Customer Communication Policy

The Customer Communication Policy outlines the standards sellers must follow when communicating with customers across all TikTok Shop channels, including the in-app messaging (IM) system, Customer Service Chat, responses to product reviews, and physical notes left in packages.
You must not use any communication channel to harass, deceive, manipulate, or direct customers off-platform. We enforce this to protect customers from harm and ensure a trustworthy shopping experience on TikTok Shop. We do not allow any communication that harms, deceives, manipulates, or inappropriately pressures customers. In addition to the guidelines below, sellers must adhere to the TikTok Privacy Policy, TikTok Community Guidelines, and Seller Terms of Service.

Prohibited Behaviour

Harassment and harmful behaviour

Sellers must not send abusive, threatening, or intimidating messages to customers, or use any form of pressure to influence their actions or suppress honest feedback. Examples include:

• Sending abusive, threatening, or intimidating messages to customers.
• Pressuring customers to act in your interest or preventing them from leaving honest feedback.
• Examples include:
  • "If you don't give me a good review, I will block you."
  • "I know your address, so you better give me a good review."
  • "I'll make sure you regret it if you request a return/refund."
  • "No return and refund for 1–3 stars. Change it now!"

Review and feedback manipulation

Sellers must not solicit positive reviews or offer any reward — monetary or otherwise — in exchange for positive or altered feedback. Examples include:

• Soliciting positive reviews or offering any monetary or non-monetary reward in exchange for positive or altered feedback.
• This includes offering money, gift cards, free or discounted products, refunds, rebates, or reimbursements.
• Examples include:
  • "I'll give you an additional voucher if you give me 5 stars."
  • "Only a 5-star feedback will get you a discount voucher next time."

Deceptive or harmful content

Sellers must not share false, harmful, or unsolicited content through any communication channel, including misinformation, prohibited product promotion, spam, malicious software, or sexual content. Examples include:

• Sending false, inaccurate, or irrelevant information.
• Promoting prohibited or counterfeit products.
• Incentivising customers to engage in gambling, fraud, or scams.
• Sending viruses or malicious software.
• Sharing pornographic, nudity, or sexual content — including any sexual content involving minors.
• Sending unsolicited marketing messages (spam).

Platform circumvention

Sellers must not use customer communications to direct buyers off TikTok Shop, process transactions or refunds outside the platform, or interfere with platform tools and processes. Examples include:

• Sending customers unauthorised third-party information (e.g. external links, QR codes, offline store addresses, or personal contact details).
• Offering or processing returns and refunds outside of TikTok Shop.
• Asking buyers to cancel an order.
• Changing return or refund conditions to terms less favourable to the customer after an order is placed.
• Tampering with the Buyer Messages feature or using unauthorised plug-ins or third-party tools to access the platform.

What are some best practices when communicating with customers?

• If possible, have a professional customer service team or personnel to provide necessary service to customers directly.
• Keep all records of customer communications confidential in accordance with our TikTok Shop Privacy Policy.
• Use the 'Customer Service Chat' feature to provide customer service where possible.
• Keep your communications on the platform, without directing customers to other websites.
• Respect intellectual property rights - do not transmit texts, images, photos, software, or other materials protected by copyright or trademark rights.

What should I do if I am facing issues with a customer?

If you experience any of the following situations from customers, you may file a ticket in Seller Center.

• Bullying or harassment.
• Obscene, threatening, or malicious communications.
• Requests or threats to the seller to offer unreasonable warranties, refunds, discounts.
• Advertisements or irrelevant messages.

When raising a ticket, you should submit relevant supporting materials such as historical communications with the customer. Once verified, these messages will be excluded from your performance evaluation metrics.

What happens if I breach these guidelines?

If you are found to violate these guidelines, you may have enforcement actions taken against your account. You should note that repeated offences will result in more significant penalties.
Please see our Seller Performance Evaluation Policy and Seller Terms of Service for more information.
In addition to the above, Customer Chat violations may lead to the following enforcement actions:

• Message Block: Your specific message will not be delivered. You will receive a notification that your message did not align with our guidelines.
• Chat Restriction: In severe cases (e.g., impersonation, spamming with off-platform redirection), your chat access will be completely restricted.
• Shop Deactivation: If your shop is deactivated for severe policy violations, your chat access will be permanently disabled, and you will not be able to message buyers.

Violations involving Buyer Personally Indentifiable Information (Buyer PII), will receive more severe enforcement actions including account suspension and permanent account deactivation. Click here to learn more. If you think an enforcement action has been taken against you in error, appeal via the Seller Center. Please read our Seller Appeal Guidelines article for more information.