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In case you’re excited about opening a web based retailer or working one already, likelihood is you’ve heard of Shopify–and possibly even thought of it your platform of selection, however it’s possible you’ll be questioning, “Is Shopify legit?”
Some of the important facets of working a profitable on-line enterprise is deciding on the best know-how to fulfill your wants. However on the similar time, there’s a lot data accessible on-line that it may be arduous to seek out clear-cut solutions relating to which platform is really “legit” and dependable for working an ecommerce storefront.

Right here at Ecommerce CEO, we’ve written a ton of content material in regards to the Shopify platform and retailer builder to assist individuals who need to use it as the inspiration of their on-line enterprise. So, we’ll skip the fundamentals of signing up for an account and setting up your store.
On this article, we’ll look carefully at Shopify’s legitimacy – overlaying firm historical past and cost safety. We’ll have a look at the scams to be careful for, and learn how to report any scams you see on to Shopify.
Is Shopify Legit?

Firm Historical past
Shopify, a famend world ecommerce platform, was based in 2004 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake of Ottawa, Canada. Shopify got down to create an all-encompassing answer for small companies worldwide to handle their day-to-day operations.
Shopify has skilled exponential progress during the last decade, increasing into greater than 175 nations and turning into considered one of Canada’s most profitable on-line corporations. It’s recognized for its ease of use, particularly for individuals who need to construct an ecommerce web site with out realizing any code.

In keeping with BuiltWith, it at present powers over 4 million ecommerce businesses. The user-friendly interface makes it a fantastic platform for newbie retailers, particularly as a result of you may host limitless merchandise no matter your chosen pricing plan.
Try our Shopify review and a few tutorials to study extra about whether or not it’s the proper platform for you.
Different Shopify Merchandise and Providers
Past the commerce platform, Shopify has grown to supply Shopify Capital and the Shopify Success Community. In addition they provide a degree of sale (POS) system for brick-and-mortar companies and pop-up retailers.
Shopify Capital

Shopify Capital is an modern financing choice for ecommerce enterprise house owners. It gives unsecured money advances of as much as $500,000 primarily based on previous gross sales efficiency out of your Shopify account. You pay the mortgage again by a share of your day by day gross sales.
Enterprise house owners can use the funds nonetheless they see match – advertising, increasing stock, and extra – so retailers can develop their enterprise in no matter path they select.
Shopify Success Community

Shopify Success Community (SFN) is an modern service providing from Shopify that gives companies with simplified and cost-effective order achievement.
In a nutshell, SFN helps retailers simply handle warehousing and achievement operations – eradicating the necessity to deal with these operations in-house or outsource them to a 3rd occasion.
By utilizing SFN, retailers can take full management over their provide chain by permitting them to retailer stock in a number of places and deal with delivery robotically. This protects money and time whereas rushing up supply and bettering customer support. Moreover, SFN integrates seamlessly with Shopify’s ecommerce platform, powering service provider web sites and enabling enterprise house owners to handle their achievement operations from one interface.
Fee Safety
Shopify is devoted to retaining your cost information safe with its lightning-fast servers, PCI Stage 1 encryption protocols, and two-factor authentication. With Shopify’s stringent safety measures, you may make certain that your transactions are safe from fraud or every other dangers.
Shopify makes use of main cost gateway suppliers, together with Stripe, and PayPal, to course of funds securely on their platform and provides superior anti-fraud instruments to maintain monetary data secure. In addition they have Shopify Funds, which helps ecommerce retailer house owners save on transaction charges.
Apps and Add-Ons

