Secure Checkout

All payments processed in our website are processed through Shopify Payments which provides a secure checkout flow.

We use the secure Shopify checkout to accept orders and take payments when you shop online inside our store. After you add products to the cart, you use our checkout to enter your shipping information and payment details before placing the order. When you reach the payment method page of the checkout, your cart is checked against our inventory levels. If the inventory is available, then you can complete the payment. If the inventory has become unavailable, then an error message appears. Inventory is held only when the customer submits their payment information. If a payment fails, then the hold is released until the customer reaches the payment method page again. Some sales channels, for example Amazon, let eligible customers complete their purchases using other checkouts. When a customer uses a different checkout, the third-party sales policies apply rather than our Shopify policies.

3D Secure is an additional security layer for online credit and debit card transactions. It adds an authentication step for online payments by redirecting the user to the card issuer’s domain, then back to the online store's domain to complete payment. Online stores in countries under the PSD2 directive require 3D Secure checkout integrations in order to be compliant with the PSD2 directive.

Payments that are successfully authenticated by 3D secure are protected by a liability shift. When a payment is authenticated with 3D secure, the liability for fraudulent chargebacks or disputes is shifted from merchants to card issuers. This liability shift results in merchants no longer being liable for the costs of a chargeback or dispute. However, card issuers have policies that remove liability shift protection if too many chargebacks occur. For example, Visa's policy is that merchants who receive more than 7,500 USD in fraudulent chargebacks in one month are no longer able to shift liability to the card issuer.

By using Shopify Payments as a payment gateway, we are automatically using a 3D Secure checkout flow. Shopify Payments is optimized to minimize the use of 3D Secure, and only uses 3D Secure when required by the issuing bank in order for a transaction to be authorized successfully.

Purchase Verification

Customers might need to confirm their payment method for extra security. A customer's bank can challenge billing attempts like subscriptions, which means the customer needs to manually confirm their payment method.

If a customer needs to confirm their payment method for an order, then Shopify sends the customer an email which includes a link to our store to confirm the payment.

If you are a customer of a Shopify-hosted store, and you need help with an order that you placed in that store, then you need to contact the store directly. When you place an order at a store that uses Shopify, you’re ordering directly from that business. Stores are responsible for their store policies, business practices, and the products that you buy.

In most cases, you can contact a store using the following methods:

• calling by telephone
• sending an email
• using a contact form found on the store website
• using a social media messaging app, such as Facebook Messenger.

An order confirmation email might also have store contact details or tracking information for the order. If you use the Shop mobile app, then you can contact Shopify stores from within the app.

According to Shopify's Privacy Policy, Shopify has a commitment to the merchants that use our platform to keep their private information confidential. Therefore, we can’t independently share information about them or their business without their consent (unless you provide a legal request for information), including whether or not a store is using Shopify services.

If you have questions about using Shop Pay, then visit the Shop Pay Help Center. If you need help with paying by installments with Shop Pay, then visit the Affirm Help Center.

Shopify is a commerce platform that provides the tools for businesses to set up an online store and sell products and services on their own website, at physical retail locations, through third-party marketplaces, and elsewhere. Shopify doesn't sell products directly to consumers, although Shopify offers hardware to help merchants sell in retail stores through the Shopify Hardware Store. Customers buy products from stores that use Shopify software.

How Shopify helps customers

At Shopify, our mission is to "Make commerce better for everyone", and that includes buyers visiting stores that use Shopify. We take steps to make sure that you have a positive experience when you shop at stores that use our platform:

• Your privacy is protected - Shopify is transparent about the data that we collect from buyers on behalf of our merchants and how we use it. Review our Privacy for Customers policy.
• Bad actors are removed - To protect the integrity of our platform, Shopify has an Acceptable Use Policy that all merchants need to follow. When we receive a report that a store has violated this policy, we review and, depending on our findings, take appropriate action such as removing a problematic product or the store from the platform.
• Security comes first - All Shopify stores that use our platform are PCI compliant by default. The Shopify Checkout uses a safe and secure SSL-encrypted connection to process your payment information. Although some stores might use an alternate checkout instead of the Shopify Checkout, in many cases you’ll see a familiar and trusted payment process.
• Shopping is more seamless - We built Shop, a free iOS and Android online shopping assistant app designed to help you track orders, pay, and discover products. You can use Shop Pay to check out faster from participating stores, track your orders through the Shop mobile app, and view information from your favorite brands including whether they offer local delivery or pick up. When you use Shop Pay, you can be confident that your payment information is safe, and the carbon emissions generated by deliveries are automatically offset for every purchase that you make.

