Shopify no longer allows vape sales, and it is sending stores violation notices that set a hard deadline to remove every vape product.
The policy goes back to a November 2025 letter from 25 state attorneys general. Shopify's first notices went out in June 2026. Notices are still reaching merchants, and one we reviewed set a deadline of September 14, 2026. Below is what the notices say, what the law behind them is, and what the ban covers.
What Shopify is telling vape stores
A Shopify merchant shared their notice with The Vaper's Guide. The store name and recipient address are redacted. Everything else, including the deadline, is unaltered.
The subject line reads "Shopify Terms of Service Violation," followed by the store name. The reply-to address is [email protected], Shopify's legal team.
The notice says "a regulator has notified Shopify" that the store's products "may not be lawfully sold in your jurisdiction or your customers' jurisdiction." It points to a list of flagged products in the store's admin, and it warns the list "may not be exhaustive."
The core of the notice is this paragraph:
Due to changes in legal restrictions on the sale of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Shopify no longer supports the sale of these products in any jurisdiction. This includes e-cigarettes, e-liquids, vaporizers, and their parts, refills, and accessories, irrespective of their content.
The deadline follows in bold: "You must remove all ENDS products from your store by September 14, 2026 UTC." Missing it is a violation of Shopify's Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. According to the notice, that "may lead to product suspension or store termination."
The notice also warns that "reposting removed or similar content" may lead to store suspension. Relisting a vape under a new product name is not a workaround.
Timeline of the Shopify vape ban
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 24, 2025 | 25 attorneys general send Shopify a letter about illegal e-cigarette sites |
| June 23, 2026 | California's attorney general confirms Shopify's ban on all vaping products |
| June 24, 2026 | First merchant notices are sent, according to Reuters |
| Early July 2026 | Deadline for stores in the first round, according to Reuters |
| September 14, 2026 | Deadline in the later notice reviewed by The Vaper's Guide |
Deadlines are not the same for every store. The first round gave merchants about two weeks. Shopify has stayed quiet on how many rounds it has sent or how it picks the dates. The date in a store's own notice is the one that applies.
Why attorneys general went after Shopify
On November 24, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general wrote to Shopify about illegal e-cigarette sales. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York City led it together. The letter named 29 illegal e-cigarette websites hosted on Shopify. It flagged more than 200 other sites selling unlawful tobacco products.
The coalition's case rested on federal and state law. A new vape must have FDA marketing authorization before it can be sold in the United States. The FDA lists 48 authorized e-cigarette products, and says "these are the only e-cigarettes that may be lawfully sold in the United States." The authorized products come from five companies: Glas, JUUL Labs, Logic, NJOY, and R.J. Reynolds Vapor.
State law adds a second layer. California bans the sale of most flavored tobacco products, and an unflavored-product list took effect in 2025. Other coalition states, including Massachusetts and New York, set their own flavor restrictions.
On June 23, 2026, Bonta's office announced Shopify's decision to ban the sale of all vaping products on its platform. Coalition members listed in that announcement include Arizona, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Why Shopify banned all vapes, not just illegal ones
The attorneys general asked Shopify to stop illegal sales. Shopify went further and dropped the whole category.
Shopify has not explained that choice publicly beyond the notice itself. Its Terms of Service give it plenty of room to make it. The terms say Shopify may "refuse or remove any Materials" at its "sole discretion," including goods that violate the Acceptable Use Policy. The Acceptable Use Policy tells merchants they cannot use Shopify "to do anything that's illegal where you do business."
A product-by-product review would be a big job. Legality depends on FDA status, on the buyer's state, and sometimes on the buyer's city. Shipping adds the federal PACT Act rules on registration, age checks, and delivery. A full ban removes the need to sort legal listings from illegal ones.
What the Shopify ban covers
The notice uses the regulatory term ENDS. The FDA defines ENDS broadly. It covers vapes, vape pens, e-cigarettes, and e-liquids. It also covers components and parts such as cartridges, atomizers, batteries, and tanks.
Shopify's wording goes beyond nicotine. "Irrespective of their content" means nicotine-free e-liquid is covered. FDA authorization does not make an exception either. A store that sells only FDA-authorized products got the same notice.
The word "vaporizers" is the open question for cannabis and dry herb device sellers. The notice does not define it, and Shopify has not published exceptions. Merchants selling non-nicotine vaporizers should check the flagged list in their admin and contact Shopify directly.
What this means if you buy vapes online
Shopify's rule changes where you can buy, not what the law allows. The federal minimum age for all tobacco products, including vapes, remains 21. The PACT Act still applies to how online sellers ship. State flavor bans still apply at your address.
Stores that sold on Shopify now have to move platforms or stop selling online. A few things to look out for:
- Your favorite shop may move, not close. Check its social accounts or email list before you write it off.
- Watch for copycat sites. A store migration is an opening for scammers to pose as a shop's "new" website. Confirm the new address through the shop's own accounts.
- Check what you buy. Our guide on how the PMTA process works explains why so few vapes hold FDA authorization.
- Enforcement is not limited to Shopify. Federal agencies are also seizing unauthorized vapes at the border.