The Shopify App Retailer is a large app market that means that you can join different companies to your retailer. Whereas a few of these apps are free, many include an extra month-to-month price. Relying in your wants, you can spend tons of of {dollars} a month (along with your base Shopify subscription charges) to get your retailer up and working the way in which you need it to.
Typically, these charges aren’t paid on to Shopify – they’re paid to the third-party app you’re utilizing.
As an example, in the event you use Mailchimp for e-mail advertising and have to improve from the free plan, you’ll have the ability to use the Shopify app without cost. Nevertheless, you’ll nonetheless need to pay for the Mailchimp subscription plan.
In case you run a dropshipping enterprise, Shopify is usually thought of the most effective ecommerce platform merely due to what number of provider apps there are to combine with.
Some might really feel this can be a “rip-off,” however it’s a typical enterprise mannequin, particularly within the ecommerce platform house. These apps basically act as plugins so as to add extra performance to your ecommerce web site.
BigCommerce, a significant Shopify competitor, has an analogous marketplace-type setup. The important thing to saving cash right here is to buy the Shopify plan with essentially the most options you want with out counting on these add-ons to make up the distinction in value.
Along with the Apps market, Shopify and different main platforms additionally provide premium web site templates. These optionally available further purchases provide the freedom and adaptability to additional customise the looks of your retailer.
You would not have to make use of a premium theme, as free themes can be found to get you began. Nevertheless, making your retailer stand out might be arduous since many others construct on those self same Shopify themes.
Are Shopify Web sites Legit?
Sure – however fraudsters are all over the place, so scams exist. That is true of almost each type of web site on the market – not a Shopify-specific problem.
Scams to Watch For
These scams aren’t distinctive to Shopify however are the commonest ones you’ll encounter as you store with retailers.
Shopify Retailer Duplicator Schemes
The duplicator scheme is a sort of rip-off that includes scammers creating faux shops with comparable domains to present Shopify shops with the intention to promote equivalent merchandise.
Mike Lindell’s MyPillow retailer was one instance of this, with a replica retailer registered below the area title mypillowstore.com.
To fight this concern, Shopify took down the faux storefront and launched further software program instruments and groups devoted to discovering and eliminating these fraudulent websites.
Triangulation Schemes
The triangulation scheme is a intelligent and enduring fraud exercise used on Shopify and different ecommerce platforms, because it is among the extra worthwhile scams.
It includes a scammer organising a faux Shopify retailer, advertising it as legit utilizing search engine optimization, social media, and different strategies, then shopping for merchandise from suppliers with stolen bank cards.
When the playing cards are rejected, the bank card firm initiates a chargeback on Shopify – ensuing within the scammer shedding each the cash and the product.
Pretend Return Ticket
On this state of affairs, the customer purchases items as soon as however then decides to buy one other comparable however cheaper product. Then, they submit a return request for the primary, dearer product, stating that one thing was fallacious prefer it didn’t match the outline.
Once they ship the return, it’s really for that second, comparable however cheaper product. They get a refund for the upper quantity and the higher product, too!
Direct Shopper Scheme
This scheme requires taking part in the lengthy sport – the preliminary buy goes properly. Then, when the customer comes again for an additional order, the vendor suggests bypassing the “problem” of Shopify and suggests a direct bank card cost.
As soon as they’ve the customer’s full bank card data, they use it to empty funds, and no items are acquired on the second order.
Switching Scheme
In a switching scheme, a purchaser makes a purchase order out of your Shopify retailer, then claims they’ve technical points with getting the cost to undergo with Shopify Checkout.
They’ll ask you to ship a PayPal bill on to them to avoid these points.
Once you do, you’ll obtain a notification that appears prefer it got here from PayPal. It says the cost has been made, and the customer is ready for a monitoring quantity to point that you simply’ve shipped the product.
The PayPal “funds” are on maintain till you present the monitoring quantity.
Individuals who fall for this rip-off give the “buyer” a free product since there was by no means any cash on maintain with PayPal. If this occurs with an costly product, sellers can lose quite a lot of money.
It’s value mentioning that this rip-off isn’t unique to Shopify and even predates its existence. It’s widespread on eBay and has trickled over to Shopify and different ecommerce platforms.
Pretend Buy Orders
This uncommon scheme requires essentially the most technical ability to execute, however it’s nonetheless on the market. A scammer, performing as a buyer, creates a duplicate of the vendor’s Shopify checkout sheet on their cloud drive, then alters the submit button hyperlink.
Utilizing code, they join it to software program, permitting them to avoid wasting all the info from the checkout course of.
As soon as that’s full, they’ll alter the info they acquired, then ship the faux checkout sheet again at a cheaper price. With out realizing it’s altered, you gained’t know the distinction and approve the transaction.
This rip-off lets folks get merchandise with out the vendor’s consent, or within the case of consent, at a cheaper price. Earlier than the vendor realizes what’s occurred, they will lose some huge cash.
And if the scammer doesn’t efficiently alter the acquisition order sheet, they will ask the financial institution for a chargeback, which nonetheless prices the vendor cash.
In case you suspect a retailer on Shopify is perhaps a rip-off, it’s necessary to report it to Shopify help instantly.
To report a problem, go to the Shopify homepage, then click on “Authorized” within the footer menu.

On that web page, scroll till you see “Acceptable Use Coverage” and click on “Report an issue with a merchant.”

From there, you’ll have the ability to select the problem from a dropdown menu and fill out a type with particulars.

This can alert Shopify of any suspicious exercise associated to the shop in query and immediate them to take vital steps. You may as well contact Shopify straight with any questions or considerations about a person retailer by visiting their web site or calling their help line.
Reporting rip-off shops helps defend everybody, so be sure to do your half in retaining Shopify secure.