Better online shopping

Trust is the foundation of online shopping. When you buy a product online, you want to know that you’re going to get what you pay for. To make sure that your online shopping experiences with stores on our platform are positive, you can do the following:

• Find store contact information - most of the time, your online shopping will be straightforward, but make sure ahead of time that you know how to get help. A dedicated email address or support chat makes getting help easy.
• Read store policies - look for a link to policies in an online store or checkout pages, and be sure to read the fine print. For international shipping, it’s a good idea to find out if you can expect to pay extra duties and taxes. If you have questions, then ask before you buy.
• Check out securely - a safe online store checkout has security features that protect your online privacy and personal information, and offers familiar payment methods like PayPal or Shop Pay. The easiest way to recognize a secure checkout is to look for the ‘S’ in the beginning of the checkout link as in https://. The ‘S’ stands for secure.
• Do your research - read product reviews or use Google to search for a business, and to find out about other customer experiences. Remember, if a deal seems “too good to be true,” it probably is.

Getting help with orders

For stores that use Shopify, merchants are responsible for their store policies, business practices, and the products that you buy. If you’re wondering where your order is, or you have questions about a product, then you should contact the store where you placed the order. You can also try tracking your package when you have a tracking number for it.

If you use the Shop mobile app, then you can use it to track online orders, and you can contact Shopify stores from within the app.

If you have further questions about an order, then you can contact Shopify Support as a customer of a Shopify store.

Frequently asked questions for customers

How do I find a store’s shipping and return policies?

According to Shopify’s Terms of Service, store owners are responsible for their store policies and business practices. Customers might find a store’s policies on a store page or checkout page, or they can contact the store to ask about their policies.

How do I find my order confirmation URL?

To find your order confirmation URL:

1. Find and open your order confirmation email.
2. In the email, click View your order. You'll be redirected to the store's website where you can view information about your order.
3. Examine the URL in your browser's address bar. Your URL should be similar to the following URL example:

  https://shop-name.com/1234567/orders/3eafe8f0d00763d09a4fc302589d2747

What do I do if I haven’t received my order, or I’m not happy with a product?

If you’re wondering where your order is, or you have questions about a product, then you should contact the store where you placed the order. You can also try tracking your package, if you have a tracking number for it. Make sure that you understand the store’s policies. According to Shopify's Terms of Service, store owners are responsible for their store policies and business practices.

What do I do if I don’t hear back from a store?

If you have tried to resolve an issue with a store but it hasn’t worked, then after 30 days you can contact Shopify Support. Due to privacy, Shopify can’t provide information about an investigation. However, the store owner is informed about the issue. Shopify might contact you to gather more information, but won’t provide investigation results.

Is Shopify GDPR Compliant?

Yes. You can also review our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Help Center topic for GDPR.

If you use any of Shopify’s customer-facing services such as Shop Pay, Frenzy, or Shop, or you've subscribed to the Shopify newsletter, and would like to exercise your GDPR rights (obtain a copy of your personal data, request that your personal data be deleted, correct your data, or take your data to another platform), then you can email us at privacy@shopify.com.

Are Shopify Merchants GDPR Compliant?

Shopify provides stores with the tools to be GDPR compliant, but each merchant is responsible for making sure that their store meets the requirements of the GDPR. You can review a store's privacy policy for their data collection and management processes.

If you are a customer of a store and would like to exercise your GDPR rights (obtain a copy of your personal data, request that your personal data be deleted, correct your data, or take your data to another platform), then you need to make a GDPR request directly to the store.