.

You can start using BigSeller for free and unlock a 7-day VIP trial to explore advanced features and see how it fits into your TikTok Shop operations.

 

Source:

Platform Abuse