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My account was abruptly removed from the Verified merchant program.

4colordress
Just visiting

I was a verified seller on Pinterest for over a year. It was abruptly removed from the program a few days ago and Pinterest showed a few errors. I fixed these and there were no issues, but Pinterest still only sent that "Seller does not meet minimum website quality requirements" message, preventing me from continuing the program and using the approved account. There is no explanation for this situation. I'm trying to solve the problem, but I see Pinterest is not a good partner in this regard. What does it mean to be suddenly removed from the program without giving any reason? An unlawful situation that abolishes the competition law. What a pity.

1 Kudo
8 Replies
shop_thediagonalley
Just visiting

This is the reason. @4colordress 

There are two main reasons for VMP suspension: issues with catalog uploads and malfunctioning tags. If your catalog was not uploaded correctly or your tag is not functioning correctly, you’ll be alerted on the Verified Merchant Program application page, your business hub as well as via email. Once alerted, you’ll have 30 days to fix your catalog or tag. If your catalog or tag are not fixed in 30 days, you may be suspended from the program. If you resolve the issue after being suspended, you will be automatically re-enrolled in the program.

https://help.pinterest.com/en/business/article/verified-merchant-program

 

1 Kudo
4colordress
Just visiting

There was no alert about the 30 days for the fixing problem. On the other hand my catalog and tags were working well. Actually they are still working well. As I told above, there is no mistake for suspension or rejection.

0 Kudos
bodymindmood
Pinterest Pioneer
Pinterest Pioneer

@4colordress 

Hi there I just saw your post and sorry that this has happened to you.

I took a look at your site and you may want to have a look at the Merchant Guidelines - Merchant Requirements that I have pasted below. It appears that your site is a marketplace and from what Pinterest is saying that is not allowed. Now, you may disagree with the idea of being a marketplace but if Pinterest believes that is what it is you will consistently have problems. If you believe Pinterest has made an error then I would re-submit the application | appeal to Pinterest and see what their response is.

I also noticed your address is not completed on the main page of your website at the bottom and is not listed anywhere on your contact page et al. these must be there for Pinterest to be able to verify you.

Merchant requirements

  • Merchants must meet the following criteria:

    • Merchants must not be resale or consignment marketplaces.
    • Merchants must not be affiliate marketers.
    • The merchant must have an easy to find and clear shipping policy that displays expected shipping time.
    • The merchant must have an easy to find and clear return policy, that displays whether the merchant accepts returns, the process and time expectations for returns (if applicable), and contact information.
    • The merchant must have a dedicated “about us” page detailing their business offering or relevant social media links.
    • Merchants must have a high-quality website and product pages. We don’t allow websites that:
      • Have poor editorial content, including:
        • Improper grammar, excessive or glaring spelling or typos
        • Fuzzy or grainy images
        • Broken links or incomplete pages
      • Have unoriginal content, including:
        • Unoriginal content within the “about us” section or product descriptions
        • Stock images
      • Force users to visit another page that is not original to the brand
      • Force users to register to view the products
      • Are unsafe or deceptive
      • Have multiple ads or pop-ups
      • Have pop-ups you cannot close
      • Have out of date content or out-of-stock products


    I am certain that this is not an ideal answer but I have seen many instances similiar to yours over time and the best advice is to go ahead and re-submit if your certain Pinterest has made a mistake.

    I hope this helps.

    Lisa

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4colordress
Just visiting

Thank you for your help. I found the problem. It was about with my catalog. Some of the products were not in stock and we removed the items and never update the catalog which I sent to Pinterest. I just upload the new updated catalog but I don't know how can I re-appkly for verified merchant program.

1 Kudo

My shop was removed at the same time. I think they must have done a sweep, or something. I fixed the issues they pointed out and reapplied and was again told that my website didn't meet minimum requirements because of different issues that weren't given the first time. I have one appeal left, but I'm afraid to use it. I wish they would give specific items to fix. At this point, even after reading the guidelines several times, I'm just not sure what they want. I wouldn't be so upset if the appeals weren't limited so drastically. 

1 Kudo
liadelyonart
New member

This happened to me too. I sent them an email and they only restated that I did not meet minimum requirements but could not identify an actual error. I lost my status and it sucks because I do so well on pinterest. I'm having trouble getting it back

0 Kudos
theeasontwins
New member

Did you ever get your status back?  I've been working with several people that have had issues with the Pinterest Verified Merchant program and compiling some considerations for each of the errors.  One of the big problems that I've heard about is with stock images.  I'd love to hear if you found a solution and what that was so I can add it to my list of possible things to consider for this error.  Thank you!

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theeasontwins
New member

I'm curious why you mention that Marketplaces are not permitted.  Considering that Etsy is a verified merchant on Pinterest, and a known "marketplace", that would seem that marketplaces are allowed.  Of course, Etsy actually is a "consignment marketplace" since they do not own any of the products and only earn commission from the sales versus Amazon (not a verified merchant) where the company has products and 3rd party sellers.  If you can, you may want to pass along that this either needs clarification or uniform enforcement if that really is a requirement.

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