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What are TikTok Shop's rules, and how do you avoid violations?

TikTok Shop rules come down to this: promote only what you show, make every video new and claim nothing you can't prove.

By the UGCLive teamUpdated · How we test

Short answer

Promote only what you show, make every video new, make no medical or guaranteed-result claims, keep buyers on TikTok and keep minors out.

Your Creator Health Rating starts at 200; at 150 and below reach is cut. Appeal within 30 days.

  • 200Creator Health Rating points you start on
  • 150At or below it, reach to your account is cut
  • 30 daysTo appeal a violation
  • No medical or guaranteed-result claims, even with a disclaimer
  • Keep buyers on TikTok and minors out of videos

What counts as a violation on TikTok Shop?

The most common kinds, for creators

  • Misleading claims"100% effective", "guaranteed results", or a price lower than buyers pay.
  • Health claimsPrevents, treats or cures, even with a disclaimer. No fast weight loss.
  • Irrelevant promotionLinking one product and showing another, or one barely visible.
  • Unoriginal contentReposts, stock footage, your own old videos, stitched clips.
  • Low-quality videoStills, slideshows, no speech or person in it.
  • MinorsMinors promoting, on camera or by voice.
  • Sending buyers off TikTokOff-platform links, unauthorized giveaways, gambling.
  • Gaming the systemFake engagement or extra accounts to dodge enforcement.

Some products are off limits too: weight-loss products, diet pills, fat burners and anything with GLP in its name. The full lists: selling on TikTok Shop; what sells within them: what to sell on TikTok Shop.

What can't you say in a TikTok Shop video?

Lines to change before you post

Breaks the rules: "100% effective"Our rewrite: "What it did for me"A misleading claim.
Breaks the rules: "Guaranteed results"Our rewrite: "I've used it every day for a month"A guaranteed-result claim, banned even with a disclaimer.
Breaks the rules: "Doctors do not want you to know about this"Our rewrite: "What the bottle says it does"Misleading, and a health hint.
Breaks the rules: "This cured my acne"Our rewrite: "My skin feels less dry"Prevents, treats or cures: a health claim.
Breaks the rules: "Lost 20 pounds in a week"Our rewrite: "How I use it in my routine"Fast weight loss is banned outright.
Left: examples from TikTok Shop's US content policy (October 9, 2026). Right: our rewrites, for when they're true of you.

Open on a moment or a story instead of a result (TikTok hook generator), and say only what you could prove on camera.

How does the Creator Health Rating work?

You start on 200 of 1,000 points; each violation costs points by severity

  1. 200 to 1,000 is green

    Every creator starts on 200.

  2. Each milestone cuts traffic

    Until you're back above it.

  3. Zero is for good

    E-commerce permissions removed permanently.

  4. Points come back

    From compliant content's completed orders, a passed Creator Policy Quiz or a won appeal.

Illustration of Creator Center by UGCLive, from TikTok Shop's Creator Health Rating overview and requirements (US, dated October 12, 2026). The older content policy page (October 9) describes these milestones as 3 to 14 day posting bans.

A passed Creator Policy Quiz or a won appeal also restores points. A severe violation can bring enforcement at any score.

What should you do when you get a violation?

A violation notice, and what to do with it

  1. Read the reason

    The ticket names the rule and often the product. Creators find it in Creator Center; sellers in Seller Center's Inbox or Violation Records, checked daily.

  2. "Pending" can still be stopped

    Some seller violations can be corrected within a 12 to 72 hour timer.

  3. 30 days to appeal

    One appeal per violation for creators; sellers get two, the second within 15 days of a refusal. Milestone actions on creators can't be appealed.

  4. Correct, appeal or take the quiz

    Appeal with the documents the ticket asks for, then fix the cause: repeats get stronger penalties.

Illustration by UGCLive from TikTok Shop's US content policy and seller enforcement policy, both dated October 9, 2026.

More about rules and violations

How does the Account Health Rating work for sellers?

Account Health Rating milestones (TikTok Shop US, page dated November 2, 2026). Every seller starts on 200; points reset after 180 days.
PointsWhat happens
150
No new listings or mega campaigns for 7 days
100
The same for 14 days
50
The same for 28 days, and no withdrawals for 30 days
0
The shop may be deactivated, with withdrawals blocked for up to 90 days

Sellers lose points for prohibited products, recalls, poor listings, trademark problems, fake orders, late dispatch and review manipulation, and earn 4 per 200 finished orders (up to 20 a week). Funds can be withheld for 45, 90 or 365 days; a deactivated shop's linked creators lose e-commerce permissions too.

How do you post a lot of videos without getting flagged?

At volume, the original-content rules bite. Vary the video itself: a new opening, format and footage. A new caption or song alone leaves you with a repost. A TikTok script generator gives each product a fresh script and shot list.

Before each post

  • Yes: Is the real product on screen, moving?
  • Yes: Does the link match what's shown?
  • Yes: Is every claim something you could prove?
  • Yes: Is it different from your last video on this product?

Caps: 30 shoppable videos a day, or 3 in the pilot under 5,000 followers (automation). Paste a product link and our AI makes a batch, each its own format and hook, within the rules on AI videos.

What didn't we check?

  • Points per violationTikTok doesn't publish them, so we can't list them.
  • How reviews workWe read the rules. We can't say how TikTok's reviewers apply them.
  • Other marketsThe UK, EU and Southeast Asia have their own policies.

Sources

On November 5, 2026 we read TikTok Shop's US content policy, Creator and Account Health Rating, seller enforcement, AI and violation pages (dates below). Where they disagree on milestones we show the newer page. The "says it safely" rewrites are ours.

  1. TikTok Shop: Creator and content policy guide (US, dated 10/09/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  2. TikTok Shop: Creator Health Rating overview and requirements (US, dated 10/12/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  3. TikTok Shop: Account Health Rating requirements (US, dated 11/02/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  4. TikTok Shop: Seller enforcement policy (US, dated 10/09/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  5. TikTok Shop: What to do when you receive a violation (US, dated 05/25/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  6. TikTok Shop: AI-generated content restrictions and requirements (US, dated 09/02/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)
  7. TikTok Shop: Creator eligibility policy (US, dated 09/25/2026) (checked November 5, 2026)

Rules and violations questions

Can children appear in TikTok affiliate videos?

The US policy says to avoid "minors promoting, describing, or demonstrating product features", a minor's voiceover promoting products, and videos where only minors appear on camera. Creators must also be 18 or older.

How do you get a TikTok Shop violation removed?

Appeal from the notice within 30 days with the documents it asks for. A successful appeal cancels the violation and its penalties.

How long do TikTok Shop violations last?

Creator Health deductions reset after 90 days and seller Account Health deductions after 180 days. Repeat or severe cases can bring enforcement regardless of your score.

Why was my TikTok Shop account suspended?

The notice in your Seller Center or Creator Center gives the reason. Common causes are a health score hitting a milestone, suspected fraud (fraudulent shipping included: dropshipping on TikTok Shop) and severe policy breaches. TikTok can also ask you to verify your identity again.

Do TikTok Shop rules apply to LIVEs?

Yes, plus some of their own: no AI voiceovers, no pre-recorded clips or screen recordings, and stills can't cover more than half the screen. See our guide to selling on LIVE.

Still have questions?Email us

Used in this guide

Hook generatorPaste a product link. Get 8 hooks.

Related

UGCLive for TikTok Shop

A batch of videos, each one different.

Paste a product link and our AI makes a batch of finished videos, each a different format with its own hook.

Make TikTok Shop videos