Shopify has ordered merchants worldwide to remove all vape products from their online stores, extending a US crackdown on illegal vapes into a blanket global ban.
The Canadian e-commerce company told sellers to remove the products by July 8 or risk having listings suspended or their stores terminated, according to a notice seen by Reuters and confirmed by Shopify.
The policy applies to all vape products, rather than only devices that are illegal or unauthorised in the United States. A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters that the decision applies globally.
It means legitimate retailers operating in regulated markets may also have to remove products or move their businesses to another platform.
Sellers warned stores could be terminated
“Due to changes in legal restrictions on the sale of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Shopify no longer supports the sale of these products,” the June 24 notice said.
Merchants were instructed to remove all vape products from their online stores by July 8. The notice warned that failure to comply could result in product suspension or store termination.
Shopify confirmed that the message was authentic but did not comment further. Earlier in June, the company told Reuters that it prohibited illegal activity and based enforcement decisions on its assessment of legal requirements in different jurisdictions.
The reach of the decision could be substantial. Shopify says millions of businesses in more than 175 countries use its systems to run online and physical stores.
The notice did not distinguish between unauthorised products and those that can lawfully be sold. It also did not report exemptions for countries where regulated vaping products remain legal.
US authorities targeted illegal online sellers
The decision follows months of pressure from a bipartisan coalition of 25 US attorneys general, co-led by California and the City of New York.
In November 2025, the coalition called on Shopify to take stronger action against merchants using its services to sell illegal tobacco products, particularly vapes without US Food and Drug Administration marketing authorisation.
The authorities identified 29 allegedly illegal vape websites hosted on Shopify and provided details of more than 200 additional websites known to sell illegal tobacco products. They said the lists were not exhaustive.
Shopify had previously terminated individual sellers referred to it by the California Attorney General’s Office. The coalition argued that removing stores individually was insufficient and called for a more comprehensive approach.
Shopify’s response ultimately went further than the authorities’ original request by barring the entire product category rather than restricting the policy to illegal US sales.
Only 45 vape products currently have FDA marketing authorisation and may lawfully be sold in the United States. The list includes devices and cartridges produced by companies including Juul Labs, NJOY and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company. The FDA stresses that authorisation does not mean a product is safe or “FDA approved”.
“This change will help significantly reduce the sale of illegal nicotine products. We will continue to hold companies accountable and protect public health,” Bonta said.
Crackdown spreads to payment networks
US authorities have increasingly targeted the infrastructure supporting unauthorised vape sales, including web platforms, payment processors, delivery companies and retailers.
The same coalition has pressed payment providers to strengthen their controls. Mastercard has warned partners that enabling transactions involving illegal vapes could breach its policies, while payment processor Fiserv and fuel retailers including BP, Marathon Petroleum and Valero have warned US businesses about potential penalties or the loss of card-processing services.
Reuters has reported that the US market for illegal vapes could be worth at least $9 billion (around €7.9 billion) a year. Unauthorised products remain widely available online and through convenience stores and fuel stations despite lacking FDA marketing orders.
Global ban reaches regulated markets
The global scope of Shopify’s action means the policy also reaches countries that permit regulated adult vape sales.
In the UK, reusable vaping products can legally be sold to adults, although sales to under-18s are prohibited and single-use vapes have been banned since June 2025. The Government is introducing tighter controls, including a new vaping products duty and retail licensing, while maintaining a financial incentive for smokers to switch away from cigarettes.
Shopify has not disclosed how many vape retailers use its platform or how many stores have been suspended since the deadline passed. Its decision leaves affected businesses facing the removal of their vape ranges or the transfer of their online operations to another provider.
